The San Diego Padres are in the middle of a tricky offseason. With some uncertainty with the payroll going forward, A.J. Preller has a tough task of managing the roster while adding more rotation help.
One of the ways the Padres could acquire more rotation help would be through the trade market. They could land cheap pitching through trades, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today predicts they'll do just that.
However, Nightengale's prediction has the Padres trading a $20 million starting pitcher to add more starting pitchers. Instead of one good starter, the Padres are predicted to take a chance on multiple cheaper options using this $20 million starter.
Padres predicted to trade $20 million starter to bolster rotation depth
"Prediction: The Padres will surprise everyone by trading ace Nick Pivetta," Nightengale writes, "who's scheduled to earn $20.5 million, for starters now and in the future."
Nick Pivetta is a former Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox starting pitcher. The 2025 season was his first in San Diego, and he had his best year by far since his 2017 rookie season.
Pivetta had a 2.87 ERA across 31 starts, going 13-5 with 5.3 bWAR and 190 strikeouts in 181.2 innings pitched in his ninth year in the Majors.
After being a 5.50 ERA pitcher with the Phillies and a 4.47 ERA pitcher with the Red Sox, Pivetta's 2025 season was a massive improvement on his previous performances.
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The 32-year-old starter is signed on a $55 million deal, and as Nightengale notes, is slated to earn $20.5 million in 2026. Instead of holding onto an expensive starter like Pivetta, the Padres could trade him to a team in need of starting pitching help.
By trading Pivetta for more pitching depth for the rotation, the Padres could take multiple chances on cheap pitching talent this winter.
Also, Pivetta's value might never be greater than it is now, and trading him away wouldn't be the worst decision. But, in trading a starting pitcher for more starting pitching help, the options the Padres are likely to get back won't be the best.
Preller will have to get creative this winter, and moving on from Pivetta and someone like Jake Cronenworth could be the moves that help bolster the rotation into being a postseason-capable rotation despite a much cheaper payroll.
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