Free-agent right-handed starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is returning to the Texas Rangers on a three-year, $75 million, according to ESPN. Eovaldi, 34, is coming off a very fruitful two-year deal with Texas that included 24 wins, nearly 300 strikeouts, a trip to the All-Star Game and a World Series championship. In 2024, Eovaldi made 29 starts, going 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA (104 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP and 166 strikeouts against 42 walks in 170 ⅔ innings. It was worth 2.2 WAR, per Baseball Reference.
That said, Eovaldi also comes with an extensive injury history. In his 13 seasons, he's only made 30 starts twice and there have been major maladies mixed in there, including two Tommy John surgeries and multiple shoulder injuries.
The risk there is balanced with Eovaldi's upside and championship pedigree. He'll go through spurts of pitching like an ace. In the first half last season, he had a 2.97 ERA and through 19 starts in 2023, before injury, he had a 2.69 ERA in 123 ⅔ innings. He's also 9-3 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 79 ⅔ career postseason innings. He's had several clutch performances, too, and carries a career 2.89 ERA in the World Series (18 ⅔ innings).
The Rangers didn't extend a qualifying offer to Eovaldi, but there were evidently no hard feelings as he's going back.
With Eovaldi back on board, the Rangers' opening-day rotation could look something like this:
- Jacob deGrom, RHP
- Nathan Eovaldi, RHP
- Cody Bradford, LHP
- Jon Gray, RHP
- Tyler Mahle, RHP
Kumar Rocker, a young right-hander who debuted last season and pitched to a 3.86 ERA in three starts, is a major factor as well. Dane Dunning has been used out of the bullpen and in the rotation in each of the last two years, too, and he's still on the roster.
It is certainly a rotation loaded with risk, not just the injury risk carried by the likes of deGrom, Eovaldi and Mahle, but there's lots of possible variance when it comes to performance from inexperienced MLB pitchers like Bradford and Rocker. It should be said, though, that there's a lot of upside here, too. There's talent up and down that rotation.
The Rangers won the World Series in 2023 and took a step back last season in finishing 78-84.