*Photo from Over the Monster*
There's more and more pitching heading to Texas. RHP Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a two year, $34 million deal, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Rangers have confirmed the news.
Eovaldi will earn $16 million in both 2023 and 2024, getting to $34 million thanks to a $2 million signing bonus. He has a $20 million player option for 2025 that will vest if he achieves 300 innings in the two seasons he is guaranteed. There are also $3 million in bonuses in both 2023 and 2024 if he hits 160 innings in each year.
Last season was Eovaldi's 4th full season with the Boston Red Sox, and his 5th after a trade in 2018. He was limited to 20 starts due to two trips to the IL. He posted a 3.87 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 4.30 FIP when healthy, tossing 109 1/3 innings and adding two complete games, one of which was a shutout.
Rangers GM Chris Young said of Eovaldi that "He’s got tremendous stuff, tremendous command, he throws strikes, he attacks the strike zone, it's aggressive mindset. And even just having conversations with him over the last 48 hours about the type of pitcher he is, the way he thinks about the game, the intellect, the competitiveness, I think that he really fits all the criteria that we look for that we want our pitchers to be. I think he's going to set a great example for a lot of our young guys that are going to be coming along with the other pitchers that we have on staff."
Eovaldi was acquired by the Red Sox as depth at the 2018 trade deadline, someone who was injury prone but effective when healthy. Everything came together in Boston, with Eovaldi playing a memorable role in their World Series run, pitching the last 6 crucial innings in an 18 inning game 3.
From that day, he became known as Nasty Nate, and he kept delivering. After a lost 2019, he became the ace in 2020, and was a first time all star with a 32 start 2021 season, including getting the win in the 2021 AL Wild Card game against the New York Yankees, a team Eovaldi used to play for.
Eovaldi has played for 5 different teams across 11 major league seasons, starting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. Since debuting, he has accumulated a 4.16 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.32 WHIP, throwing 1,257 2/3 innings while making 221 starts and 19 relief appearances. He has a 3.14 ERA in 6 starts and 5 relief appearances in the playoffs, totaling 43 innings.
The Rangers now have 6 starters in their rotation after a series of upgrades. Martin Perez and Jon Gray remain from last year's unit, while Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, and Jake Odorizzi were added this offseason.
Comments
Post a Comment