The Astros are among the teams showing “continued interest” in righty Nathan Eovaldi, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Eovaldi has already been connected to a slew of interested parties, including the Phillies, Yankees, Brewers, Braves, Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, Giants and Padres.
The match between the two sides is obvious, and Houston’s interest was widely expected. The Astros lost Lance McCullers Jr. for the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery and could also lose both Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton to free agency. Though the ‘Stros have a number of rotation alternatives already in the organization — Collin McHugh, Brad Peacock and top prospect Forrest Whitley among them — there’s little doubt that president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow and his staff will add some options from outside the organization. Eovaldi, a Houston-area native, is among the top starters in free agency.
At present, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are slated to front the Houston rotation in 2019, though both right-handers will be free agents next offseason. The proximity of those contracts’ endpoints only furthers the Astros’ needs to add some rotation help that can be controlled beyond the 2019 campaign.
Eovaldi, who won’t turn 29 until February, returned from his second Tommy John surgery in 2018 and turned in 111 innings of 3.81 ERA ball with 8.2 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9 in 22 appearances between the Rays and Red Sox. Eovaldi also thrived under the bright lights of the 2018 postseason, when he allowed four runs on 15 hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings –good for a 1.61 ERA in the first playoff action of his career.
Mad Bum or bust for the ‘stros. Anything else is gravy
It sounds great until 12 months from now when JV Cole Mad Bum and McHugh are all free agents
Yes! The last thing the Astros need is another starter on a one year deal. Use the prospects to get Goldy if they really want to get a rental.
I guess the red sox are a given pursuing Eovaldi and that’s why they aren’t mentioned.
It’s the first thing I noticed… but because he is a free agent.. he has no current team and the Red Sox should be included
Poor Red Sox fans ☹️
Don’t worry about us.
We’re still on a high considering the last day of the baseball season we were…. I don’t know….
…the champions of Major League Baseball !!
Yea, but we found a couple of you upset that they weren’t mentioned in this MLBTR article… complaints never stop from you Northeasterners.
In the famous words of John Sterling….
Ballgame over!
Season over!
Yankees suck.
THEEEEEEEE Yankees suck!!!
Like I said a few days ago, I was picturing Warner Wolf after game 3 of the playoff series with NY: “if you had the Yankees and 14.5 runs, YOU LOST! Let’s go to the videotape…”.
I’m only seeing YOUR complaining here. Sox fans are quite content.
The championship they bought with a bloated $240 million payroll.
So they know how it works to win and you’re complaining?
Oh, Now they bought The championship, That’s ok keep buying them.
Mistakes were made. Much like the Yankees the first 15 years of this century, we dug ourselves a hole we had to (and will continue to have to for the next year or 2) spend our way out of or rebuild to reset the payroll.
But you have to respect teams that will do what it takes to win and have a fanbase rabid enough to still have the team make a significant profit. I think ownership groups that are willing to go over the top are only willing to do so because they know they will make the money back.
If you’re in Tampa Bay, where most of the residents have roots from NY, Boston, Chicago, etc. it’s going to be hard/impossible to dig yourself out. If you’re in Oakland with a broken down stadium that’s not conducive to the audience you’re looking for, you’re not going to dig yourself out.
Fans of the Yanks, Sox, Dodgers and even some others like the Cubs, Angels, etc., all know we are at a significant advantage from a payroll standpoint over some of these guys. We all have ownership groups willing to go out and do what it takes to give their team a shot. The Angels can afford to hopelessly hang on to Trout. The Royals, A’s, Rays, and many others wouldn’t have had that luxury. They would have had to shop him to try to stock their system for the next run. Fair? No. Baseball? Yes.
The players are available to every team. The owner either wants to spend money or he doesn’t. The process is available to all.
Wasn’t meant to be a you didn’t include us post. I wondered if possibly he forgot to put them in,assumed everyone knew sox were in because it was his previous team, or sox were exploring other options
I’ve been a Red Sox since 1955 (I know: “.Get off my front lawn! to use the hackneyed phrase). I have also been accused of masochism for being so loyal. My uncle was born in 1919 and my father in 1920. They never experienced a World Series win in their entire lives. Does that sound like we have been so entitled the last 100 years? Of course not.
So I have certainly paid my dues in finally see those four flags flying. If you don’t appreciate the gist of my comments, that’s ok.. Just take your snark and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.
I’m glad he’s healthy and got a ring. With that said I would avoid a long term contract with Nate like the plague.
Agreed
To me, it greatly depends on your def. of a “long-term” contract.
When Eovaldi was with the Marlins, it was always pretty obvious he had the stuff to be a potential solid #2 to an excellent #3 on any contending team. He always reminded me of Scherzer, when he was in Arizona, with his raw stuff and potential. Basically, everyone knew he could be great, it was just when would he make the adjustments necessary to do so..
I truly believe the time off for Eovaldi has allowed him to grow mentally as a pitcher, and the more he pitched last season, the better he got.
I think he’s only going to continue getting better. Now, that he’s able to harness his nasty movement, he’s coming in with a gameplan to attack hitters, and now that he’s actually pitching instead of throwing, he’s going to be an excellent pick-up for whichever team that signs him.
I think Eovaldi will be a safe bet to provide a team with surplus value for at least the next 3-4 seasons. However, I wouldn’t go beyond a 4th season, unless it’s a team option.
lol a raw Scherzer. Yeah… this guy is gonna bust hard on his next contract, whatever it is.
What would even remotely indicate that? Barring a major injury (which after having TJ twice is actually less likely – because the surgery and rehab is so intensive – also one was in HS) there’s no reason why a guy throwing 100MPH with solid off-speed pitches would “bust hard” on his next contract. Like that just doesn’t make sense unless you’re 100% trolling…
I would also…its going to be a lot of money.
Because all of this love is coming from 22 playoff innings. He has ranged from average to decent his entire career. He wasnt even great last year until October last year. He might be a dominant reliever but he has shown no ability to put together a complete season as a starter. The Yankees might not know how to hit him, but the rest of the league can.
But he helped the best team in baseball by a mile win a WS so everyone adores him. Check back by the AS break when he has a high 4 era, a .265 BAA, a mediocre K/9, and all the hype has gone silent.
Eovaldi isn’t a poor man’s Scherzer, he is just an average pitcher who was good in relief for a month. Good grief.
The thing is, the advance metrics show that Evoldi has the same makeup as a Morton or Pressly. Guys the Astros picked up who were historically average that then turn in stand out talents.
Eovalid has never been great, but he’s always had the potential to be great. 100+ MPH fastball, great control, in his career, he’s not been HR prone, 3.82 FIP. There’s no reason not to believe that he won’t be a solid rotation arm for whatever team signs him.
His velocity was back to normal this year and a signing by the Astros would mean his spin rate would increase 150%.
Lol…Well played.
Josh James will be in the rotation before Whitley. I think JA Happ would be a good fit for Houston a 3-year deal.
One or two years, yes. Three years, HARD NO. Happ has been pretty good since leaving Houston, however I fear he’s due for some serious regression.
Hes going to get three from someone, might as well be us. Even if it’s an option either a buyout.
I’m really not a fan of Happ at this point for the Astros. To me it’s the equivalent of plugging Peacock or McHugh back into the rotation at an a higher price.
Nowhere near the upgrade to commit so much time to with Whitley knocking on the door.
Except he replaces Keuchel as the lefty and is much better than peacock. McHugh is better set for the pen. Rather have a dominant reliever than mediocre to above average starter.
Whitley hasn’t thrown more than 93 innings in a season so even if he is used, it’s hard to not see him have a low innings limit on the season.
Solid point. He’s also had some injuries last year.
I think he would be awesome in Houston. And yet if he signed with the Yankees I would expect his elbow to blow out in spring training.
Return to Boston. If they let him walk they are stupid. He proved he deserves a contract with the BoSox. So pony up. There something to honoring a man’s go out and lay it all on the line.
Price proved this too. All this is for not if a Reds or Yankees overpay the man. In the end he will take the money. With the tommy John history.
I would think they told him to at least come back w the best offer he’s rec’d and then see how things look. They owe him the chance to get wined and dined.
I’ve said it around here before, but I’d love to have him close for BOS. That stuff at full blast in the 9th inning would be crazy awesome.
I agree with you, it’s ironically almost “too bad” he was SOO good in the post season that there’s basically no chance of him accepting a role in the bullpen. Because I think he would be one of the best (like top 5 easily) Closers in baseball if he were to be in that role. I just don’t see him accepting that after the amazing audition he had as a “starter” (I know he also pitched in relief but basically as a starter) in the post-season
I have a very hard time believing that the White Sox or Blue Jays are going to pony up for 4 or 5 years to land Eovaldi. They are not competing for 3+ years at least.
They make vesting MLB min. team options for P like Eovaldi
Felix has it in his, if he ever needs TJ, as did Lackey. (Lackey’s got exercised, Felix’s likely wont)
Try protect yourself against 3rd TJ even if he threw 102 mph
I hope DD goes after Nate, I know if he leaves like Kimble, Kelly, will prolly will. I wish Nate should look at how he blossomed in Boston, but the bottom line is money.
If the Astros get em, bauer got beef.
Has baseball sunk to such a low that Eovaldi is the talk of the league? Crap.
The talk of the league is a player who gets a hit 240 out of 1000 times and is getting a higher than 10 year deal for around 400 million
Freeman is just as good as him if not better and he signed for 8yrs 135 mil
While I agree with the notion that Freddie is underpaid and Manny/Bryce are likely to be overpaid, I believe that Freddie signed that deal when he had 3-4 years left until free agency. You really can’t compare that kind of extension to a free agent contract
He could have waited on really got paid but insyead just took that contract
You’re right, he chose security over taking a risk while trying to maximize his payday. I’m not sure what your point is
He isn’t worth the money. He is a solid #3 that’s going to get paid like a #1.
This will be entertaining-somebody will overpay for a guy who will be on the disabled list more often than not. He got hot for a few innings and teams act like he’s amazing. Good for him! I see him enjoying lots of nachos watching baseball!
Madison Bumgarner would be great in Houston. I could easily see him resigning there too. He could make all the difference in making and winning the World Series.
Is This Guy Really Worth That Much. ?!
as a game changer ….yes
He was valuable for the Sox down the stretch amd playoffs.
he has a lot of upside because of that. he’s not stupid for testing the market.
if I was DD id offer a Lackey style contract. if he doesnt sign then thank you for the services.
Surprised no one mentioned how a lot of his success is owed to the Boston pitching staff changing his approach by pitching up in the zone or that most of his post inning success came against right-handed lineups—albeit some the best three in the game. His regular season was up and down. First two starts we’re great then hit the skids for like the next four which if I recall may have been attributable to him getting used to pitching up in the zone.
Many runs of competitive baseball end with a really bad signing. Eovaldi to the Astros, I predict, would mark the end of this Houston perennial playoff baseball era. Injury prone guy riding high on a small sample size of post season numbers. This isn’t a pitcher who somehow figured out how to put smart hitters. He relied on an unsustainable grip it and rip it style to produce those post season numbers. Please Stay away Astros.
This contract is gonna burn some poor team for 4 years
I dunno. Pretty gay offer imo