Nick Pivetta pitched for Team Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He was set for another round in the tournament in 2023 until a bout of COVID-19 set him back in his ramp-up for the season.
The 32-year-old expects to represent his country again at some point. But it won’t be this year.
“It was a hard decision for me to make,” Pivetta said Saturday afternoon at Padres FanFest at Petco Park. “But at the end of the day, I have a finite time in the big leagues right now. With the way that I pitched last year, I think the rest is probably good to allow myself to achieve the goal that I want, and that’s to win a World Series with this club here and taking that time just to focus on that. I know that I will have more opportunities to play in the WBC with Canada again, and that’s also a priority of mine.
“But right now, where this team is at and the culture that it is — I know that we have guys going to represent their countries and that’s great and I love that — but just to have the core group of guys also at camp and me being there I think is really important.”
Nick Pivetta #27 of the San Diego Padres reacts after striking out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. #12 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Petco Park on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Five Padres will participate in the World Baseball Classic: Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. (Dominican Republic), Xander Bogaerts (the Netherlands), Yuki Matsui (Japan) and Mason Miller (Team USA).
The hitters in that contingent will continue to collect at-bats. As opposed to relievers, starting pitchers like Pivetta need a longer ramp-up to get ready for the season.
Yu Darvish pitched just six innings during Japan’s run to the 2023 WBC championship. He needed additional time when he rejoined the Padres in Peoria, Ariz., and didn’t make his season debut until the second turn through the rotation.
Pivetta skipping the WBC takes that wild card out of the deck. The right-hander threw a career-high 181⅔ innings in 2025, which was easily the best season of his career. Pivetta won a career-high 13 games, posted a career-low 2.87 ERA and is now expected to front a rotation that’s lost Darvish to Tommy John surgery and Dylan Cease to free agency.
There’s also this: Pivetta’s contract allows him to opt out after this season, and he’s a good bet to do so if he replicates his 2025 season.
Gavin Sheets #30 of the San Diego Padres makes a catch in the outfield during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Roster talk
As of now, the Padres plan to enter camp with Gavin Sheets atop their first base depth chart.
Sheets was drafted as a first baseman, but the White Sox had Jose Abreu at that position. So Sheets picked up the outfield to find a way into their lineup. He played 479 innings in the outfield for the Padres last season — and just 99 1/3 at first base.
Still, “first base is home for me,” Sheets said. “To get that opportunity to get back there and get comfortable there is exciting. It’s been a great offseason working there.”
First-year manager Craig Stammen said Sung-Mun Song and Will Wagner will also get looks at first base this spring. Jake Cronenworth is again expected to be the Padres’ primary second baseman, although he’ll be available to fill in at first.
The DH spot will be an open competition as well as a half-day off for the likes of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr. and others.
Luis Campusano could also factor into that rotation; he’s a leading candidate to be one of two catchers when the team breaks camp.
The 27-year-old Campusano — who is out of minor league options — was 0-for-21 in sporadic action in the majors last year. But he paired 25 homers with a 1.036 OPS in his fifth tour through Triple-A El Paso.
“He’s done nothing but prove himself at Triple-A,” Stammen said. “I don’t know what else he could do in El Paso that could get him ready to be playing in the major leagues. I think what he’s needing now is just an opportunity, and one thing that he and I have is he caught me when he came up and we’ve had those talks of what it’s like with a rookie catcher and a veteran pitcher and that time I’m not thinking this is going to happen later on in life. But I was able to put my arm around him and say, ‘Hey, I got you, man; we’ll get through this together.’
“And so we’re doing the same thing now, and I’m kind of excited about him having the opportunity to have a really good chance of making the team and being a part of our ballclub and be someone who’s going to give us a super big advantage at the catching position and at the plate, too.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. talks to the media at Padres FanFest. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Finally, Fernando
Tatis’ steroid suspension barred him from participating in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, so he is eager to get his chance to represent his country this year.
“So many emotions are going to go through when I’m actually there,” Tatis said. “I’ve looked forward to that since I was a kid, since I saw my dad playing Puerto Rico in the (2009) World Baseball Classic out there. It was definitely something I wanted to do as a kid, as a pro player, and right now is definitely one of my goals.”