Padres Rumors: San Diego could trade Nick Pivetta, replace him with these free agents

The San Diego Padres’ offseason has had a familiar “quiet… but not calm” vibe. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic basically spelled out the most Padres explanation possible: San Diego might be stalling on signing a starter because A.J. Preller wants to move money first. And the easiest lever to pull is Nick Pivetta. 

Here’s the core logic: Rosenthal and Sammon floated the idea that the Padres could be waiting to add a starter until they clear payroll via a Pivetta trade. FanGraphs’ RosterResource has the Padres’ 2026 payroll around $220 million, and there’s been no real indication they’re about to spike that number. So if the Padres want a mid-rotation free agent like Lucas Giolito or Chris Bassitt, many sources suggest you’re talking $15–20 million per year — which for the Padres, is hard to pull off without subtracting somewhere else first. 

Padres’ Pivetta trade buzz could be the first domino in a bigger pitching plan

That’s where Pivetta becomes the (painfully) obvious chess piece. He’s set to make $20.5 million, and trading him could theoretically do two things at once: (1) free up the cash to sign a replacement starter, and (2) bring back either a young arm or help in another roster area. 

But here’s a big problem: trading Pivetta only makes sense if the return is real. If you’re going to create a rotation hole just to fill it with another similar-tier starter, you’d better be doing it because you’re also patching something else that’s been nagging this roster.

The Mets angle is the other reason this rumor doesn’t feel like pure fan fiction. Jon Heyman of The New York Post noted that the Padres were discussing a deal with New York last month and Pivetta was one of the names in those talks (along with a whole pile of others). Those talks didn’t get anywhere — and Heyman basically said the Mason Miller part was laughable. But it does underline the point: the Padres have been in the range of big, messy roster conversations. Pivetta being the movable salary in the middle of that is totally plausible.

Maybe they’re just waiting out the market again. Remember, Pivetta was a mid-February signing last year. If San Diego thinks it can land value again by waiting, that tracks with how they’ve operated when money is tight.

So if they are trying to move Pivetta, it has to be because the trade return meaningfully upgrades the roster and you’re confident you can replace innings. In other words: this isn’t a “dump him” rumor. It’s a “Preller’s trying to turn one expensive pitcher into two useful things” rumor. And honestly? That’s the only version that’s worth it.