Craig Breslow Explains Surprising Red Sox Offseason Decision

The Red Sox extended a qualifying offer Monday, but not to the player most expected.

Tyler O’Neill projected as a likely candidate for the offer given his powerful right-handed bat, an asset Boston very much needs going into the 2025 season. The Red Sox ultimately decided not to take the qualifying offer approach with O’Neill, but they did so with veteran right-hander Nick Pivetta.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow addressed the club’s effort to retain Pivetta on Monday at the general manager meetings in San Antonio.

“Without getting too far into specifics, we’ve been pretty outspoken about our need for pitching, And obviously we know Nick really well,” Breslow told reporters, per MLB.com. “This is ultimately where we landed. We’ll see how things play out from here.”

Breslow added: “I think we definitely saw stretches of him just being dominant and, certainly, we can dissect the performance to a greater degree. But he’s a guy that has performed well in this market — has all of the underlying metrics. He gets a ton of swing-and-miss; he doesn’t walk guys. He can get guys out pitching in the strike zone.

“As you think about what a Major League starting pitcher needs to be able to do to be successful, he has a lot of those ingredients.”

Pivetta, who posted a 4.14 ERA over 26 starts last season, has until Nov. 19 to accept the offer, which would pay him $21.05 million in 2025. If the 31-year-old declines, he will hit free agency and have the opportunity to speak with all 30 clubs.