Rival GMs hope Padres' Nick Pivetta will make $32 million contract decision after 2026

The San Diego Padres' starting rotation isn't a top-tier unit in Major League Baseball, but there are some quality pitchers with high upside as part of this group.

Michael King and Randy Vasquez have been off to incredible starts this season, while Walker Buehler and German Marquez have, as expected, struggled a bit. Nick Pivetta has also struggled, but he's someone rival GMs are keeping close tabs on.

As USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports, rival general managers around Major League Baseball are hoping that Pivetta, after the 2026 season, will make a $32 million contract opt-out decision to hit the open market as a free agent.

Rival GMs hope Nick Pivetta will opt out of Padres deal

"Rival GMs already are counting on San Diego Padres ace Nick Pivetta to be on the free agent market this winter, believing it's a no-brainer that he will opt out of his contract," Nightengale reports.

This is an interesting report from Nightengale, as it means there is considerable interest in Pivetta on the open market, and more specifically, in the sense that Pivetta will land more than what he'd get from the Padres.

If Pivetta opts out of this Padres deal, he'd be giving up on $32 million over the next two seasons. Pivetta opting out of this deal would likely mean he's landing a lot more in free agency.

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Pivetta this season has a 5.54 ERA in his three starts this season, which isn't ideal. Comparatively, last year he had a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts.

If rival general managers are banking on Pivetta opting out of his deal, implying interest if he hits the open market, then he should be able to get more than $16 million per season to beat the $32 million two-year deal he'd be opting out of.

The 33-year-old seems likely to have a lot of interest in the free agent market, making the 2026 season potentially his last with the Padres as he's expected by GMs around baseball to opt out of his deal and hit free agency.

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