Nate Eovaldi staying put in Texas, rewarded after opt-out with new three-year, $75 million agreement

DALLAS — The Rangers have accomplished one of their primary offseason goals with a deal to re-sign Nate Eovaldi, the winning pitcher in their 2023 World Series clincher.

Texas has agreed on a $75 million, three-year contract with the righthander, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical.

Eovaldi became a free agent Nov. 4 after declining a vested $20 million player option for the 2025 season. The Rangers had expected that move, but said one of their priorities was to re-sign the Texas native who will turn 35 in February.

The two-time All-Star got a $2 million buyout from that option, which was earned by throwing more than 300 innings over his two years with the Rangers after joining them in free agency following 4½ seasons with the Red Sox.

His new deal came at the winter meetings on the same day Max Fried agreed with the Yankees on a $218 million, eight-year contract, the largest ever for a lefthander. Those moves leave 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star Corbin Burnes as the top pitcher still available on the free agent market. The righthander went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts for the Orioles this year, his only season in Baltimore.

Eovaldi will stay in the Texas rotation with two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who made three starts at the end of last season after missing nearly 17 months following right elbow surgery. The Rangers won all six of deGrom’s starts at the beginning of the 2023 season before he got hurt that April.

Texas acquired Eovaldi and deGrom in free agency before the 2023 season. Eovaldi’s two-year deal then was for $34 million, with $16 million salaries each season, plus the buyout. That was after deGrom, now 36, signed for $185 million over five years.

When the Rangers made the run to their first World Series title in 2023, Eovaldi was 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six postseason starts. He was the winning pitcher in their World Series-clinching Game 5 at Arizona.

Eovaldi went 24-13 with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts over the past two seasons, and had 298 strikeouts in 314⅔ innings. He was 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts this year. He threw seven scoreless innings at the Angels to win the season finale for the Rangers, who finished 78-84 and missed the playoffs.

Texas is the sixth big league team for Eovaldi, who is 91-81 with a 4.07 ERA in 294 career games (275 starts) since his debut in 2011 with the Dodgers. Besides the Red Sox, he also has pitched for Miami, the Yankees, and Tampa Bay.