Blue Jays Among 'Likeliest' Landing Spots For Red Sox $7.5 Million Hurler

Will the Blue Jays poach the former Red Sox starter?

Aug 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Toronto Blue Jays logo during batting practice against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Spring Training is quickly approaching and one former Boston Red Sox fan-favorite somehow is still out there on the open market.

Boston surprised some by offering Nick Pivetta the qualifying offer that would've been worth just over $21 million for the 2025 season. Pivetta shocked the baseball world even further by turning it down despite making $7.5 million last year.

It would've been a pretty major raise, but it seems like Pivetta is looking for a multi-year but things just haven't worked out to this point for him. He's surprisingly still out there in free agency and should find an opportunity in the near future. He's arguably the second-best free agent starter still out there behind Jack Flaherty. Max Scherzer still is out there but is nearing the end of his career and is coming off an injury.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller made a list of the top remaining free agents with the "likeliest" landing spots and a "surprise" option for each. For Pivetta, Miller had the American League East rival Toronto Blue Jays among the "likeliest."

"Likeliest Landing Spots: San Francisco Giants or Toronto Blue Jays," Miller said. "In what feels like a game of "One of these things is not like the other," the three players who rejected qualifying offers and still haven't signed contracts are Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman...and Nick Pivetta.

"He provided a decent amount of value to the Red Sox over the past four seasons, logging at least 140 innings pitched in each, with an ERA ranging from 4.04 to 4.56. Was it enough for the almost 32-year-old to get a three-year or a four-year deal on the open market?"

This isn't the first time Toronto has been floated as a hypothetical fit for Pivetta. He's from Canada and the Blue Jays need more pitching. A move absolutely could make sense, but the qualifying offer complicates his market. Anything could happen.

More MLB: MLB Insider 'Firmly Expects' Red Sox To Make Addition In This Area