The Red Sox dished out the paper to Nathan Eovaldi
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Should we cue the duckboats once again, or should be be a little cynical of the move?
That is the question Red Sox fans should think about when reacting to the Nathan Eovaldi news. It seemed like everyone in Red Sox nation was super pumped up that the team got the back and to a degree, I don't blame them. The guy did some tremendous things during the postseason, really showed he was a team player and that he wanted to win.
That's all well and good and he had a key role in them winning the World Series, but what about this contract they just gave him? Part of me is glad he is back, but another part is a little worried about the deal he got. Let's break it down.
So Eovaldi got a four year deal worth $68 million--which is essentially $17 million per season. Starting pitchers cost a lot of money these days, so that's not even that expensive for a big league veteran, considering what other guys like Rick Porcello and David Price cost.
However, Eovaldi's track record outside of his stint with Boston is unimpressive to say the least. He has pitched in the big leagues since 2011 and has only made it through a full season as a starter once (2014 with the Miami Marlins). He has never pitched 200 innings in a season in his big league career (sorry, I'm not counting the 199.2 he threw for the Marlins in 2014) and only has one other season out of seven where he threw more than 150. Keep in mind, he's not really a reliever either--just injury prone.
And his career ERA being 4.16 does not impress me either--even if he did have a 3.81 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) this past regular season.
We shall see how it works out in the long run but for now, this Red Sox rotation and depth are excellent.