Ex-Red Sox All-Star Predicted To Sign $44 Million Deal With Yankees

Where will the former Red Sox star sign?

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

One former Boston Red Sox star will be a hot commodity on the open market this winter.

Former Red Sox flamethrower and postseason hero Nathan Eovaldi is a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers. The 34-year-old unsurprisingly shined with Texas in his two-year stint. He had a 3.63 ERA in 2023 and a 3.80 ERA in 2024. Eovaldi helped lead the Rangers to the World Series in 2023 and was an All-Star.

He was with the Red Sox from 2018 to 2022 and developed into one of Boston's key arms. It could make some sense for Boston to bring him back this winter, but there will be a lot of competition for him. Eovaldi still can pitch like one of the best in the game, but he won't get as large of a contract as someone like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, or Blake Snell due to his age.

A contender is going to want Eovaldi because he can still pitch at that high level at a fraction of the cost. MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, Darragh McDonald, and Tim Dierkes put together a list of the top 50 free agents with contract and team predictions. They had Eovaldi at No. 17, and Dierkes predicted he would sign with the New York Yankees on a two-year, $44 million deal.

"Tim: Yankees / Anthony: Orioles / Darragh: Giants / Steve: Rangers," MLB Trade Rumors posted. "This is the fourth free agency trip for Eovaldi, who remains a strong mid-rotation starter. The Rangers benefited handsomely from signing the veteran righty to a two-year, $34MM guarantee during the 2022-23 offseason. Eovaldi logged enough innings to unlock a $20MM player option for 2025 but declined it anyway, as he’s set for a similar or better salary on a multi-year deal...

"Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young said the Rangers hope to bring Eovaldi back. A return to Boston could make sense, while the (Baltimore Orioles), Rangers, (Los Angeles Angels), (New York Mets), (Atlanta Braves), (Washington Nationals), (Detroit Tigers), (Los Angeles Dodgers) and (Chicago Cubs) are other possibilities."

Eovaldi has experience pitching in New York in 2015 and 2016. Could a return be on the way?

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