Red Sox Free Agent’s Market ‘Surprisingly Strong’ At GM Meetings

The Red Sox had a better read on the free agent market than we initially thought, huh?

Boston drew some criticism this week, as it extended a qualifying offer to starting pitcher Nick Pivetta — which would pay him north of $21 million for the upcoming season. The Red Sox aren’t just throwing money around trying to run it back, however.

“Nick Pivetta’s market, from what I’ve been told over the last couple of days, is, ‘surprisingly strong,'” MLB Network’s Jon Morosi said on “Hot Stove” on Tuesday. “Why is that? Well, even for someone who was about 6-12 this year in the win-loss column and (has) an ERA that doesn’t wow you, his stuff is plus, and the peripheral numbers are very good…

“Pivetta, because of the underlying numbers — his (strikeouts) per nine is around 10.2 — that’s the number that executives around the industry are really drawn to. They believe he can become an even more impactful pitcher than he has been to this point. Perhaps you get him out of Fenway Park and maybe he becomes even more effective.”

Pivetta can either accept the qualifying offer — which is a one-year deal at that large number — or test his value and head to free agency. If he walks from Boston, the franchise gets a second-round compensatory draft pick.

“The qualifying offer is now above $20 million, so for someone who made in the range of $7.5 million this past season, it’s pretty enticing to just accept that QO right now, bank that money and stay in Boston,” Morosi said. “We shall see in the days ahead what Nick Pivetta and his agents decide to do.”

The Red Sox now have the upper hand, as they can retain Pivetta for somewhere around what his value would have been on the open market, or obtain a second-round draft pick if he chooses to sign elsewhere.