Red Sox have reportedly shown ‘interest’ in reunion with 2018 World Series hero
Nathan Eovaldi was a dependable starter for the Red Sox over five seasons, especially in October.
If the Red Sox plan on being aggressive this winter, the writing is on the wall that Craig Breslow and Boston’s front office will target top-of-the-rotation pitchers.
Be it free-agent targets like Max Fried or tantalizing trade candidates like Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox have several intriguing options to turn to this offseason.
But according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the Red Sox might also be interested in reuniting with an old friend in Nathan Eovaldi.
“While top tier available pitchers remain Red Sox priority, they are one of about a dozen teams who have shown some level of interest in Nathan Eovaldi,” Bradford posted on X Tuesday afternoon.
Eovaldi landed back on the free-agent market after the 34-year-old righty declined his player option with the Texas Rangers.
Even though Eovaldi may not necessarily be a No. 1 starter, he’d still be a welcome sight for a Red Sox team in desperate need of some stability in their rotation.
Eovaldi started 29 games for the Rangers in 2024, posting a 12-8 record with a 3.80 ERA. He helped Texas win its first World Series title in 2023, going 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA over six postseason spots during that run.
The Red Sox are well aware of Eovaldi’s track record of postseason heroics. He became a cult hero in Boston with his pitching performance in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series against the Dodgers.
Eovaldi saved Boston’s bullpen by pitching six-plus innings in what was an eventual 18-inning game between the Red Sox and Dodgers.
Even though he eventually served up a walk-off home run to Max Muncy, Eovaldi’s six initial scoreless innings in extras gave Alex Cora the luxury of not taxing a majority of his bullpen arms.
Eovaldi also delivered at the start of Boston’s unexpected 2021 run to the ALCS — winning the team’s single-elimination, wild-card game against the Yankees after allowing one earned run over 5.1 innings of work.
In total, Eovaldi logged five seasons with the Red Sox from 2018-22, posting a 26-18 record with a 4.05 ERA.
Signing Eovaldi alone won’t be enough to right the ship in Boston’s lackluster rotation. But his presence would be welcomed on a 2025 Red Sox roster in need of impact arms, especially if the team makes a push for October baseball.
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