The Boston Red Sox may have accomplished their goal regarding Nick Pivetta’s free agency, but now, they’ll need to replace him.
On Tuesday, Pivetta declined the one-year, $21 million qualifying offer, granting Boston an extra pick after the second round of the 2025 draft if he leaves. It was a win for Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, who correctly read the market for the up-and-down starting pitcher.
Pivetta could still be back in free agency, but if he does leave, the Red Sox will need to fill his slot in their rotation. The righty had one of the highest home run rates in baseball, but also one of the highest strikeout rates, which isn’t the easiest thing to replace.
While Boston should still pursue number-one starters, it would help to fill out the middle of the rotation with another veteran, allowing the Red Sox to enter Spring Training with six possible rotation options. And one veteran who fits the bill just so happens to be a longtime Red Sox fan-favorite.
Recently, Tim Crowley of NESN named Texas Rangers starter and ex-Red Sox World Series hero Nathan Eovaldi as one of the top available free-agent options to take over Pivetta’s spot in the middle of the rotation.
“(Eovaldi is) still effective even as he ages into his mid-30s. He won another championship and pitched productive seasons with the Texas Rangers. He’s not going to be the ace should he return to the Red Sox, nor should the franchise expect that,” Crowley said.
“What he can do is bridge young arms in the middle of the rotation and post regularly with his veteran durability that allowed him to succeed across parts of five seasons in his first stint with the Red Sox.”
Eovaldi, 34, has only gotten better with age. He made his first two All-Star teams in 2021 and 2023 with the Red Sox and Rangers, respectively, and has a 45-27 record with a 3.75 ERA since the start of the 2020 season.
In the postseason, Eovaldi is a different animal. Red Sox fans will never forget his heroic six-inning relief effort in extra innings of the 2018 World Series, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The fiery righty has a 9-3 record with a 3.05 ERA in 17 career playoff appearances.
Eovaldi is a proven winner, and he already has an existing rapport with the Red Sox. If contract projections are accurate (two years, $42 million with a club option, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic), Boston shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
