The Rangers proceed to pursue a reunion with free agent starter Nathan Eovaldi, GM Chris Younger confirmed at present on the Winter Conferences. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Information stories that Texas has a gathering scheduled with the right-hander’s representatives on Monday night.
Eovaldi is likely one of the higher unsigned pitchers in a quick-moving rotation market. Not like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, he’ll be restricted to a comparatively short-term deal. Eovaldi turns 35 in February. That’s an age at which only a few free agent pitchers get three years. Utilizing MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, we see that there are solely three free agent starters 35 or older who signed for not less than three years throughout the previous decade: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Wealthy Hill.
MLBTR thus predicted two years at a hefty $22MM common annual worth for Eovaldi. The rotation market has been fairly sturdy early on, nonetheless, so it’s not out of the query that he will get to a few years on a deal that pushes previous $60MM complete. Even when he’s restricted to 2 years, it’ll very probably value north of $20MM yearly.
It’s not clear whether or not the Rangers would discover that value palatable. They’ve scaled again spending in consecutive winters as they navigate an unsure future with their in-market tv deal. Grant reported in October that Texas hoped to maintain their luxurious tax quantity under subsequent 12 months’s $241MM base threshold. RosterResource calculates the Rangers’ CBT quantity round $195MM. They’ve bought a good quantity of flexibility, however one thing like $22MM yearly for Eovaldi would account for practically half the hole. Texas wants to accumulate a number of relievers as nicely, and groups usually want to depart some payroll house for deadline acquisitions. A membership’s luxurious tax quantity isn’t calculated till the tip of the season, so wage taken on midseason counts in direction of it on a prorated foundation.
Eovaldi unsurprisingly has broad attraction in the marketplace. He has gotten reported curiosity from the Orioles, Mets, Braves and Crimson Sox. He nonetheless has above-average velocity and is coming off a 3.80 ERA exhibiting with good strikeout and stroll numbers. Eovaldi additionally has a powerful repute for his efficiency within the postseason, together with a 2.95 ERA over six begins throughout the Rangers’ 2023 World Sequence run.
