As starting pitchers continue to be sold out, Nick Pivetta It is one of the most mature startup companies on the public market. He has been linked to the Mets, and today the Reds have emerged as another suitor. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported earlier today that the Reds have checked out Pivetta, meaning their interest could increase after missing out on the trade target Garrett Crochet.
The Reds have been active in the starting pitching market this offseason. they want Nick Martinez In November, he accepted. Soon after, they obtained Brady Singer Acquired from Royals Jonathan India. with young arms Hunter Green, Nick Lodoloand Andrew Abbottwhich gives the Reds five capable major league starters, as well as top prospects Rhett Lord. Still, it’s not hard to understand why president of baseball operations Nick Krall is still pursuing starting pitching.
Abbott and Lodolo both ended the 2024 season on the injured list. Green decommitted from Illinois in time for the end of the year and made two brief starts, but he missed time from mid-August to late September. All three have shown promise when healthy, but none have played a full MLB season. The same goes for veteran Martinez, who has played a starter-relief role for most of his MLB career. If the Reds sign Pivetta, they will be better equipped to deal with an injury to one of their starters. In the best-case scenario with everyone healthy on Opening Day, Martinez could come out of the bullpen while Lord starts the year in the minors. New head coach Terry Francona may face a stalemate if Lord forces his way onto the Opening Day roster with a strong showing, but it would be a good problem to have.
That said, Cincinnati signing Pivetta is a bit surprising considering there are so many other areas that Kral needs to address. The Reds finished last among teams in scoring last season. They rank 21st in OPS and 26th in wRC+. They recently traded India, one of their best offensive players in 2024, and made no additions to the starting lineup. Considering they already have six contenders for five spots in next year’s rotation, one might think the Reds would put most of their remaining resources toward improving their offense. To this end, they have linked up with trade candidates, e.g. louis robert jr., Josh Naylorand Ryan Thomas.
Earlier this offseason, Reds COO and CFO Doug Healy told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon that his team would “keep payroll at the same level In 2024 or above”. It’s a vague and noncommittal statement, but it does seem to mean a significant salary increase is unlikely. Therefore, we have reason to doubt whether the Reds boss is willing to spend a lot of money to sign Pivetta and Step up your offense. After all, RosterResource estimates their 2025 payroll ($101MM) is already slightly higher than their final 2024 payroll ($100MM).
Pivetta is likely to seek a similar multi-year deal Luis Severino Signed with the A’s (three years, $67MM) and Kikuchi Yusen Signed with Angels (three years, $63MM). Meanwhile, Thomas is expected to earn $8.3MM in 2025, and Naylor is expected to earn $12MM. All three salaries are team-friendly numbers; an equally impactful position player would cost significantly more in free agency. Does Krall have the financial flexibility to provide Pivetta with over $20MM worth of AAV while still purchasing an impact bat?
