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Nathan Eovaldi Opts Out Of Rangers Contract

By Nick Deeds | November 4, 2024 at 11:23am CDT

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) this morning that right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has declined his $20MM player option for the 2025 season, making him a free agent. Young added that the club has “great interest” in reuniting with him this winter.

Eovaldi, 34, just wrapped up his second season in Texas. The veteran right-hander was solid but unspectacular for the Rangers this year as he pitched to a 3.80 ERA (104 ERA+) with a 3.83 FIP in 170 2/3 innings of work. Given that rather uninspiring platform season, Eovaldi’s decision to opt out may register as something of a surprise at first glance. A closer look to the right-hander’s season and overall body of work makes it clear why he would opt out ahead of his age-35 season in hopes of seeking what could be the last multi-year pact of his career, however.

An All-Star for the Rangers just last year, Eovaldi has pitched to a 3.72 ERA (110 ERA+) and a 3.86 FIP during his time with the Rangers. Those results are largely consistent with the numbers he posted during his final three years with the Red Sox, for whom he posted a 3.79 ERA (120 ERA+) with a 3.43 FIP from 2020 to 2022, including a dominant 2021 season where he was named an All-Star and finished fourth in AL Cy Young award voting. Those numbers cast Eovaldi as a solid mid-rotation arm, and his underlying numbers suggest he could continue to be a quality, playoff caliber arm even as he ages.

His fastball velocity (which averaged 95.6 in 2024) remains strong even as he enters his mid-30s, and he maintains that high-octane stuff despite boasting a 5.6% walk rate that stands as the fifth-best in baseball over the past half decade among pitchers with at least 600 innings of work. During his time with the Rangers, he’s tended to be a victim of high home run rates, thanks in part to Globe Life Field being among the most homer-friendly parks in the sport. That reality in conjunction with his solid 7.7% barrel rate with the Rangers helps to explain why advanced metrics like SIERA think so highly of Eovaldi, whose 3.88 figure over the past two seasons mirrors that of top free agent starter Corbin Burnes.

Of course, Eovaldi surely won’t come especially close to matching Burnes or the other top pitchers on the market this winter in terms of guarantee. That’s both because Eovaldi’s overall results (115 ERA+ from 2020-24) have fallen well short of that upper echelon of pitching talent in recent years, and also because he’ll already be 35 years old when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in February. While it seems reasonable to expect Eovaldi to earn a healthy average annual value, it would be surprising to see him land more than two or three years in free agency. That makes him a particularly interesting free agent as a potentially impactful rotation piece who may be more attractive to teams that tend to hesitate on lengthy contracts, like the Angels, Cubs, and Orioles, in addition to the Rangers’ aforementioned interest in a reunion. Sean Manaea, Nick Pivetta, and Luis Severino are among the other players who figure to occupy the middle tier of the free agent rotation market this winter.

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View Comments (60)
Post a Comment

60 Comments

  1. Acoss1331

    7 months ago

    Rangers will work out a new deal with him. Both sides are on the same page about getting a deal done.

    4
    Reply
    • Jeremy320

      7 months ago

      Rangers have serious TV revenue issues. Inclined to take the field here.

      9
      Reply
      • Gwynning

        7 months ago

        We usually see fairly eye-to-eye on most everything acoss, but I’m siding with Jeremy here.

        4
        Reply
        • Can we please get a DH?

          7 months ago

          I think they could agree to something like a 3yr/$50M deal with a lower AAV to help avoid the luxury tax and backload a bit to deal with short term cash flow concerns. The Rangers need Evoldi as their 2/3 starter (especially because DeGrom staying healthy is a massive question mark).

          3
          Reply
        • Acoss1331

          7 months ago

          No doubt I could be wrong Gwynning. A lot of teams are probably going clamp up and not open up the wallet this offseason.

          2
          Reply
        • Senioreditor

          7 months ago

          I thinking the opposite, stuff might get crazy.

          Reply
        • Anthony maresca

          7 months ago

          No way he accepting 3/50 as Cole opt out going to be 5/180 and he is not that much more dominant than Eovaldi entering his age 35 season. Heck Yankees would becwise to go 2/40 with Eovaldi and 6/160 with Fried and have a fantastic rotation letting Cole walk!

          Reply
        • acell10

          7 months ago

          Eovaldi staying healthy is a massive question mark.

          Reply
        • Can we please get a DH?

