Finally, Nick Pivetta has found a perfect landing destination! The former Boston Red Sox pitcher, Nick Pivetta, is set to become a crucial addition to the San Diego Padres for the 2025 season. In response to the Padres agreeing to sign Pivetta for a four-year, $55 million contract with opt-out options, former Miami Marlins executive David Samson makes a surprising statement about the Padres trying to be like the Marlins. Think that makes sense?

While the Padres are quite confident with Pivetta’s addition to the team, getting a free agent in a backloaded deal feels similar to what happened with the Marlines earlier; at least that’s what Samson is considering. But why? Well, the Miami Marlins, right after winning the World Series title., managed to get a good free agent in a backloaded deal; however, that didn’t work out anyway.

Ex-Miami executive gives the Padres a unique name after Nick Pivetta deal

With the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta finally coming to an agreement, he will get a $1 million payout in 2025, along with a $3 million signing bonus, followed by $19 million, $14 million, and $18 million in 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively. But ex-Miami Marlins executive David Samson found this deal similar to the Carlos Delgado deal that the Marlins made earlier. On February 13, Samson said on his YouTube channel, “We saw an announcement yesterday that the San Diego Padres, who are wannabe Marlins, are close. man. A. J. Preller, you’re almost there. All you got to do is win a World Series and then chase it the rest of your career, and then you will be closer, but for now, you’re nothing actually.”

So, according to Samson, the Miami Marlins went for Carlos Delgado, one of the best hitters at that time, which they eventually backloaded as they wanted to fit him to win the World Series title. But that didn’t work out! Samson even pointed out that the Marlins won the World Series title; however, the Padres’ trying to replicate the same thing might just backfire, given that Pivetta had a poor season, where he went 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA and 172 strikeouts with 128 hits when playing for the Red Sox. So, will the Padres be able to create some magic despite following a similar approach that the Marlins followed earlier?

The Padres look to make their strategic moves count in the offseason

With the Nick Pivetta signing, the San Diego Padres will look to bounce back after a rather disappointing 2024 season. Pivetta will join hands with pitchers like Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, Randy Vasquez, and Michael King, who can provide the desired support and also bolster the Padres’ lineup. While the starting pitching staff looks solid, the entry of the former Red Sox pitcher will fill the gap caused by Joe Musgrove’s exit due to an injury, but that’s not all!

The San Diego Padres have also signed the left-handed pitcher named Kyle Hart for a one-year deal. He dominated the South Korean games and fetched an award that’s equivalent to the MLB’s Cy Young Award. Hart made 26 starts and went 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA and 182 strikeouts, which is pretty impressive. Now, Hart would be playing alongside veteran pitchers like Michael King and Dylan Cease, which would allow the Padres to fill the lefty requirement and bolster their lineup, too. 

What do you believe to be the San Diego Padres’ most successful recent acquisition? Do you think with this team, they can win the World Series? Let us know in the comment below.