MLB Rumors: 3 Top Suitors For Nathan Eovaldi

Back and shoulder injuries limited Nathan Eovaldi's contract year effectiveness, but he'll hope that a couple of previous stong seasons in 2020 and 2021 are still lingering in executives' minds to help him land his next deal. 

He finished the season with a 3.87 ERA in 20 starts, with a 103:20 K/BB ratio. The 32-year-old also lost a mile off his fastball after the injuries. With the uncertainty around his shoulder and his stuff, his likely outcome on the market is thought to be maxed out at something up to a 3-year deal. 

Although his market could be hindered by being attached to draft compensation, here are three teams that are thought to be his likeliest landing spots.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox, being the incumbent, aren't subject to the draft pick compensation. And they aren't going to let Eovaldi go so quickly. He's proven to them that when healthy he can be a No. 2 starter. And the Boston rotation is desperate for proven arms. They did extend him the qualifying offer of $19.65 (which he turned down), so they'll have to come up with, say, a two- or three-year deal in the $35-$40M range to keep him.

Nathan Eovaldi declining the QO isn’t a surprise.

This may be his last shot at landing a multi year deal & the Red Sox are still the favorites to sign him.

Eovaldi’s injury risk coupled with having to forfeit a ~2nd round draft pick doesn’t help his value on the open market.

— Big Sox Guy (@BigSoxGuy) November 15, 2022

Baltimore Orioles

The O's are ready to take the next step toward contention, and they'll need to beef up the starting rotation to do so. How much they're willing to spend will always be in question, though they have been saying all the right things about opening up the checkbook this winter. While not an absolute ace costing $100M+ like the top of the free agent pack, Eovaldi seems to slot in at just about the right price for the Orioles. 

New York Mets

The Mets could have three holes in the rotation to fill, as Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker are all free agents. They'll need another big, proven arm to slot in behind Scherzer as a potential No. 2, and if they lose out on deGrom and Bassitt, Eovaldi feels like the next tier they'll shoot for. 

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