LA Angels In the Mix for Nathan Eovaldi

Per reports Sunday morning, the LA Angels are one of nine teams in the mix for Boston Red Sox RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who made a big name for himself in the 2018 playoffs.

For the LA Angels, this report makes sense. Pitching is the one thing Billy Eppler has been very vocal about all offseason, and Eovaldi is one of the best on the market in terms of starting pitchers available.

While Eovaldi does have injury concerns (two Tommy John surgeries), he has been relatively healthy since his second operation. And even with those worries, the

pros still far outweigh the cons.

Over the course of the 2018 season, Eovaldi was solid with a 3.81 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) for the Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. He was absolutely dominant in terms of strikeout and walk rates, and is arguably the best right-handed pitcher on the

market.

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While his 2018 season proved Eovaldi’s worth, it was obviously his run in the playoffs that made him a big time name in free agency. He made six appearances, two of them being starts, and dominated every team he faced.

Outside of the Red Sox, the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers were arguably the three other best teams and offenses in baseball. The Yankees saw Eovaldi go seven innings while only giving up a single run. Against the defending champion Astros Eovaldi pitched twice, throwing six innings of two run baseball and then shutting them out for 1.1 innings in the decisive Game Five.

Nathn Eovaldi saved his best work for the end though, and he made a strong case to be World Series MVP if not for one unfortunate pitch. He went into the series slated to start Game 4 for the Red Sox. Instead, he threw a perfect inning in Game 1. Then another one-two-three inning the next night.

Then, in a Game 3 that went 18 innings, Eovaldi pitched six innings of relief so beautifully, that it led teammate and Game 3 starter Rick Porcello to tears. While he did give up the game-winning run for the Dodgers that night, one bad pitch out of the 126 he threw in the World Series is not a bad mark.

Oh, by the way, after his Game 3 performance, he told Red Sox manager Alex Cora he wanted to pitch in Game 4.

The Angels have a lot of competitors for Eovaldi’s services. He has stated he hopes to stay in Boston, but money talks. And Billy Eppler should be waving a large amount of dollars at Eovaldi and his agent.