Red Sox Hot Stove: The free agent market for Nathan Eovaldi is beginning to heat up
The market for Red Sox free agent starter Nathan Eovaldi has been quiet since the beginning of the offseason. Now that many of the premium starters are off the market, Eovaldi’s services are in demand.
According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, there are at least three clubs after Eovaldi. “Teams known to be in pursuit of Eovaldi are the Angels, Padres, and at least one other club. It is believed that one of the additional interested parties is an American League East club,” wrote Bradford on WEEI.com.
The Red Sox do not appear to be front runners for the 32-year-old righty, per Bradford. Boston did offer the Texas native the $19.65 million qualifying offer, which Eovaldi did decline.
The Yankees were reportedly interested in bringing back Eovaldi to the Bronx. He pitched with the Yankees back in 2015-2016. WIth the Bronx Bombers signing left-hander Carlos Rodón to a six-year, $162 million deal. With Rodón in the fold, there seems to be no room for the veteran righty with New York.
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Despite Bradford’s latest report, there is optimism for Red Sox fans. The growing consensus amongst the league is that Eovaldi is going to end up back in Boston according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi.
"According to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, there’s 'pretty good confidence on the part of a lot of people in baseball' that Eovaldi will ultimately re-sign with the Red Sox," MLB.com posted.
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Eovaldi started 20 games with a 6-3 record, a 3.87 ERA, 103 strikeouts and 20 walks over 109 1/3 innings. Losing him would weaken a rotation already in need of upgrades. As the market for Rodon shakes out, Eovaldi will narrow down who he’ll pitch for in 2023.
The Hot Stove will likely go quiet with Christmas on the horizon, which is the norm within the industry. Will Chaim Bloom bring back Eovaldi and begin to add to his rotation? Only time will tell.
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