The Texas Rangers have achieved one of their main goals for the offseason by re-signing Nathan Eovaldi, the pitcher who won their 2023 World Series-clinching game.
Texas has agreed to a $75 million, three-year contract with Eovaldi, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person requested anonymity because the deal is still pending a successful physical.
Eovaldi became a free agent on November 4 after turning down a $20 million player option for the 2025 season. The Rangers were expecting this decision, but they made it a priority to bring back the Texas native, who will turn 35 in February.
Eovaldi received a $2 million buyout for his option, which he earned by pitching over 300 innings during his two years with the Rangers after joining them as a free agent.
This new contract was announced at the winter meetings, on the same day that Max Fried agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees, the largest contract ever given to a left-handed pitcher.
These moves leave Corbin Burnes, the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner and a four-time All-Star, as the top pitcher still available in free agency. Burnes had a 15-9 record with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts for the Orioles this season, his only year in Baltimore.
Eovaldi will remain in the Texas rotation alongside two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who made just three starts at the end of last season after missing nearly 17 months due to right elbow surgery. The Rangers won all six of deGrom’s starts to start the 2023 season before he got injured in April.
Before the 2023 season, the Rangers signed Eovaldi and deGrom in free agency. Eovaldi’s previous two-year deal was worth $34 million, with $16 million annual salaries, plus the buyout. deGrom, now 36, signed a five-year, $185 million deal.
During the Rangers’ first World Series title run in 2023, Eovaldi was 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six postseason starts, including the win in the World Series-clinching Game 5 at Arizona. He was also part of the Boston Red Sox’s 2018 title team.
Eovaldi had a 24-13 record with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts over the past two seasons, totaling 298 strikeouts in 314 2/3 innings. In 2023, he went 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts. He pitched seven scoreless innings in the season finale against the Los Angeles Angels to help the Rangers finish 78-84 and miss the playoffs.
Eovaldi, who has now played for six MLB teams, has a career record of 91-81 with a 4.07 ERA in 294 games (275 starts) since debuting in 2011 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has also played for Miami, the New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay.