          7 months ago

          Comparing Cole to Eovaldi is insane. Cole is, and has been, significantly better than Eovaldi.

          1
          Reply
      • HatlessPete

        7 months ago

        Almost always the odds favor the field. Perhaps a bit less so in this case, but eovaldi’s trying to get his last major bite off the apple here and texas’ payroll constraints could speak louder than vibes and baseball fit.

        4
        Reply
    • Fever Pitch Guy

      7 months ago

      Acoss – Didn’t they say they plan to reduce payroll next year?

      I certainly wouldn’t mind him coming home next season. He’s a big game pitcher, when he’s healthy.

      3
      Reply
    • rememberthecoop

      7 months ago

      And you know this how?

      Reply
      • Acoss1331

        7 months ago

        Just assumption from what they’ve said. Could definitely be wrong.

        1
        Reply
  2. wvredsfan

    7 months ago

    there seems to be a lot of quality pitchers hitting free agency this year… going to be interesting where they all end up… Yankees, Mets & Dodgers can’t sign them all… can they?

    2
    Reply
    • Rexhudler86

      7 months ago

      @wvredsfan have a feeling it’s going to be a repeat of last year. You better sign the contract early. Otherwise you won’t have a chair to sit on this game of musical chairs.

      3
      Reply
      • wvredsfan

        7 months ago

        You’re probably right

        Reply
    • Can we please get a DH?

      7 months ago

      I think they also see a lot of mid market teams that are entering competitive windows (Orioles, Tigers, Royals, Reds, and Nationals) to complement the big market teams who need pitching (Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers, Braves, Padres, Rangers, Astros and Giants).

      3
      Reply
    • Fever Pitch Guy

      7 months ago

      Wiff – Why do you say that about Nate? His tenure with the Yankees wasn’t acrimonious as far as I remember. And he’s a better big game pitcher than Cole at a fraction of the cost.

      Reply
  3. Champ world champion Texas Rangers

    7 months ago

    Would around town Rangers going to let him walk and sign Blake Snell and do nothing else but trades.

    Reply
    • Blackpink in the area

      7 months ago

      Mock trade

      Rangers get

      Ivan Herrera
      Ryan Helsley
      Michael Siani

      Cardinals get

      Sebastian Walcott
      Ezekiel Duran
      Jack Leiter

      1
      Reply
      • JoeBrady

        7 months ago

        The jury is out on Herrera. And I would much, much rather have 6+ years of Leiter & Walcott than one year of Helsley. He’s terrific, but you can always find a closer.

        Reply
        • Blackpink in the area

          7 months ago

          Herrera is a good ready to play catcher. The jury is not still out he’s proven he’s ready to play. Siani cnt hit but he’s a gold glove defender in center. No you can’t always find a closer.

          Reply
        • acell10

          7 months ago

          There’s plenty of closers out there and there’s an equal chance that Heslsley goes the way of David Bednar next year as leading the league in saves

          Reply
        • Blackpink in the area

          7 months ago

          Helsley throws 100. He’s not Bednar.

          The number 1 reason the Vardinals outperformed their pythagorean and had a winning record last year was the bullpen and the best pitcher in the pen was Helsley. Ryan Fernandez was also pretty good but you guys aren’t getting him back lol.

          Reply
        • acell10

          7 months ago

          your missing the point. relievers can be pretty volatile. THat’s why it’s generally not a good idea to over pay for them in trades.

          Reply
        • Blackpink in the area

          7 months ago

          It’s 1 year of control. And Helsley isn’t that volatile he’s in his prime and has always been good.

          Who said overpay? You said that.

          Reply
        • acell10

          7 months ago

          I am saying overpay and one year of control hurts not helps his value. Helsley hasn’t always been good. He was good the last 2/3 years when healthy.

          Reply
        • Blackpink in the area

          7 months ago

          Helsley is one of the safest bets out there for a closer who will perform well. You want to being Jansen back? He’s worse and will cost more.

          Reply
    • Champ world champion Texas Rangers

      7 months ago

      Word**** lol

      Reply
  4. Blackpink in the area

    7 months ago

    20 million is a lot for him but I imagine he could get more years at a slightly less annual value. 3 years 54 seems reasonable.

    2
    Reply
    • Anthony maresca

      7 months ago

      So that means Cole who is same age is asking for 5/180 with his opt out clause. This basically tells me Yankees are going to let Cole walk!

