When Craig Breslow extended the qualifying offer to the long middling Boston Red Sox Fans were on the verge of outrage with starter Nick Pivetta’s performance in early November. And of course it seemed like a big gamble.

Even with the qualifying offer, if Pivetta had accepted it, paying a pitcher with a 4.14 ERA last season and not having a sub-4.00 ERA in his four $21.05 million seasons in Boston seemed less than ideal. The common refrain among fans was: “He totally accepts it!” If that were the case, it would be a gross misreading of the pitching market in free agency by Breslow, which would limit the team’s resources at the worst possible time John Henry and Sam Kennedy are willing to spend.

But Breslow didn’t misread the market. In fact, he read perfectly.

As MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported Tuesday, Pivetta rejected a suitable offer He will test free agency from the Red Sox. Since the Sox are subject to the first competitive balance tax with their payroll in the 2024 season, Boston will receive a compensatory draft pick if Pivetta signs elsewhere. That’s a good thing in itself, but it’s even better in terms of the organization’s options this summer.

This could be important for the Red Sox when we look at the potential compensation draft pick before the third round of the draft. Ultimately, the paid pick the franchise acquired after Xander Bogaerts rejected a qualifying offer turned out to be the top name, Kristian Campbell. Number 10 overall According to MLB Pipeline, there is hope in baseball.

But while Breslow and Boston have the potential to strike gold again in the draft, it also makes their options in this year’s free agency class much easier to swallow.

While Red Sox fans would gleefully give up a draft pick to see the club be aggressive in free agency, that’s the reality Boston will have to do to sign some of the organization’s rumored top targets. Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Teoscar Hernandez and Max Fried all have qualifying offers attached, meaning signing them would mean Boston would lose its second draft pick. But that would be less of an obstacle if a pick comes back regarding Pivetta.

But beyond the details of the qualifying bid and how Pivetta’s decision will benefit the Red Sox’s predicament, it’s also an extremely positive sign for Breslow. The top decision-maker in the organization still has a lot more goodwill to gain, but he’s been tapped to replace Chaim Bloom for moments like these. His sentiment towards the market has long been considered elite. His work with QO and Pivetta also proved this.

When we can feel and keep our finger on the pulse of this free agent market so well, it’s hard not to be more optimistic that the Red Sox will have a much more aggressive offseason in every aspect. It’s still a long shot to think Soto will be the first-place winner. However, there are many more stars than just Soto; There are stars who can turn Boston from a fun, frustrating team into a bonafide playoff-missing contender, especially with the Big 4 still at the forefront in Triple-A.