Nick Pivetta

After eight starts, Pivetta was sporting a 6.30 ERA and 1.55 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and nine homers allowed in 40 innings. He was moved to a multi-inning relief role where he excelled, posting a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 12 appearances spanning 20 frames. He fanned 25 with just one homer in that stretch. Pivetta spent the last three months of the season jumping between the rotation and serving as a bulk reliever, registering a 3.27 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over his final 82.2 innings, punching out 116 while surrendering a reasonable 13 homers. Pivetta's velocity picked up after he was initially demoted to the bullpen, and he started throwing his slider with more cutting action, both tweaks fueling Pivetta's second half success. He's a bit of a wild card this season as Pivetta exhibited success in several roles, and seemed to be at his best when he wasn't expected to pitch more than five frames, though he ended the season with two scoreless seven-inning starts. Pivetta's second half success can't be ignored, but paying for a repeat is a precarious proposition.