Where would the Red Sox be without Nathan Eovaldi? There is no question that Eovaldi has been the most important pitching acquisition during this past MLB Trade Deadline. Eovaldi has been pumping 102 MPH past hitters all postseason long and has given the Red Sox valuable innings starting and relieving games during the Fall Classic. Looking ahead to the offseason, it’s possible that no one has made more money than Eovaldi thanks to his postseason efforts.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post had an interesting column concerning Eovaldi’s next contract:
“Nathan Eovaldi has two Tommy Johns in his past (though the second one was considered more a ligament tightening than a full-blown procedure). But he doesn’t turn 29 until February, has a great rep as a teammate and has never thrown better than now. If anything by fluctuating between starting and relief in the playoffs and still throwing 100 mph easily in tandem with his burgeoning cutter, the Red Sox righty is exhibiting health and that he can flourish under pressure. I think four years at $80 million is possible — who knows, maybe more.”
Given the injury history, $80 million seems a bit far fetched to me but maybe it’s possible. Everything has seemed to click for Eovaldi. There was never a question about his pure stuff. It was just executing his pitches. Add in the fact that Eovaldi added a deadly cutter and this guy may only be scratching the surface. I have always been a fan of Eovaldi. Even when he played for those dead dogs in New York. It’s a shame that Brian Cashman was too cheap, too dump, or both to just pay $2 million (Eovaldi’s 2018 salary) to hang onto Eovaldi. You just hate to see that kind of ignorance.
Some guy’s nuts just hang lower. Big nuts Nate has some of the biggest around. This dude just goes out there and pumps gas. He doesn’t just throw gas, he never blinks and struts around way cooler than you can. If the Red Sox have choose between Eovaldi and Craig Kimbrel (Both impending free agents) Eovaldi should be the choice. Thus far Eovaldi has tossed 16.1 innings to go with a 2-0 record and 1.65 ERA. The Red Sox are 2 wins away from their 4th World Series crown since 2004.
