Two-time All-Star pitcher Nathan Eovaldi became a free agent on Monday after choosing to decline a $20 million player option for next season with the Texas Rangers.
Eovaldi will receive a $2 million buyout from the option, which he earned by pitching over 300 innings in his two years with the Rangers after joining the team as a free agent.
He was the winning pitcher in the Rangers’ World Series-clinching game against Arizona in 2023, finishing the postseason with a 5-0 record and a 2.95 ERA in six starts. Eovaldi was also part of the Boston Red Sox’s 2018 World Series-winning team.
Although the Rangers expected Eovaldi to turn down the option, they still hope to re-sign the 34-year-old right-hander, who is from Texas.
“We still have great interest in bringing him back,” said Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations. “We’re still going to work towards hopefully getting him back in the Rangers uniform.”
In other news, Texas declined a $6.5 million team option for left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin, whom they acquired from Detroit in a trade at the deadline.
Chafin received a $500,000 buyout and became a free agent after making 62 combined appearances in 2024, which triggered $625,000 in bonuses on top of his $4.75 million salary, plus a $250,000 assignment bonus for the trade.
Eovaldi had a 24-13 record with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts over the past two seasons, striking out 298 batters in 314 2/3 innings. He finished this season with a 12-8 record and a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts.
His final game of the season was a seven-inning shutout performance against the Los Angeles Angels, securing a win for the Rangers, who finished the season with a 78-84 record and missed the playoffs.
Texas was the sixth MLB team for Eovaldi, who has a career record of 91-81 with a 4.07 ERA in 294 games (275 starts) since making his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. Besides Boston, Nathan Eovaldi has also played for Miami, the New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay.
His $34 million contract with the Rangers included a $16 million salary for each of the past two seasons, along with a $2 million signing bonus. He also earned extra bonuses for being an All-Star in 2023 and for reaching certain innings pitched milestones.
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and left-hander Andrew Heaney, who made a team-high 31 starts this season, are also free agents.
The Rangers still have two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle under contract. Both pitchers made only three starts last season after recovering from elbow surgery in 2023. Jon Gray has one more year remaining on his four-year deal. Also, former first-round draft picks Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker made their MLB debuts this year.
Chafin, who pitched in 21 games for the Rangers, is the fifth Texas reliever to become a free agent. He joins four right-handers: All-Star closer Kirby Yates, veteran David Robertson, José Leclerc, and José Ureña in free agency. The 39-year-old Robertson declined a $7 million mutual option on Saturday, triggering a $1.5 million buyout.
Chris Young, the Rangers’ president of baseball operations, said that two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager is recovering “nicely” from his second hernia surgery in less than eight months.
Seager’s season ended in September after undergoing surgery to repair a right sports hernia, on the opposite side of his abdomen from the surgery he had on January 30. Seager missed most of spring training and didn’t play in his first exhibition game until March 23.
“I believe he’s close to resuming a normal offseason and his normal strength and conditioning program,” Young said.
Seager was ready for the March 28 season opener in his third year of a $325 million, 10-year contract. The 30-year-old shortstop hit .278 with 30 homers and 74 RBIs in 123 games before going on the injured list on September 4 due to right hip discomfort.
