Eovaldi declined his $20 million player option for 2025, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
While that means Eovaldi is now a free agent, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday that the club has "great interest" in re-signing the veteran right-hander. Eovaldi, who turns 35 in February, holds a 3.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 298:89 K:BB over 314.2 innings covering 54 regular-season starts during his two seasons with the Rangers.
Eovaldi (12-8) allowed four hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings Sunday, striking out five and earning a win over the Angels.
Eovaldi escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning but didn't face much danger otherwise. He had been tagged for 14 runs over 16.2 innings in his previous three outings before closing out his 2024 season with a terrific outing Sunday. It was the fourth time this season he threw at least seven innings without allowing a run. Eovaldi finishes the season with a 3.80 ERA and a 166:42 K:BB through 170.2 innings. He's finished each of the last five seasons with an ERA between 3.63 and 3.87.
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Works through seven innings
Rotowire
Eovaldi did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Athletics, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out seven in seven innings.
The Athletics plated a pair of runs against Eovaldi in the first, another in the third and then scratched across one more in the sixth stemming from an error earlier in the inning. Eovaldi only allowed four hits, two of which came in the first inning, and his seven strikeouts were his second most in eight starts since Aug. 10. Eovaldi is now winless in his last three starts and holds a 7.56 ERA over that span. For the year, he holds a 3.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 161:41 K:BB in 163.2 innings and lines up to face the Angels over the weekend in his final start of the year.
Eovaldi allowed seven runs on 11 hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
The two teams traded rallies in the contest -- Eovaldi was tagged for four runs in the fifth inning just after the Rangers had established a lead. This was one of Eovaldi's worst performances of the year, as the seven runs and 11 hits allowed were both season highs. His ERA is up to 3.96 with a 1.13 WHIP and 154:38 K:BB through 156.2 innings over 27 starts. He posted four straight quality starts from Aug. 17 to Sept. 4, but he's struggled in two straight outings. He'll look to get back on track in his next projected start, which is expected to be in Oakland with the Rangers seemingly shifting to a six-man rotation to close out the campaign.
