Nate Eovaldi Makes His Free Agent Decision

 The last top of the rotation arm has come off the board, as free agent Nate Eovaldi has come to an agreement to head back home to the land of his childhood hero Nolan Ryan. The Texas Rangers have made their latest free agent splash, signing Eovaldi to a 2-year deal.

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a two-year, $34 million contract that includes a third-year vesting player option, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Performance bonuses in the contract can take the total value even higher.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 28, 2022

MLB Insider Jeff Passan reports that it's a 2-year, $34M contract with a vesting player option for a 3rd year. Bonuses could raise Eovaldi's take.

The incumbent Boston Red Sox were thought to be the frontrunners for the 32-year-old, but the lure of heading home to Texas was too good. 

The Rangers vowed to beef up their rotation this offseason, and they began by signing Jacob deGrom to a $185M deal, then added Andrew Heaney as well. Eovaldi completes the hat trick.

The pitcher spent the past five seasons in Boston, posting a 4.05 ERA over 84 starts (96 appearances), along with a 1.27 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. He helped lead them to the World Series championship in 2018, working both as a starter and reliever. He was also the winning pitcher in the 2021 Wild Card game for the BoSox, and was an All-Star that season. 

Photo: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports