MLB Rumors: Padres Listening To Offers on Their Ace Starting Pitcher

December 09, 2025
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nick Pivetta walks off the mound during 2025 game.

The San Diego Padres are once again trying to walk that tightrope between contending and cutting costs, and this time it has pulled their ace into the rumor mill. 

Multiple reports say the club has shown a willingness to listen on Nick Pivetta after his breakout 2025 season, even if a trade is not viewed as likely. Pivetta just delivered a 2.87 ERA over 181.2 innings and finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting, exactly the frontline production San Diego hoped for when they gave him a four year, 55 million dollar deal with a light first year and a heavy jump to 19 million in 2026. 

That backloaded structure, plus an opt out after next season and another one tied to the final two years and 32 million, turns him into a complicated asset, part bargain and part looming decision point for any team that calls.

Padres Listening on Nick Pivetta

On the market side, Pivetta would instantly become one of the top available arms if the Detroit Tigers hang on to Tarik Skubal and questions linger around other options. For pitching hungry contenders, the appeal is obvious, a durable right hander coming off a career year on a contract that fits into more than just the biggest payrolls. 

The catch is baked into the deal. If he shoves again, he probably walks away from the back half of the contract and you have paid real prospect capital for a one year rental. If he regresses or gets hurt, he may choose to stay and you inherit the risk the Padres were trying to ease. 

That push and pull explains why San Diego is said to be asking for a steep return and why insiders keep stressing that this is more about gauging the market than racing to move him.

Big picture, even entertaining Pivetta offers says plenty about where the Padres are headed. They already watched Dylan Cease leave for the Toronto Blue Jays, still need at least two starters, and have holes in the lineup to address, yet ownership pressure to bring payroll down is clearly real. 

Moving Pivetta would free a big chunk of short term money and could jump start a quick retool if the right package comes along, especially with Jake Cronenworth’s contract also being shopped as another lever to pull. At the same time, trading their best healthy starter would make it harder to sell 2026 as a true win now season.

Photo Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Go To: NFL Rumors | NBA Rumors | NHL Rumors