Hurt Eovaldi near deal with Tampa
YANKEES GM Brian Cashman knew there would be competition from other clubs in his efforts to bring back Nathan Eovaldi. He was right. Eovaldi is close to signing a major league deal with the Rays, which includes a 2018 option, the Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday.
Eovaldi, who turns 27 on Monday, will not pitch in 2017 because he’s recovering from Tommy John Surgery, which he underwent in August.
The Yankees elected to nontender Eovaldi at season’s end, but were hopeful he’d come back and rehab with them at a lower wage.
“We’ve had discussions with Nathan Eovaldi about trying to find a solution that works for both sides,” Cashman had said. “But he’s still a free agent and there’s competition for him. Other than the injury, you couldn’t say enough about him. His makeup is off the charts. His work ethic was off the charts. He was a performer for us, but unfortunately, injuries hit. He’s weighing a lot of different decisions. I’ve talked to his agent Seth Levinson several times regarding him.”
Eovaldi, a hard-throwing righthander, went 14-3 with a 4.20 ERA (3.42 FIP) in 2015 after being acquired by the Yankees in a trade with the Marlins. But his numbers dropped last season (9-8, 4.76 ERA, 4.97 FIP), and he was briefly demoted from the rotation into a bullpen role in July.
The player the Yankees dealt for Eovaldi, Martin Prado, has produced a solid .297/.349/.406 batting line in two seasons with Miami. The Yankees head into spring training with a five-man competition for the final two spots in their rotation, including Luis Severino, Luis Cessa, Bryan Mitchell, Chad Green and Adam Warren.
THE CHAPMAN RETURN: Aroldis Chapman, who re-signed with the Yankees on a five-year, $86 million deal, told reporters Saturday through a translator: “I always talked to my agent that my priority was to come back with the Yankees. I was surprised by how much the Marlins pushed to try to sign me, but my thoughts were always I want to come back to New York.”
Chapman was a part of the young Cubs team that won the World Series last season. The Yankees are similarly trying to get younger in hopes of eventually following suit. “I’ve seen a lot of teams do this. We just saw it happen with Chicago, and it’s something very impressive, that they’re following this youth movement,” he said. “I think this is going to be a very good team.”
ATL GETS PHILLIPS
The Atlanta Braves acquired three-time All-Star Brandon Phillips on Sunday from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for two pitchers. The Braves traded left-hander Andrew McKirahan and minor league right-hander Carlos Portuondo.
Braves GM John Coppolella called Phillips a “Gold Glovecaliber defender who will also deepen our offensive lineup.”
“We are thrilled to ‘welcome home’ Brandon to Atlanta, where he will play in front of his family and friends and many of his fans,” Coppolella said.
Phillips graduated from Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., in 1999, when he was drafted in the second round by the Montreal Expos.
—AP