Red Sox jump into trade market with Nathan Eovaldi deal
The Red Sox were never going to sit idly by and watch the Yankees make moves unanswered. Boston has answered New York with a move for Nathan Eovaldi.
The Yankees fired a salvo at the Red Sox when they moved for Zach Britton, and Boston has answered the call this morning. The Red Sox have acquired Tampa Bay starter Nathan Eovaldi in exchange for minor league prospect Jalen Beeks.
Truthfully it’s a pretty minor price for the Red Sox to pay. Beeks is an intriguing young arm, but he’s only their No. 15 prospect per MLB.com. The southpaw is relatively close to making it to the majors, but doesn’t project as anything more than a slightly above average reliever. In this market, giving that kind of prospect up for an adequate starting pitcher is an excellent deal.
Ultimately, the Red Sox would like to use Eovaldi to replace Drew Pomeranz in the starting rotation. That won’t happen until Eduardo Rodriguez returns from the DL, but it’s an inevitable transition. Eovaldi is pitching with a 4.26 ERA this season compared to Pomeranz’s ugly mark of 6.91. The former Rays and Yankees hurler is a clear upgrade in the short-term.
OFFICIAL TRADE: #RedSox acquire Nathan Eovaldi from #Rays for LHP Jalen Beeks. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 25, 2018
The reason the Red Sox were able to acquire Eovaldi so cheaply is because he’s likely going to be a rental. He only signed a one-year agreement with Tampa Bay in the offseason so he’ll hit unrestricted free agency this winter. Boston could try to bring him back on a long-term deal, but they’ll be forced to outbid the competition. Chances are he’ll be up for a significant salary increase over the $2 million he is making this season.
Part of the Red Sox motivation might be to keep Eovaldi away from moving back to the Yankees. He is one of a number of arms Brian Cashman has had his eye on this week. Acquiring Eovaldi allows Boston to boost their own rotation and prevent their biggest rivals from improving theirs.
Next: Red Sox star may be out for the season
Perhaps more importantly, Eovaldi is the first quality starting pitcher to move this week. In some ways, this transaction might set the market for the rest of MLB. If so, teams who want to move starting pitchers are going to be forced to drop their massive demands. Time will tell if this deal is an outlier or the normal for this week. No matter how you slice it, it’s a good deal for the Red Sox.