The 2025 MLB season is flying by as April reaches its final days. After a slow start to the campaign, the Boston Red Sox's run began improving in the middle of April and continued with a series win against the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend, leaving Alex Cora's club with a 16-14 record through the first 30 games.
With the first month of action nearly in the books, now is a good time to check in on the rest of the Majors. One month is a solid sample size to evaluate a player's performance, including a former Red Sox starter who's been thriving since leaving Beantown.
Former Red Sox RHP Nick Pivetta Already Proving Boston Made a Mistake
Veteran right-handed starter Nick Pivetta is one of several Red Sox veterans fans were forced to say goodbye to during the offseason.
Pivetta began his MLB career with the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies before the latter traded him to the Red Sox as a part of a four-player deal in August 2020. He ended up playing decently for Boston in parts of five seasons, going 37-41 with a 4.29 ERA and 718 strikeouts across 131 appearances (107 starts, 633 innings).
Although it was far from the worst performance, it wasn't good enough in the Red Sox's eyes to view him as a long-term pitching option.
The 32-year-old Canadian hurler then hit free agency when he declined his $21.05 million qualifying offer in November, hoping to land a multi-year deal instead. Boston didn't do much to budge in his direction, resulting in the former 2013 fourth-rounder signing a four-year, $55 million contract with the San Diego Padres instead.
Fast forward to the end of April when Pivetta has more than proven the Red Sox made the wrong choice not to pursue him harder.
Through his first five starts in a Padres uniform, the Victoria, BC native is an impressive 4-1 with a 1.20 ERA. Pivetta has already racked up 30 strikeouts in as many innings, while his 4.8 hits allowed per nine innings happens to be the lowest rate among eligible big-league pitchers.
Nick Pivetta is through 7 scoreless innings in Detroit 👏 pic.twitter.com/e3waK3Jan6
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2025
Some fans might point to a change in ballparks as the main reason behind Pivetta's success. After all, Petco Park has a reputation for being one of the MLB's most pitcher-friendly stadiums, whereas Fenway Park is known for being anything but that.
Still, it's hard to buy that as an excuse when Pivetta wasn't even bad at home last season, cranking out a 3.86 ERA with 92 strikeouts and a .221/.280/.373 slash line allowed in 72 1/3 innings pitched at Fenway Park in 2024.
As Pivetta continues to thrive in San Diego, his performance is something the Red Sox's rotation could certainly use. Boston's starters have combined for a 4.06 ERA so far, which is the 13th-worst display in the Majors. For comparison, the Padres ranked 10th-best with a 3.70 ERA.
It'll be a while before Pivetta has a chance to face off against his old club. The Red Sox aren't due to face the Padres until a three-game series in San Diego in early August, meaning it'll be about three more months before fans find out if Petco Park is the main reason why Pivetta's game has reached a new level.
In the meantime, the Red Sox will continue the season with the seventh-best 2025 World Series odds (+1900) on FanDuel Sportsbook, while the Pivetta and the Padres are breathing down their neck in 10th (+2000).
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Odds update periodically and are subject to change.