Following Nathan Eovaldi’s stellar postseason run with the Boston Red Sox, teams might be willing to throw the kitchen sink at the free agent pitcher.
Just don’t expect the Yankees to be one of those teams.
New York whiffed on Patrick Corbin on Tuesday, as the left-handed started signed a lucrative deal with the Washington Nationals. Shortly after news of the deal broke, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported the Yankees will shift their focus toward Eovaldi and J.A. Happ,
But late Tuesday, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that New York only will pursue Eovaldi if the price — and length of contract — is right.
“They still like J.A. Happ, in particular, with other free-agent options such as Nathan Eovaldi, Yusei Kikuchi and Charlie Morton, and Cleveland’s Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco and San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner available in trades,” Sherman wrote Tuesday.
“But the Yanks appear hesitant to reunite with Eovaldi if he really is going to get a four-year contract, even if it is from the Red Sox, the team that beat them in the AL East and the Division Series. And they have found the asking prices for an Indians starter too.”
Sports can be funny.
Eovaldi, of course, spent two seasons with the Yankees before missing all of 2017 to recover from Tommy John Surgery. But now that the 28-year-old is a postseason hero for Boston, Red Sox fans couldn’t fathom seeing him in pinstripes.
The Texas native pitched well for Boston after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays before the trade deadline. In 12 appearances (11 starts), Eovaldi went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA while showcasing overwhelming fastball velocity.
It was his performance in Boston’s run to a World Series championship, however, that really boosted Eovaldi’s stock.
In six appearances (two starts), Eovaldi went 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA. His lone loss, of course, came in a dominating, six-inning relief outing in the Red Sox’s heartbreaking extra-innings loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3.
Eovaldi twice has undergone Tommy John surgery, but his surgeon recently gave his right elbow a clean bill of health.