      Reply
  5. DodgerOK

    7 months ago

    Is Eovaldi worth 20 mil?

    Reply
    • Ma4170

      7 months ago

      No but he might sign a 2-30 type deal

      1
      Reply
    • Old York

      7 months ago

      Spotrac suggests his market value is at $24.9M.

      3
      Reply
      • The Saber-toothed Superfife

        7 months ago

        They’re Commies, trying to devalue the dollar……

        1
        Reply
        • Old York

          7 months ago

          @The Saber-toothed Superfife

          Well, I miss the 1930s when ballplayers played because it was their job and didn’t cry about having a blister in their finger or they had a bad night’s sleep. If you can’t play, you shouldn’t be paid. If you can’t play, you should be off the team.

          Reply
        • jawinks

          7 months ago

          Didn’t know communists have moved on to private ownership of for-profit sports databases. Fascinating

          4
          Reply
        • Old York

          7 months ago

          @WiffleBall

          Worst idea. We need no salary cap and make teams either spend for the market or be innovative to find ways to win without spending so much. I’m sorry if your team that’s always below .500 is never going to win a WS. Too bad for you. Find a better team to cheer for.

          Reply
        • The Saber-toothed Superfife

          7 months ago

          They’re sneaky little Hundans….must be very, very careful…..

          Reply
        • The Saber-toothed Superfife

          7 months ago

          Hun dan
          Gun dan

          Reply
        • kcmark

          7 months ago

          That’s because MLB has a federal anti-trust exemption.

          Reply
        • kcmark

          7 months ago

          Here’s the thing. The television revenue is not evenly distributed like in the NFL.

          Reply
    • Can we please get a DH?

      7 months ago

      If Morton and Giolito get $20M then Evoldi could get $20M on a 1yr deal.

      Reply
  6. olmtiant

    7 months ago

    Come on back Nate… all the free Chowder you can eat !!

    5
    Reply
  7. Skyrider123

    7 months ago

    AA will sweep in and sign him to a 3 year contract to become a Brave

    2
    Reply
    • Major League Baseball Fan

      7 months ago

      I see this more than I want to.

      2
      Reply
    • southi

      7 months ago

      More likely a two year deal with team option for a third season. Anthopoulos likes contracts with team options.

      Reply
  8. just_thinkin

    7 months ago

    I like him as an Orioles target.

    2
    Reply
    • Blackpink in the area

      7 months ago

      Eovaldi ans Efflin basically the same guy. They need something a little better and left handed.

      Reply
  9. YankeesBleacherCreature

    7 months ago

    Prediction: 3/$57M backloaded with a team

    3
    Reply
  10. Major League Baseball Fan

    7 months ago

    Wacha 3/$51 could reach 4/$72.
    Eovaldi is older. Does he get that much?

    1
    Reply
  11. vtadave

    7 months ago

    Dodgers: 4 years, 75 million.

    2025-2028 – $20 million
    2029-2045 – $55 million

    Reply
    • JCL10

      7 months ago

      Dodgers don’t need him.

      I would rather have them sign Buehler or Flaherty to that same contract.

      Current rotation is 6 deep when you consider may and gonsolin coming back.

      Knack and Casparius may be able to compete for a starting pitcher job.

      And then theres Bobby Miller…

      Reply
      • Senioreditor

        7 months ago

        as we found out. 6 deep is not nearly enough. They need 8-10 starters.

        1
        Reply
      • Anthony maresca

        7 months ago

        Dodgers not getting either pitcher who both are 30 yrs old for less than 5/100 as a start point!

        Reply
        • JCL10

          7 months ago

          Buehler is worth nowhere near 5/100.

          Neither is Flaherty.

          Reply
  12. Texas Outlaw

    7 months ago

    I hope the Rangers resign him. We love him down here. 3/60 for sure would get it done. However, I bet the Rangers “try” and fall short.

    1
    Reply
  13. User 1939973770

    7 months ago

    1% chance the Astros sign him. (I’d say zero, but anything is possible)

    Reply
    • CravenMoorehead

      7 months ago

      He was born in Houston and if the Astros made him a decent offer I’m sure he’d be very interested.

      3
      Reply
  14. UWPSUPERFAN77

    7 months ago

    I would not pay 20M for an average Performance. Good luck, I think you will regret the move. I saw you get bombed in Milwaukee. You do not look like 20M to me!

    Reply

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