The Toronto Blue Jays are in the market for a starting pitcher and it looks like they could be interested in former Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta.
The Blue Jays seem to be very interested in top free agent pitcher Max Fried but if that ends up falling through Pivetta could end up being a solid back up option for Toronto.
Blue Jays could be interested in signing free agent pitcher Nick Pivetta
The fellow Canadian pitcher was the Red Sox highest paid pitcher in 2024 when he settled on a $7.5 million contract with the Red Sox to avoid arbitration and was offered a $21.1 million qualifying offer by Boston this off-season but refused it, making him a free agent.
The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Pivetta and they settled on a $7.5 million salary for the 2024 season. He was the highest-paid starting pitcher on the Red Sox staff this past year. -Hunter
Pivetta decided to decline the qualifying offer because he should be able to land a better contract in free agency as Sportrac projects him to sign a deal worth about $60 million on a 4 year term.
Spotrac estimates his AAV on the open market will be $15.1 million, with a potential for a 4-year/$60.3 million deal on the table for the right-hander. Meanwhile, MLB Trade Rumours is not as bullish on Pivetta, as they estimate he'll land a one-year/$21 million contract in free agency. -Hunter
The Canadian pitcher had a decent season in Boston finishing with a 4.14 ERA and a 6-12 record in 145.2 innings pitched to go along with 172 strikeouts which are similar to the numbers he has put up over the last 4 years.
While Pivetta is no a bonified ace on the mound, he consistently has an ERA just above 4.00 and has proven to be very consistent and does not get injured much as he has pitched over 140 innings every season for the last 4 years.
While Blue Jay fans would love to see Toronto sign a big time pitcher like Blake Snell or Max Fried, Pivetta might be a solid back up option which would give their rotation some stability.