Yankees reportedly showing interest in Red Sox free agent Nathan Eovaldi
BOSTON -- The Yankees would love to sign the best starter left in free agency. But if they can't come to an agreement with Carlos Rodon, New York is reportedly eyeing a Red Sox free agent as a backup plan.
According to Jon Heyman in the New York Post, New York's fallback plan if Rodon doesn't come down from his request for a seven-year deal is Nathan Eovaldi, who was Boston's ace for the majority of the 2022 season. A former Yankee, Eovaldi is a free agent after declining a qualifying offer from the Red Sox earlier this offseason.
Injuries sidelined Eovaldi on two different occasions last season, with the righty landing on the IL for both back inflammation and shoulder inflammation. But he still made 20 starts and finished the year with a 3.87 ERA. It was a nice follow up to Eovaldi's solid 2021 season, when he had a 3.75 ERA over 32 starts.
Eovaldi's best season in Boston was his first, when he arrived at the trade deadline in 2018. He was a massive piece to Alex Cora's World Series-winning master plan, sporting a 1.61 ERA over his 22.1 innings in the playoffs to help lead the Red Sox to a title. His postseason heroics as a rover out of the bullpen earned Eovaldi a four-year, $68 million deal that offseason.
Eovaldi, who will turn 33 in February, is one of the best remaining starters on the open market this winter. The Red Sox have some holes to fill in their rotation, with Michael Wacha also a free agent, and it looks like the Yankees could make plugging those holes a little more difficult for their AL East rival.
