Xander Bogaerts discusses his decision to sign with the San Diego Padres as a free agent and compares the team favorably to the 2018 Red Sox team that won the World Series.
The Boston Red Sox do not have a great starting rotation and need to add at least one more top-tier pitcher to be a real threat for the American League East title during the 2023 MLB season.
This task will become much more difficult if Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi leaves in free agency. Seeing him depart to an AL East rival would hurt the Red Sox even more.
The Toronto Blue Jays "have some degree of interest" in Eovaldi, along with free agent pitcher Carlos Rodon and others, per Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
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SIGN UP HERE Report: Red Sox showing less interest in Eovaldi than other teams
Eovaldi was one of Boston's top pitchers in 2022. He started 20 games with a 6-3 record, a 3.87 ERA, 103 strikeouts and 20 walks over 109 1/3 innings. The Red Sox acquired Eovaldi in 2018 and he's posted a 26-18 record with a 4.05 ERA in 96 appearances (84 starts).
Losing him in free agency would weaken an already thin rotation.
Chris Sale is still a quality pitcher when healthy, but staying off the injured list for a long period of time has proven challenging for the veteran left-hander. Michael Wacha went 11-2 with a 3.87 ERA last season, but he's also a free agent and might not return. Nick Pivetta had a nice 2022 season, but he's not a true No. 1 or No. 2 starter on a contender.
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Red Sox starting pitchers ranked 11th out of the 15 AL teams in ERA (4.49), 10th in innings pitched (807 2/3), 12th in hits allowed (834), 11th in runs allowed (431), 9th in strikeouts (719) and 13th in batting average against (.265) in 2022.
Pitching is the most important ingredient in making a World Series winner, and the Red Sox are sorely lacking in this department right now. The Red Sox shouldn't massively overpay to retain Eovaldi, but losing him to a division rival a couple weeks into free agency would hurt quite a bit.
