Red Sox reward Eovaldi with $68M deal
BOSTON — Nathan Eovaldi’s marathon relief performance in Game 3 of the World Series is a moment that will resonate in Red Sox history.
Boston rewarded him with a four-year, $68 million contract.
“We’re very happy to have Nathan back with us,” Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement as the deal was announced Thursday. “He did a tremendous job for us last season, playing a significant role in helping us win the division and the World Series. His performance in the postseason was outstanding, both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever.”
Eovaldi, a 28-year-old righthander from Alvin who has had a pair of Tommy John surgeries, was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25. He went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA down the stretch. He made four starts against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA, and beat the New York in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, when he gave up one run in seven innings.
In six postseason appearances, including two starts, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA, a .185 opponent’s batting average, 16 strikeouts, and three walks Eovaldi pitched one inning of relief in each of the first two games of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He entered Game 3 in the 12th inning and threw 97 pitches over six-plus innings, preventing the bullpen from enduring additional stress.
Boston lost the game when Eovaldi surrendered an 18th-inning home run to Max Muncy, but his performance inspired his teammates. Manager Alex Cora credited Eovaldi’s effort with being one of the catalysts that helped Boston win its fourth World Series title in 15 years.
At the premiere of the Red Sox’s 2018 season highlight video, Eovaldi got the biggest cheers when his name was mentioned, with the crowd chanting “Bring him back!”
In other MLB news:
• The Cleveland Indians signed righthanded starter Carlos Carrasco toa four-year contract extension through the 2022 season. Carrasco’s deal includes a club option for 2023. Financial terms were not immediately available. Carrasco went 17-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 starts last season for the AL Central champions. He finished with a careerhigh 231 strikeouts as the Indians became the first team to have four pitchers reach 200 strikeouts in the same season. Carrasco is 79-62 with a 3.71 ERA in 207 career games. The Indians acquired him from Philadelphia in the July 2009 blockbuster that involved ace Cliff Lee. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract. Schoop’s deal would allow him to earn a $100,000 performance bonus for reaching 600 plate appearances, plus additional award bonuses. He was an AllStar with Baltimore in 2017 when he hit .293 with 32 home runs with 105 RBIs, all career highs. Schoop was traded to Milwaukee last summer right before the nonwaiver deadline and became a free agent last week, when the Brewers declined to offer him a 2019 contract rather than allow him to be eligible for salary arbitration. Schoop made $8.5 million in 2018.
The Philadelphia Phillies acquired lefthanded pitcher Jose Alvarez from the Los Angeles Angels for righthander Luis Garcia. Alvarez was 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA and one save in 76 appearances in 2018, striking out 59 in 63 innings. Garcia went 3-1 with a 6.07 ERA in 59 games last season after posting a career-best 2.65 ERA in 711⁄3 innings in 2017.
• Closer Brandon Morrow likely will miss the start of the season for the Chicago Cubs after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last month. Morrow led Chicago with 22 saves and had a 1.47 ERA in 35 games after signing a two-year, $21 million contract as a free agent. His final appearance was July 15, with the Cubs ultimately shutting him down because of a bone bruise in his right elbow.