Padres Decline Pivetta's $14M Option, Sending Him Into Free Agency

Nick Pivetta is a free agent. The San Diego Padres have declined the right-hander's $14 million club option for 2027, according to a report from the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee, ending his stay after a season disrupted by injury. Pivetta signed a four-year, $55 million contract before the 2025 season that included opt-outs after 2026 and 2027, but an extended spell of more than 130 days on the injured list this year changed the arrangement and handed the Padres the $14 million option — which they have now passed on. He also held an $18 million player option for 2028, a further complication in any return. The decision leaves San Diego's rotation remarkably thin: with Michael King and Walker Buehler also hitting free agency, the remaining big-league options are Joe Musgrove, Randy Vasquez, JP Sears and Jhony Brito. The door is not fully closed — president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has hinted the sides could still work out a new agreement — but for now Pivetta, who will test a market always hungry for starting pitching, is free to sign anywhere.