FEBRUARY 14: Eovaldi can also earn up to $3.5MM in incentives in the 2018 season, Topkin adds on Twitter.
FEBRUARY 12, 8:27pm: Eovaldi will also earn $2MM in 2018 if the Rays exercise their option, Topkin reports (Twitter link).
4:04pm: Eovaldi’s pact will include a $2MM salary for 2017, a club option for 2018 and incentives, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney.
1:30pm: The Rays are close to signing right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to a major league deal, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The contract will include a 2018 option, as the ACES client will miss the upcoming season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Eovaldi has been on the market since the Yankees released him in November, which came just over three months after his August elbow procedure. The soon-to-be 27-year-old previously underwent Tommy John surgery as an amateur, and he also had his right flexor tendon repaired during his latest operation.
Before landing on the shelf last year, the hard-throwing Eovaldi averaged a personal-high 97 mph on his fastball, registered a career-best 9.3 percent swinging-strike rate and posted a 49.6 percent ground-ball mark. Nevertheless, he struck out only seven batters per nine innings and logged a below-average 4.76 ERA over 124 2/3 innings frames. Home run troubles were the main reason Eovaldi had issues preventing runs, as he allowed HRs on 18.7 percent of fly balls.
From 2011-15, when he also spent time as a Dodger and Marlin, Eovaldi recorded a far more palatable homer-to-fly ball ratio (7.1 percent) and yielded a much better ERA (4.10) over 614 1/3 innings. Despite his velocity, Eovaldi wasn’t a strikeout artist during those five years (6.48 per nine), though he did a respectable job limiting free passes (2.92 BB/9). Going forward, Eovaldi could at least provide the Rays an intriguing relief option in 2018 if he doesn’t slot into their rotation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Topkin has been saying it’s a major-league deal
Always thought Eovaldi would put it all together…
Its crazy that a guy with his talents can’t
Isn’t this similar to what the Rays did with former Yankee Chase Whitley?
Yes exactly
I feel bad for all these guys that get serious injuries (Holland, Ross, Eovaldi, Medlin,etc) and then have to start fresh with a new team
Rays have one of best track records for pitchers coming off tommy John than any other team in MLB. Players actually prefer to come here to rehab and come back stronger
Venters( although blew his arm out again), Wagner, Whitley, and now evoldi. All signed similar deals to rehab here.
Rays are savvy
he throws batting practice fastballs in the AL East and has twice had TJS. Hardly does that classify as savvy.
The man averaged 97 on his fastball. If they can figure him out, it will
Have you ever watched him pitch? It’s the most hittable 97 I’m the majors. I read somewhere that he releases the ball a lot farther from the plate than anyone else and it’s so straight and that’s why he usually has the highest batting average against. His best chance was mastering that splitter.
He’d be a beast as a 1 inning guy.
I always felt like he should work on things that could gain some movement, maybe grip or altering arm angle or release… sacrifice some speed for movement. Of course the biggest thing is the surgery needs to go well and he needs to recover but Rays must have something in mind.
It’s still 97 . There’s a quality pitcher in there.
not really… it’s just about the straightest fastball in the league, at which point velocity doesn’t really matter. this is why he strikes out so few people in spite of the velocity. any major leaguer can square up 97 if there’s no movement on it
He’s gotta either dramatically polish his sinker or learn something like a 2-seamer to even be an effective pen arm.
LoL, aren’t you guys the same ones who thought Eovaldi was the Second Coming when he joined the Yankees?
I feel badly for the guy but he sort kinda really sucks. Mike Pelfrey II
Good gamble by the rays,guys that throw 97 dont grow on trees.
Will he even pitch next season?
Did you even read the first paragraph of the article?
The next Andrew miller
What?
Meaning he’s done as a starter, but could be an excellent reliever.
He just doesn’t have the swing and miss stuff that Miller does, though.
To be fair, Miller didn’t have swing and miss stuff as a starter either, but Eovaldi has shown more than Miller did. Miller’s last 3 years as a SP his SwStr% was 7.1% compared to Eovaldi’s 8.8%. Eovaldi also throws significantly harder as a SP than Miller did.
Miller is a 6’7″ lefty though with a wicked sweeping slider. Eovaldi would project MUCH more like Kyle Farnsworth as a reliever, not Andrew Miller. Farnsworth threw 99 MPH but straight like Eovaldi and most major league hitters can turn around a 99 MPH fastball if it’s straight and they know it’s coming and hit it a very long way.
honestly if the rays end up not signing him I would really hope the jays scoop him up he could be that extra reliever we need in the pen and/or that extra rotation depth i honestly hope the jays pick him up
you shouldn’t start worrying about the Blue Jays 2018 needs until after the 2017 season.
So are they just paying him 2 million to do absolutely nothing this year? Or will he be back to pitching in at least the minors this year? Because signing a guy that’s not going to play makes no sense to me.
Had surgery in August, so could do some minors rehab work before the end of the year. But the $2M is more likely to offset a below-market price on the option, and provide income for 2017. Depending on his expenses, he might prefer $2M now & $2M in 2018 over nothing now and $4M (or a little more) in 2018.
Hey Nathan congratulations so sorry it’s not with the Yankees. Thanks for all your help making cookies during Hope week. Frank
Great gig, $2 million to rehab…
to be honest, they should put him in the pen
Think of it as $4million for next year. Good deal for Rays. That splitter was really coming along just before the injury.
More like a $2M layaway on a $4M contract for 2018…
Great low risk signing by the Rays. This guy has lights out stuff when he is on. Jim Hickey will help fix him. Is everyone forgetting he is only a year removed from leading the AL in win percentage?
What does win percentage tell me.
Nothing other than somebody citing it as a meaningful statistic doesn’t understand baseball.
Win percentage?…oh mannnnn
The Rays have been making some really good moves in the shadows. These low-key signings could pay dividends for them except for the LoMo signing lol
Actually not a very bad signing. Could be a good depth piece for late 2017. For 2018 tho he could be used as a reliever, starter, trade deadline candidate or kept for the whole year for needed depth. It would allow the Rays to be flexible in other trades of SPs like ordorizzi, ramirez etc after this upcoming season.
A smart low risk high reward move. I wish the Yanks wud have done this deal. Unless the 2 mil contract had salary cap implications.
He was taking up a valuable spot on their 40-man roster
What? Learn how rosters work. He would not have been. He would have been on the 60 day dl all year just like he will be in Tampa
Low risk, lower reward.
There’s no salary cap in baseball
do not understand this what so ever – a bargain bin team wasting $2 mil to rehab a pitcher. – he would have signed for league minimum (what choice did he have) and the Rays could have used the extra precious $ elsewhere
rays are gambling 4 million that he is able to come back and pitch in 2018. 4 million for one year of a healthy eovaldi is a good deal as he made 5.6 million last year and was due for another arbitration raise and they have the 40 man roster space that the yankees and some other teams do not and can afford to add 2 million to this year’s salary. as far as we know, no one else offered him a major league contract for the league minimum so his other choice would be sit out a year and then try to come back for a one (or multi year deal) for two or three times that per season. this is a win – win for eovaldi and the rays. eovaldi can be placed on the major league DL and rehab at a major league team’s facilities with MLB trainers and has a one year deal afterwards that to showcase his talents and then hit free agency. if he re-injures himself (or needs a second surgery) or if his velocity does not return, the rays can turn down that option and get out of the second year of the contract and the rays are only losing 2 million.