Padres Finally Make Opening Day Starter Decision

The San Diego Padres have finally announced their Opening Day starter for the 2026 season.

Right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta will get the nod on Opening Day for the first time in his career. The 33-year-old was the obvious choice for the Padres all spring. Now, it's official.

“Opening Day starter 2026 [for the] San Diego Padres will be Nick Pivetta,” manager Craig Stammen said Monday. “Excited for Nick to get his chance to start Opening Day. He was our best pitcher throughout the whole entire last season, was our No. 1 starter when we took on the Cubs in the wild-card series. He has pitched great in spring training and he deserves to get the Opening Day nod.”

Pivetta joined the Padres last February on a four-year, $55 million deal after spending the first eight years of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.

Pivetta came to San Diego with a career ERA of 4.76 across 223 appearances (178 starts). He turned into an ace in his first year with the Padres, finishing with a career-best 2.87 ERA across 31 starts and a career-high 181.2 innings pitched. His 190 strikeouts were also the highest mark in a single season in his career.

Pivetta, whose contract paid him just $2.5 million in 2025, was a saving grace for a San Diego rotation that saw struggles from Dylan Cease and injury concerns from Michael King and Yu Darvish. This year, the Padres likely need even more from Pivetta with Cease in Toronto, Darvish out for the year and both King and Joe Musgrove coming off major injuries.

There is some concern with Pivetta, as he was dealing with arm fatigue this spring that pushed back his progression. He's also struggled across his four spring starts, pitching 12 innings and sporting an 8.25 ERA with just nine strikeouts to six walks with four home runs allowed.

Pivetta's expected numbers in 2025 also raise some red flags. His expected ERA was over a full point higher at 3.99. He ranked in the bottom of the league in terms of hard-hit percentage (15th percentile), ground ball percentage (13th percentile) and barrel percentage (10th percentile). To say he was a beneficiary of fortunate luck in 2025 would not be unfair.

Nevertheless, he's the best option for the Padres right now, and he'll get the ball on Opening Day, hoping to pick up where he left off last season in a matchup against reigning back-to-back Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers.

Nick Pivetta's Contract Structure

Pivetta signed a unique deal with San Diego that paid him $2.5 million in 2025 before jumping up to $20.5 million in 2026. He then has an opt out after this season that would void the final two years and $32 million.

If Pivetta elects to remain with San Diego, he'll earn $14 million in 2027. He'll then have a player option in 2028 worth $18 million.

Padres Announce Starting Rotation for Opening Series vs Tigers

In addition to giving Pivetta the Opening Day nod, the Padres have also announced their starters for the other two games of the opening series against the Tigers.

Michael King will start on Friday, while Randy Vásquez will start on Saturday. Here are the pitching probables for the Padres' first series of the season:

Thursday, March 26: RHP Nick Pivetta vs. LHP Tarik Skubal
Friday, March 27: RHP Michael King vs. LHP Framber Valdez
Saturday, March 28: RHP Randy Vásquez vs. RHP Jack Flaherty