Padres' Nick Pivetta has important August deadline with $55M at stake

Padres' Nick Pivetta has important August deadline with $55M at stake originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Diego Padres are one of the best teams in Major League Baseball this season, and that's even with the team down one of their top pitchers, Nick Pivetta.

He is on the injured list with a right elbow flexor strain, which is putting a lot of his season in jeopardy. And for Pivetta, there's a lot more at stake than a role in the rotation.

As USA Today's Bob Nightengale points out, if Pivetta doesn't return to the rotation by August 22nd, he will run the risk of losing a lot of money in guarantees on his $55 million deal.

Nick Pivetta has part of his $55 million contract at risk with August deadline

"San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta, on the injured list with a right elbow flexor strain, needs to return by Aug. 22 this season to prevent the Padres from voiding the remaining two years of his contract," Nightengale reports.

Nightengale notes that there's a clause in Pivetta's deal that, if he's on the injured list for 130 days, the Padres will be able to end the contract after just two years.

The 130-day period falls on August 22nd, meaning Pivetta will need to return to the rotation before that date to make sure the Padres don't get out of a lot of money on his $55 million deal.

As Nightengale notes, "He is scheduled to earn $32 million the final two years of his backloaded contract."

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