12 Red Sox Who Won't Be Back in 2025 After Falling Short of Playoffs Again

5. Nick Pivetta

Friday night's start against the Tampa Bay Rays may have been Nick Pivetta's last showing in a Red Sox uniform.

Pivetta threw 6.2 innings on Friday night, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out six. When manager Alex Cora pulled him in the seventh inning, Pivetta tipped his hat to the Fenway Faithful walking off of the mound.

Following the game, Pivetta stated his desire to remain in Boston with the Red Sox, but it will take Boston's mutual interest in bringing him back plus a reasonable contract offer to make that happen.

Pivetta was acquired by the Red Sox in Aug. 2020 along with Connor Seabold in exchange for Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, and cash. If it is his final regular season game with the Red Sox, Pivetta finishes with 626.1 innings pitched, 712 strikeouts with a 37-40 record in 130 games in Boston. He also made three appearances for the Red Sox in their 2021 postseason run, including an important four shutout innings out of the bullpen in Boston's ALDS Game 3 walk-off win.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on Friday night that the Houston Astros were "very high on Pivetta and targeted him as a rotation addition ahead of the trade deadline". Now that Pivetta is a free agent, could the Astros still potentially be interested in him?

Pivetta will be 32 years old when the regular season starts and should have several suitors in free agency. He was also linked to the Atlanta Braves in a trade last offseason.