The Boston Red Sox have reportedly reached a four-year, $67.5 million deal with hot free agent starter Nathan Eovaldi.
The Boston Red Sox wanted to keep free agent pitcher Nathan Eovaldi in Boston and they have done exactly that.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand via Twitter Thursday, the team has reached a four-year, $67.5 M contract agreement with Eovaldi to keep him as a member of the World Series champions.
The hard-throwing, 28-year-old righty made a name for himself during the team’s playoff run with his heart and intensity. Given the fact that Red Sox ace Chris Sale wasn’t 100 percent, Eovaldi’s performance as both a starter and bullpen arm was a major factor in the team winning their ninth World Series championship.
Due to his dominance against the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, as well as his relief performance of Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Nathan Eovaldi quickly established himself as one of the highly sought after free agents this offseason.
Given his history with Tommy John surgery, a couple teams were reportedly reluctant to go after Eovaldi. The Red Sox, however, got to witness firsthand what Eovaldi brings to the table.
Take away the strong postseason numbers, the righty pitched 54 innings for the Boston Red Sox since being obtained in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. In those innings, he recorded a 3.33 ERA with 8.0 K per 9 innings. While he did have a stretch in which he was inconsistent, it was his performance in the big games, particularly against the Yankees, that makes this re-signing a big one for Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi.
While Nathan Eovladi does provide depth in the starting rotation, here are three other ways his re-signing impacts the 2019 Boston Red Sox.
He has the heart of a lion
Nathan Eovaldi’s return to Boston is good for a team that will try to repeat in 2019.
He went into the 2018 MLB playoffs as Alex Cora’s secret weapon and he certainly came through.
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Ironically, his only loss in the postseason was his most gutsy performance. Eovaldi pitched six innings in the Game 3 18-inning saga against the Los Angeles Dodgers and eventually gave up the winning homer, but the way he fought it out in relief left quite the impression on Cora and his teammates.
Following that game, Cora praised the courage of Nathan Eovaldi.
"“He’s putting everything together,” Cora said following Game 3, via NESN. “The pitch mix, good breaking balls, good cutters, fastballs. You almost have to be perfect in that situation, and actually, he was perfect. We didn’t make one play and then they put a good swing on it. Effort-wise, I mean I don’t know, that was one of the best performances probably in the history of the World Series.”"
While many assumed the momentum of the series would shift in favor of the Dodgers, Eovaldi’s gutsy performance actually propelled the Boston Red Sox to win the next two games.
Now, heading into the 2019 season, Alex Cora knows what kind of pitcher he has in Nathan Eovaldi. The team as a whole know they have a player they can count on to give his all-in games that matter. Keeping him on the team certainly inspires the rest of the pitching staff and keeps the playoff hero in town.
Rick Porcello expendable
The re-signing of Nathan Eovaldi should have some impact on the status of Rick Porcello or Eduardo Rodriguez.
With Porcello entering the last year of his deal, Dave Dombrowski now has the flexibility to deal him. Although the 29-year-old pitcher has been more durable than Eovaldi and has had a better career so far, the team may not be able to keep both if they hope to re-sign Chris Sale following the 2019 season.
With the depth the team has in the starting rotation with Eduardo Rodriguez and perhaps a healthy Steven Wright, Rick Porcello is expendable, and the Red Sox should try to get something for him now rather than letting him walk away in free agency.
What they can get for him will depend on how desperate other teams are for a solid starter. They could certainly bolster their bullpen with the right deal or even add a prospect or two. But, if trading Rick Porcello is a possibility, now would be the time.
In his first four seasons with the Red Sox, Porcello has been up and down. Coming off an up year, he would appear to be trending towards a down year. With Eovaldi locked up, it’s time to start picking up the phone and listening to offers.
Starting pitcher depth
Well, trading Rick Porcello wouldn’t help that depth, but re-signing Nathan Eovaldi does give the team some insurance if Chris Sale breaks down again at some point in the season.
While one would assume David Price has gotten past his big game collapses, having a pitcher on the team other than Sale who Alex Cora can rely on in big games is certainly a plus. He has not put up Cy Young numbers so far during his career, but Nathan Eovaldi has looked like a Cy Young caliber pitcher at times with the Red Sox.
If he can put it all together consistently and remain healthy, Cora has another solid starter who can go deep into games. As proven in the playoffs, he also has a pitcher who can pitch out of the bullpen.
Now, that luxury may not present itself until next year’s postseason but having Eovaldi as an option gives Cora a chance to do so many different things with his pitching staff.
In all, the re-signing of Nathan Eovaldi is a big win for the Boston Red Sox. While other teams questioned his health, the 2018 World Series champions had no question about his heart. Now that heart remains in Boston.