Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox Had No Contract Talks During Spring Training

Nathan Eovaldi is prepared to let his pitching do the talking.

The Boston Red Sox pitcher revealed to reporters Thursday he and the team didn’t engage in contract talks during spring training. Eovaldi’s current deal will expire after the 2022 season, and he seems to be at peace with the fact he’s in a contract year.

“We didn’t have a chance really to talk about it,” Eovaldi said, per MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. “I don’t know if it was in the plan or not. I’d be willing to. But again, I want to go out there and focus on what I have to do. As long as I’m able to go out there and take care of my business out there, it should be easier for them to make the decision that they choose.”

Eovaldi went 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA last season and finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting. He’s set to be Boston’s Opening Day starter Friday when Boston visits the New York Yankees, and the Red Sox expect to rely on him heavily in 2022.

If he pitches better this season than he did last year, he might command a raise on his current $17 million annual salary, and perhaps prompt the Red Sox to might make another significant financial commitment to him.