Ex-Red Sox Hurler Proving Why Boston Made Mistake Letting Him Go In Free Agency

Boston likely regrets letting their best pitcher walk in free agency

Scott Neville | May 24, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Hurler Proving Why Boston Made Mistake Letting Him Go In Free Agency /

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The Boston Red Sox underwent a makeover this offseason as notable free agents such as Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha left in free agency last winter, among others.

Boston had the money to retain some, if not all of these players but elected to go in different directions. At least one of the aforementioned stars is making them regret letting him walk -- Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

The 33-year-old has posted a 0.86 ERA with a 35-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .158 batting average against in 41 2/3 over his last five starts. He averaged 8 1/3 innings pitched per start in that span with two complete games and four total runs allowed.

Eovaldi is 6-2 with a 2.60 ERA, 66-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .224 batting average against and 0.97 WHIP in a league-leading 69 1/3 innings pitched this season across 10 starts.

The veteran hurler has been a huge reason for the Rangers' first-place, 31-18 start in the American League West.

Eovaldi signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Rangers this offseason, a bargain given his career accolades and ability to feature a high-90s fastball despite his age.

Boston reportedly made a couple of offers to Eovaldi, including a multi-year contract but did not do enough to keep him around. The 2018 World Series champion made it clear that he was open to returning but could not find common ground with Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom over the winter.

The only addition the Red Sox made to the starting staff this offseason was Corey Kluber on a one-year, $10 million deal. The 37-year-old hurler is 2-6 with a 6.26 ERA and has been so bad that manager Alex Cora moved him to the bullpen on Tuesday. The move was made after Kluber was severely outdueled by now-San Diego Padres right-hander Michael Wacha.

While Wacha received an oddly-constructed four-year deal that the Red Sox likely would not have been open to, I'm sure Boston would love to swap Kluber for Eovaldi if given a second chance.

More MLB: Angels' Shohei Ohtani Named Potential Red Sox Fit At Trade Deadline

Published May 24, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu