Rumor: Red Sox Showing Interest In Nathan Eovaldi Reunion

[Matthew Lenz]

Rob Bradford of WEEI 93.7 is reporting that the Red Sox are one of several teams interested in 35-year-old right-handed starter Nathan Eovaldi.

Eovaldi was previously with the Red Sox from 2018 to 2022 posting a 4.08 ERA / 3.73 FIP and helped the organization win the 2018 World Series. He has spent the previous two seasons with the Texas Rangers where he carried a 3.72 ERA / 3.86 FIP and won a second World Series in 2023.

Specifically in 2024, Eovaldi had a 17.8% K-BB rate across 170 2/3 innings pitched, showing an ability to command the strike zone better than most anyone in baseball with chase and walk rates in the 80th percentile or better of all pitchers. One thing that has seemingly changed since his time in Boston is the effectiveness of his 95 mile-per-hour four-seam fastball that saw batters hit just .212 against the offering and had a run value of +7. This can at least be partly attributed to his four seamer having more glove side movement than it did with the Red Sox.

The organization have made their intentions extremely clear in both words and actions. Craig Breslow has stated he is looking to build a team that can make a deep postseason run in 2025 and has now been tied to starting pitchers Max Fried, Garrett Crochet, and now Nathan Eovaldi, as well as outfield bats Juan Soto and Teoscar Hernandez. Now it's just a matter of who the purse most heavily and whether or not they can close the deal.

Would you be interested in an Eovaldi reunion? If so, at what cost?

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[Bellhorn04]

I'm certainly in.  No idea what he's going to command on the market or who else would be in on him, though.

[notin]

This was probably the wrong year to opt out for Eovaldi.  But as he turns 35 in January, I understand his urgency.

But he’s clearly behind Burnes, Fried, Snell, and probably Sasaki.  And I can see Nate, Flaherty, Buehler, Kikuchi, Manaea, Pivetta, Martinez, and Severino and probably another name or two ranked in multiple ways that both benefit and disadvantage him.

 

[mvp 78]

52 minutes ago, notin said:

This was probably the wrong year to opt out for Eovaldi.  But as he turns 35 in January, I understand his urgency.

But he’s clearly behind Burnes, Fried, Snell, and probably Sasaki.  And I can see Nate, Flaherty, Buehler, Kikuchi, Manaea, Pivetta, Martinez, and Severino and probably another name or two ranked in multiple ways that both benefit and disadvantage him.

 

Maybe he just doesn't like the direction of the Rangers and figures he can get similar $$$ for a team he'd rather play for? 

[mvp 78]

It was also stated that he took less to go to the Rangers as he initially turned down a larger Sox offer to stay. Maybe he's just kind of a dumbass? 

[BOSOX11]

He's just as good or better than we have now. Sign him.

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

It was also stated that he took less to go to the Rangers as he initially turned down a larger Sox offer to stay. Maybe he's just kind of a dumbass? 

maybe he liked the commitment the Rangers were showing to win and contrast that with tight-ass Henry. and when the money gets that stupid, what's a few million to play for a WS team?

[notin]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Maybe he just doesn't like the direction of the Rangers and figures he can get similar $$$ for a team he'd rather play for? 

Possible.  I just imagine he thinks being 36 and entering the market is much worse than being 35.  Especially if he tried to enter next year after a down season…

[Bellhorn04]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

It was also stated that he took less to go to the Rangers as he initially turned down a larger Sox offer to stay. Maybe he's just kind of a dumbass? 

I thought he came back to the Sox about that original offer and Bloom told him it was now off the table.  I will refrain from judging which one was the dumbass. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I thought he came back to the Sox about that original offer and Bloom told him it was now off the table.  I will refrain from judging which one was the dumbass. 

He had more money on the table and walked away to get a smaller contract. He came crawling back with his tail between his legs asking if the Sox would give him the previous offer and they said "no, we gave it to Kluber." It was a Three Stooges episode between Bloom, Eovaldi and his agent. Nyuk nyuk nyuk. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

15 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

He had more money on the table and walked away to get a smaller contract. He came crawling back with his tail between his legs asking if the Sox would give him the previous offer and they said "no, we gave it to Kluber." It was a Three Stooges episode between Bloom, Eovaldi and his agent. Nyuk nyuk nyuk. 

His agent wasn't Curly -- that was Shemp, with his hair in his eyes.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

His agent wasn't Curly -- that was Shemp, with his hair in his eyes.

I believe Shemp was an OG Stooge.