Padres Expected to Cut Ties With Nick Pivetta This Offseason

The San Diego Padres are currently fighting for playoff positioning in the crowded wild-card race in the National League.

The main goal of this team is to get into the postseason, to then see what kind of damage this group can do. But the front office also has its eye on the upcoming offseason, with the executives looking at how they can move around the roster.

One player that will be a major storyline for the Padres is starter Nick Pivetta, who is currently injured. Pivetta has only been able to make four starts this year due to an elbow injury, and his status for the remainder of the year remains up in the air.

After a setback during a rehab appearance, Pivetta is now in line to miss his deadline to be on the Padres roster by Aug. 22. This means that the right-hander will potentially lose a significant amount of money, with his player option turning to a team option.

And according to Padres insider Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, it seems unlikely that the team will pick it up. Pivetta currently has a player option for $14 million for 2027 and $18 million for 2028.

"It has become a virtual certainty that Padres starting pitcher Nick Pivetta will not be on the major league roster by Aug. 22, which means his player option for 2027 becomes a team option that almost certainly will not be picked up," Acee wrote.

The Padres could always try to bring Pivetta back on a different contract, but given his injury issues this year, it wouldn't make sense on the current one. The two sides do have a strong relationship, which could impact negotiations over the winter.

"Pivetta has declined to discuss the Aug. 22 deadline or the contract implications. However, people familiar with his thinking say he’s focused on making it back this season," Acee wrote. "Those people also say the communication between Pivetta and the Padres has been excellent and the relationship between the sides is strong."

Padres insider Dennis Lin of The Athletic also reflected on the situation around Pivetta for the future, speaking on 97.3 The Fan.

"If his elbow is compromised, then it seems like a good chance the team would much prefer to get out of [his contract]," Lin said. "Clearly he's not fully healthy, and if there is a possibility that it looks like he's gonna need surgery in the relatively near future, that might wipe out his entire next season."

"I think the Padres would like to have him back if he's healthy," Lin added. "I mean, that's a big if."

What would be the Padres' preference in regards to Nick Pivetta's contract option if it converts to a club option? @dennistlin shared his thoughts this morning on @BenAndWoods: pic.twitter.com/QfLzhtVrBG
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) August 10, 2026

Nick Pivetta Injury Update

Pivetta was gearing up for a return sometime before the Aug. 22 deadline, but he has suffered another setback in his recovery. During his first rehab appearance, Pivetta left the game early due to a weird feeling in his elbow.

“First two guys, I felt really good, strong, healthy,” Pivetta said. “Threw a couple pitches, continued to kind of feel the same type of sensation, and then I just kind of got to a point where I didn’t really want to pitch anymore, and I just kind off walked off the mound.”

The team has seemed to indicate that they dodged a serious bullet, but they don't really know what it looks like yet. Pivetta threw a bullpen on Monday, and the team is waiting to see how he feels.

After emerging as the ace of the staff a year ago, Pivetta was expected to take on that role again this season. But the injury derailed his season, and now his future in San Diego is very much up in the air.

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