A NY Mets trade target on the Padres roster not named Fernando Tatis Jr.

Frequent big spenders in recent years, the San Diego Padres might’ve gone over their limits. The consensus has been, for a while now, how much they need to shed some current salaries they have on the books. It’s a problem New York Mets fans hope to never run into with Steve Cohen’s wallet present at Citi Field.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale believes Fernando Tatis Jr.’s contract is one the team may look to move on from.

A fit the Mets would make room for at the right price in terms of return the Padres would look for, there’s a more realistic match. Last offseason, Mets rumors involving their interest in Nick Pivetta were prevalent even knowing they’d lost two additional draft picks after signing Juan Soto. No such penalty exists for Pivetta whose contract is one of the more unusual in the league.

If the Padres are looking to shed salary, the Mets are a match to take on Nick Pivetta

Pivetta was paid only $1.75 million last year with a giant bump to $19.75 million this coming season. It’s chump change in comparison to the deal the Padres are on the hook for with Tatis, making it a more desirable commitment. His deal includes opt outs in each of the following two seasons which, barring injury, look destined to happen.

A big first year for the Padres in 2025, he finished 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA. Following four straight years of ERAs in the 4.00s with the Boston Red Sox, it was the kind of season many have been believing Pivetta had in him.

There’s no indication the Padres are moving on from Pivetta. With Dylan Cease and Michael King hitting free agency and Yu Darvish out for the year, they need all of the bodies they can get. Pivetta may, however, be the kind of pitcher they could swap for someone costing a little bit less. The Mets have multiple pitchers set to make fewer dollars this coming year.

The most significant potentially available starting pitcher whose salary is a lot less than Pivetta is David Peterson. Far less proven and coming off a year where he collapsed late, it would require the Mets to add more or bring on another bad contract alongside Pivetta.

San Diego would be a match to add Mark Vientos to the roster. His league minimum contract would have appeal for any team looking to compete and save dollars. Although it doesn’t help the Padres shed any more money, they wouldn’t have to sign a new first baseman/DH. Vientos could be their guy if all goes well.

Tatis would be an amazing addition to the Mets, moving into right field and creating a domino effect for the rest of the outfield. It could involve moving Soto to left field and Brandon Nimmo to DH regularly. A little outlandish to realistically expect at the moment, a pivot to Pivetta to help the Padres unload some salary, but not too much, should be a place to start. Pivetta wouldn't be the only addition the Mets would need to make in order to convince fans they'd be any better. Paired with a better starting pitcher acquired via trade or free agency, he's just one piece in an attempt to overhaul the starting staff.