The Boston Red Sox have had a string of rotten luck with a few recent signings and trades. Trevor Story played barely a season's worth of baseball in his first three years with the Red Sox organization and Chris Sale is fresh off his first Cy Young victory and Triple Crown season after being traded to the Atlanta Braves.
On April 24, Bleacher Report predicted something similar for former Red Sox pitcher, Nick Pivetta. Pivetta declined a qualifying offer from Boston this offseason because he expected a competitive market for his services as a free agent. He eventually signed with the Padres and has been electric for them. He's been so good that writer Kerry Miller predicts he'll win the National League Cy Young Award this year.
"Pivetta has naturally logged seven scoreless innings in three of his first five starts with the Padres, boasting a 1.20 ERA and an NL-best 0.77 WHIP for the year. Aside from Fernando Tatis Jr., he has been the biggest reason why the Padres entered Wednesday tied with the Mets for the best record in baseball," Miller wrote.
Pivetta's success with the Padres comes as quite a shock to many Red Sox fans who watched him work over the last five seasons. The righty has never recorded a sub-4.00 ERA in his eight years in the major leagues and tends to give up home runs.
Bleacher Report predicts former Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta will win NL Cy Young with Padres
Nick Pivetta is through 7 scoreless innings in Detroit 👏 pic.twitter.com/e3waK3Jan6
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2025
That all changed in San Diego, where he's posted seven scoreless innings in three of his five starts this year. The Red Sox anticipated Pivetta's market to be bigger than it was due to his strikeout stuff, and he's lived up to his previous production with the Red Sox with 30 strikeouts in 30 innings.
To rub even more salt in Boston's wounds, the Padres are getting Pivetta's best performance for a bargain. His four-year, $55 million deal is heavily backloaded, and Pivetta is only making $1 million this year (after a $3 million signing bonus).
Pivetta may not have been built for Fenway Park, one of the friendliest parks for hitters in MLB. The Padres' home park, Petco Park, leans pitcher-friendly, but it's the 10th-friendliest park for home run hitters, so Pivetta has been able to limit the long balls in the early goings of his stint in San Diego.
Given his track record, it's hard to believe Pivetta would have been as good as his 2025 numbers show if he re-signed with the Red Sox. Still, Boston expressed interest in a reunion after he denied its qualifying offer, and seeing his early success has to have the front office wondering what could've been.