Nathan Eovaldi Declines $20M Rangers Contract Option; Texas Interested in New Deal

Zach BacharContributor INovember 4, 2024

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi declined his $20 million player option for the 2025 season on Monday, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.

Per Grant, Rangers general manager Chris Young says the team still has “great interest” in retaining Eovaldi.

The 34-year-old joined Texas as a free agent in Dec. 2022, signing a two-year contract worth $34 million along with the vested player option. He made the second All-Star appearance of his career in 2023 with the Rangers.

In two seasons with the Rangers, Eovaldi finished with a 24-13 record to go along with a 3.72 ERA. He recorded 298 strikeouts compared to 89 walks in 314.2 innings on the mound.

Eovaldi played a crucial role in the Rangers’ 2023 World Series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, throwing six scoreless innings during a 5-0 win in Game 5 that allowed Texas to close out the series.

Young hasn’t been shy about his interest in retaining the veteran, listing him alongside impending free agent Andrew Heaney as offseason priorities on Oct. 1.

“As far as Evo and Andrew go, those are priorities for us,” Young said, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. “We love those guys. They helped us win a World Series. We would love to bring those guys back, and we’re going to explore every way we can to make that happen.”

With both of Eovaldi’s All-Star appearances occurring within the past four seasons as well as his recent postseason success, there shouldn’t a a shortage of potentially interested teams in free agency.

MLB.com’s John Denton reported that the St. Louis Cardinals targeted the right-hander at the trade deadline. The Cardinals may be interested in him once again as a free agent.

After declining his 2025 option on Monday, Eovaldi could experience a change of scenery despite the Rangers’ desire for a return.