Free agent pitcher Nathan is now one of the biggest names on the market due to his playoff performance with the Boston Red Sox last season. Here are the best landing spots for the hard-throwing righty.
If Nathan Eovaldi proved anything for the Boston Red Sox last season, it is that a great stretch of dominant pitching in the month of October can certainly increase a player’s value in baseball.
In helping the team win the 2018 World Series, Eovaldi couldn’t have entered MLB free agency at a better time. Not only did he provide clutch pitching as a starter throughout the playoffs, he pitched out of the bullpen so effectively that even in the Game 3 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was praised for his iron man type performance.
A folk hero in Boston?
That’s an understatement. His 2-1 record with 1.61 ERA in six postseason appearances prove that. With Chris Sale not at full strength and David Price struggling to start the playoffs, Nathan Eovaldi emerged just at the right time with a 100-mph fastball and the heart of a champion.
While inconsistent in the regular season, Eovaldi’s performance in those six playoff appearances made Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski look like a genius for his midseason trade for Eovaldi. If he lets him get away during MLB free agency, he could either take criticism or receive more praise depending on the kind of money Eovaldi gets and there are certainly teams interested who will draw up the price.
In fact, Nathan Eovaldi’s market is reportedly “heating up,” according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
With the Boston Red Sox as a leading contender, here are the top 5 landing spots for hard-throwing righty.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored as a team interested in the services of Nathan Eovaldi.
How aggressively they pursue him will depend on his demand and obviously how much they feel he could help add balance to their starting rotation.
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As a team that appears to be on the rise, a player like Eovaldi will add playoff experience as well as toughness to Gabe Kapler’s team. Adding him to the rotation behind Aaron Nola and Jake Arieta would give the Phillies a nice trio of starters to compete for the NL East crown in 2019.
While Philadelphia will be shopping to add a lefty to their rotation, don’t rule out their pursuit of Nathan Eovaldi if the numbers work financially.
"“In a perfect world, we would like to have a more balanced rotation,” Phillies GM Matt Kentak said regarding the team’s rotation. “We’re not going to swap out a good right for a less-good lefty. We’re not going to do that to have a lefty. But if we can make the rotation better and also add balance to our pitching staff, I think that’s something worth exploring.”"
In all, the Philadelphia Phillies are the least likely landing spot, but as far as where the team is in building their team, a pitcher like Nathan Eovaldi could help them get to the next level if he stays consistent in the regular season.
San Francisco Giants
Among the nine teams reportedly interested in the services of Nathan Eovaldi are two west coast teams, the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants
Of those two teams, the Giants appear to be the better fit for Eovaldi because of their need for a pitcher who pitches with high velocity. In the team’s attempt to ease back into contention, adding a player who recently won and has playoff success like Eovaldi would help the team compete in a competitive National League West.
Above that, Nathan Eovaldi showed he can have success against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. What better reason than that right?
On the list of pursuers, the San Francisco Giants appear to be down on the list, unless they blow him away with an offer he can’t resist.
With rumors surfacing that the team may be entertained with the idea of trading Madison Bumgarner, they may just be in hot pursuit of another righty. Then again, his injury history could scare the team away considering they have both Jonny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija locked up in big contracts.
The team is unsure what they will get from each of those starters. Adding Nathan Eovaldi would be a risk. Like any player, if healthy, could turn out to be a risk worthwhile.
Houston Astros
One team that has seen how effective Nathan Eovaldi can be in big game situations are the Houston Astros.
Yes, the Astros are showing interest in Eovaldi as MLB free agency rumors heat up.
#Astros showing continued interest in free agent Nathan Eovaldi, sources say. He is the second best pitcher ever from Alvin, Texas. And if Eovaldi signs with Houston, No. 1 on that list will watch him pitch from a seat behind home plate . . . @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 28, 2018
The Houston, Texas native played a big role in helping the Boston Red Sox eliminate the Astros in the American League Championship series to advance to the World Series. His performance as both a starter and work out of the bullpen under the bright lights and pressure of the playoffs certainly has Houston interested in bringing the 28-year-old righty home.
An opportunity to pitch for his home team would be intriguing Eovaldi. Does that put them at the top of his list?
Not sure, but the Astros do have a need to add some depth at the top of their rotation.
Currently, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are the only starters under contract with both Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton entering free agency. Whether they are able to bring one of those starters back will determine how deep in the Nathan Eovaldi sweepstakes they get.
With the Houston Astros destined to be a World Series contender once again in 2019, Eovaldi picking them over the Red Sox would definitely turn up the heat on the emerging rivalry in the American League.
It wouldn’t be MLB free agency without the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees outbidding for a player.
Unlike other teams on this list, the Yankees are a team very familiar with Nathan Eovaldi since he once pitched for them.
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Before leaving the team to sign a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016. He actually admitted he wanted to return the team given the direction they were going. That could be a reason why the Yankees have jumped in the mix.
"“The team, where they were moving and going, I wanted to stay,” Eovaldi said in 2017, via NJ.com. “I had a great relationship with everybody, especially Larry [Rothschild], working with him. I felt like we were making good steps forward for my career.”"
Along with his comfort in pitching in Yankees Stadium, a reason the Red Sox rivals are interested in a reunion is because Nathan Eovaldi has pitched so effectively against them.
Not only was he good in the regular season against his former team, he delivered a dominant performance in Game 3 of the American League Divisional series between the two teams. If you can’t beat him, might as well get him to join you. In this case, re-join you.
The icing on the cake would be sticking it to the Red Sox. As we’ve found out in the past from previous players who have swapped uniforms, Eovaldi could use the Yankees to drive up the price to remain in Boston.
Boston Red Sox
Without Nathan Eovaldi, the Boston Red Sox may not be 2018 World Series champions.
With his performance in all three series, Eovaldi is a cult hero in the city of Boston for the way he dominated on the mound throughout the month of October. He not only did it as a starter, he did it out of the bullpen.
He sure made Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski look like a genius for not making more of a splash at the MLB trade deadline. Although he was inconsistent after delivering two dominant performances in his first two starts as a member of the Red Sox, the city and team has fallen in love with him.
The feelings are mutual. While Nathan Eovaldi is excited to enter MLB free agency, he would love to return to the team with the chance of securing his role in the starting rotation.
With Chris Sale and David Price at the top of the rotation, the Boston Red Sox may have to entertain the idea of moving Rick Porcello’s contract to give Eovaldi the type of money he could demand. If they love him and believe in him that much, they will find a way to make the money work out.
The one thing the Boston Red Sox shouldn’t do is re-sign him to big money just because of his past performance. They have to believe he can be a valuable part of the rotation or see him as a potential closer to get involved in any bidding war.
In all, coming back to Boston would be Nathan Eovaldi’s best landing spot. He’s won there before and most importantly, he is a part of the winning culture the team formed during their World Series run.