One former Boston Red Sox fan-favorite still is available on the open market even with free agency heating up in a major way.
The Winter Meetings brought fireworks to Major League Baseball and saw the New York Mets complete the biggest deal in big league history. The Juan Soto sweepstakes captivated fans for weeks and it concluded with the Mets landing him on a historic $765 million deal.
What’s next for the Mets now? New York has lost some pitching already this offseason and it reportedly at least has spoken to former Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta, according to the New York Post’s Mike Puma.
“Mets officials were set to leave the Winter Meetings on Wednesday without a starting rotation addition, but remained active in the arms search,” Puma said. “To that end, president of baseball operations David Stearns met with the representative for free agent Nick Pivetta, according to an industry source, on the same day another pitcher of interest, Garrett Crochet, was traded from the (Chicago White Sox) to the Red Sox.
“Pivetta, a right-hander, pitched to a 4.14 ERA in 27 appearances last season for the Red Sox. Pivetta, 31, finished with 172 strikeouts in 142 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate of 28.9 percent ranked in MLB’s 88th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.”
New York clearly isn’t afraid to spend and Pivetta is projected to receive a four-year, $60 million deal in free agency. If the Mets — or any team — were to sign Pivetta to a deal of that nature, Boston would receive draft compensation because he turned down the Qualifying Offer.
