Funviralpark 7:05 PM: The Rangers made another rotation addition. They reportedly Nathan Evaldi For a two-year contract with a Besting/Player option for the 2025 campaign. The ACES client will be paid a salary of $16 million each for his next two seasons, with an optional buyout of at least $2 million. Worth $20 million, the option will serve as his option if Iovaldi pitches his 300 combined innings from 2023 to 2024. A deal that could reach up to $63 million over three seasons if Eovaldi hits all innings-based incentives is on physical hold.
Eovaldi has spent the last four seasons with the Red Sox. Boston first acquired rights from the Rays at the 2018 trade deadline and added imminent free agency for its playoff push, with Eovaldi appearing in 12 games in the regular season and posting a 1.61 ERA in the postseason. of 22 added his 1/3 innings. At the end of the year, Boston rewarded his finish with a four-year, $68 million free agency contract.
Eovaldi’s contract looked shaky in Year 1, as he fell just short of a 6.00 ERA in 2019. This season is one that missed a notable chunk of action due to a loose body in throwing elbows. However, he righted the ship in his second season, posting a 3.72 ERA in nine outings during the shortened 2020 campaign.
Eovaldi has perhaps the best full season of his career in 2021. He started all of his 32 games, posting a 3.75 ERA in 182 and his 1/3 innings, while he outscored 25.5% of his opponents with his 4.6% walk percentage. That show earned him his first career All-Star selection and his 4th place finish in the AL Tsai His Young Poll.
Unfortunately, 2022 saw the injury problem again. Iovaldi missed part of what would be his final season in Boston as he had two stints on the injury list. He lost time to hip inflammation in June and July, and missed most of August and September due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Two injuries kept him to his 20 starts and his 109 1/3 frames, but his production on a rate basis was close to the standards of his career.
Eovaldi managed a 3.87 ERA and struck 22.4%, just above the average for hitters he faced. He walked just 4.3% of his opponents while inducing ground balls on 47% of his batted balls surrendered. Eobaldi isn’t the ace Cy Young might suggest in 2021, but he’s an above-average mid-rotation arm when healthy.
Its production is not as expected given Eovaldi’s strong arsenal. He is one of the hardest pitchers in the game, averaging over 97 MPH for most of his career. But he’s never posted an elite strikeout rate that’s typically related to that speed, and Eovaldi’s best feature is his ability to hit his zone with strikes instead. Over the past three years, he has walked less than 5% of the opponents. His cumulative walk rate of 4.4% since the start of 2020 is his second lowest among his 120 pitchers who have scored 200 or more frames in that stretch (following the 4.3% mark). clayton kershaw).
Iovaldi’s willingness to attack the zone led to home run problems at times. He has allowed higher-than-average home runs in his three of the last four years, and last season he had 1.73 home runs per nine innings. This is the only red flag in Eovaldi’s recent performance record, but perhaps due to his health and age some teams have paused. Among the deep class of possible mid-rotation starters, he becomes one of the older options.
In addition to shoulder and back concerns this year, he has a history of elbow problems. missed the season. He hasn’t needed an IL stint due to elbow concerns since the aforementioned loose body in 2019. Back and shoulder injuries this past season could be a more serious problem, as he later dropped to about 94 MPH.
These injuries seem to have dampened Eovaldi’s market. Chris Basit The 34-year-old signed a three-year, $63 million deal for the campaign, but the player Jameson Tailon When Taijuan Walker Secured a strong four-year contract despite a less consistent performance track record than Eovaldi. Many of the free-agent starters this offseason got stronger-than-expected deals, but Eovaldi’s guarantees are exactly in line with his MLBTR predictions from the start of the offseason.
The Eovaldi faction was also against the qualifying offer. He turned down his QO from Boston earlier in the winter, tying the signing team to a draft of compensation. That was true for Basit, but it didn’t affect Walker and Tyrone.
Texas isn’t too concerned about losing draft options to add quality talent through free agency. They gave up two picks to sign corey seager When Marcus Semien Last winter they will do so again this offseason. Rangers already lost draft choice to sign Jacob deGrom on a 5 year contract. This reduces the price you have to pay in Eovaldi’s case. Texas forfeited the second-highest draft choice in 2023, giving up $500,000 in international contract bonus space to add deGrom, they docked another $500,000 in contract bonus his room will be third highest I choose Eovaldi.
After Seager and Semien splashed out to bolster their lineup last offseason, the Rangers overhauled their starting lineup this winter.Texas acquisition Jake Odrizzi from the Braves in the first few days.left handed Martin Perez Shortly after accepting a qualified offer, but that didn’t slow Texas GM down Chris Young Or his front office.They acquired and brought in deGrom in the biggest pitching deal of the offseason since free agency began Andrew Heaney Eovaldi comes with a 2 year warranty.
Eovaldi adds another mid-rpm caliber starter to what looks like a potentially terrifying Rangers rotation. deGrom headlines the staff, John Gray, Eovaldi, Pérez and Heaney.with Odrizzi Dane Dunning It looks like they’ll be pushed into a deep role, and while there’s plenty of injury uncertainty for most of the top five, it’s understandable that Texas won’t be keeping their feet off the Gus for outside help.
Owner Ray Davis and the front office don’t show much concern about spending. Adding Eovaldi’s $16 million salary to the books next year brings his projected salary to around $196 million, according to roster resources. It became a franchise record, easily surpassing the organization’s previous opening day high-water mark, his $165 million. The deal has an average annual value of $17 million, resulting in a competitive balance tax amount of approximately $220 million per Roster Resource and his $233 million base tax threshold next year. $13 million less than
Rotational heavy lifting looks complete, but Texas is known for looking for ways to upgrade in the corner outfield. There’s room for a mid-tier free agent pick-up if teams want to stay under the CBT marker, but it’s also possible that Davis could comfortably push past that threshold. , backing up their claim to be in contention for a playoff spot in 2023.
This is another free agency departure for the Red Sox, who have seen several high-profile players head elsewhere.with Iovaldi xander bogaerts Each left after declining a qualifying offer. Boston will take both draft payouts, but that’s a pretty minimal gain in their case.The Red Sox will see him just over the CBT threshold in 2022, but the club This decision didn’t pay off when the was stumbled to the tail end. As a result, they only receive a bonus selection in the 4th round and beyond of next year’s draft.
FanSided’s Robert Murray First reported that the Rangers and Eovaldi are in agreement. Evan Grant of dallas morning news is a two-year contract with an option and was the first to report specific financial details. ESPN’s Jeff Passan $34MM Guarantee and 3rd Year Option is the Besting/Player Clause, Option specifications.
Image credit: USA Today Sports.
