Two-time All-Star starter Nathan Eovaldi became a free agent Monday after declining a vested $20 million player option for next season with the Texas Rangers. Eovaldi will get a $2 million buyout from that option earned by throwing more than 300 innings over his two years with the Rangers after joining them in free agency. He was the winning pitcher in their World Series-clinching game at Arizona in 2023, when he was 5-0 with a 2.
95 ERA in six postseason starts. He was also part of Boston's 2018 title. The Rangers had expected Eovaldi to decline the option, but would still like to re-sign the 34-year-old right-hander and Texas native.
“We still have great interest in bringing him back,” said Chris Young, the team's president of baseball operations. “We’re still going to work towards hopefully getting him back in the Rangers uniform.” Texas declined a $6.
5 million team option for Andrew Chafin, a left-handed reliever acquired from Detroit in a deadline trade. Chafin got a $500,000 buyout and became a free agent after 62 combined appearances in 2024 that triggered $625,000 in bonuses on top of his $4.75 million salary, plus a $250,000 assignment bonus for the trade.
Eovaldi was 24-13 with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts the past two seasons, and had 298 strikeouts over 314 2/3 innings. He was 12-8 with a 3.
80 ERA in 29 starts this year. He threw seven scoreless innings at the Los Angeles Angels to win the season finale for the Rangers, who finished 78-84 and missed the playof.
