Nathan Eovaldi had a great stint with the Boston Red Sox. The righty is now projected to sign a big contract in free agency. We are left to wonder, is Eovaldi the real deal?
Nathan Eovaldi, a once injury-riddled and forgotten arm, is one of this offseason’s hottest commodities. After having a solid first half of the season with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox acquired the flame-throwing righty in a trade deadline trade.
Eovaldi shined in Boston. The righty threw 54 innings for the Red Sox and posted an ERA of 3.33 and an ERA+ of 132.
Eovaldi then carried his hot pitching into the playoffs. He pitched in six games, making two starts and four relief appearances, including a memorable six-inning stint in the marathon that was Game 3 of the World Series. Over 22.1 innings of work, Eovaldi pitched to an ERA of 1.61 while striking out 16 of his opposing batters.
Even though he has had two Tommy-John surgeries, Eovaldi’s time in Boston has attracted significant interest. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via MLBTradeRumors), more than nine teams are interested in the right-handed starter. Rumors include the Red Sox, Padres, Brewers, Phillies, Braves, Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Giants.
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While his second half and playoff success stand out, I would still be cautious when approaching a battered arm like Eovaldi. Yes, he is dominant when he is on, but he has also shown that he is injury prone and hittable. Things could have changed, as players do develop, but it’s hard to ignore the two Tommy-John surgeries and the career ERA+ of 96.
MLBTradeRumors projects that Eovaldi will receive a four year, $60 million deal, is he worth the money? To me, this seems like a lot of money to risk on a pitcher with Eovaldi’s track record.
On the other hand, Major League Baseball seems to tout a “what have you done for me lately?” type of attitude. The often injured righty was a key piece in the Boston Red Sox’s playoff run, so it’s reasonable to assume that one team will find a reason break the bank on Eovaldi.
Will he return to the Boston Red Sox? I don’t think so, but I can see him signing a deal with the Yankees, Padres or Phillies. The Yankees and the Padres have the money to spend and the need for a pitcher. I can see the Phillies and their creative skipper using Eovaldi creatively, deploying the righty in an “Andrew Miller“, spot starter type of role. We will learn more about the future of Nathan Eovaldi as the offseason progresses.