DALLAS — The Rangers accomplished one of their major offseason goals by re-signing 2023 World Series-winning pitcher Nate Eovaldi.
Texas has agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract with the right-hander, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was contingent on a successful physical exam.
Eovaldi became a free agent on Nov. 4 after declining his $20 million player option, which was finalized for the 2025 season. The Rangers expected the move, but said one of their priorities was re-signing the Texan, who turns 35 in February.
The two-time All-Star received a $2 million buyout from that option, which he spent 4 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox before joining the Rangers in free agency and pitching 300 innings in two years with the Rangers. It was earned by throwing more than that.
His new contract was announced at the Winter Meetings on the same day that Max Fried agreed to a $218 million, eight-year deal with the Yankees, the largest ever for a left-handed pitcher. These moves leave 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star Corbin Burnes as the top pitcher available on the free agent market. The right-handed pitcher started 32 games for the Orioles this year, posting a 15-9 record with a 2.92 ERA, but this was his only season in Baltimore.
Eovaldi will remain in the Texas rotation alongside two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who started three games late last season after missing nearly 17 months with right elbow surgery. did. The Rangers won all six games deGrom started in the beginning of the 2023 season before getting injured in April of that year.
Texas acquired Eovaldi and deGrom in free agency before the 2023 season. Eovaldi’s two-year contract at the time was worth $16 million per season, plus a buyout, for $34 million. This comes after deGrom, now 36, signed a five-year contract worth $185 million.
Eovaldi started six postseason games and posted a 5-0 record with a 2.95 ERA as the Rangers advanced toward their first World Series championship in 2023. He was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series in Arizona.
Eovaldi started 54 games over the past two seasons, posting a 24-13 record with a 3.72 ERA and 298 strikeouts in 314 1/3 innings. This year, he started 29 games and had a record of 12 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 3.80. He pitched seven scoreless innings for the Angels, winning the final game of the season for the Rangers, but the Rangers finished with 78 wins and 84 losses, missing out on the playoffs.
Texas is Eovaldi’s sixth major league team, and he has a 91-81 record with a 4.07 ERA in 294 career games (275 starts) since debuting with the Dodgers in 2011. In addition to the Red Sox, he also pitched for Miami, the Yankees, and Tampa Bay.
