Angels lose out on Nathan Eovaldi to division rival Rangers

The Los Angeles Angels need another starting pitcher to round out what should be a very good rotation. The best pitcher remaining on the open market was Nathan Eovaldi. The Halos were linked by plenty of reporters to this right-hander but he signed a deal with the Texas Rangers.

This is unfortunate for the Angels as the Rangers continue to get better. They've added Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, and now Eovaldi to a rotation that was once lackluster. Texas is much improved and will be in postseason contention along with the Angels and two other AL West teams.

Nathan Eovaldi signs a two-year $34 million dollar deal with a third-year option with division rival Rangers

Eovaldi comes with a ton of risk. He's had just two 30+ start seasons in his 11-year career. He's dealt with injuries throughout his career and for that reason, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of bringing him in.

With that being said, if he is healthy, he's a really solid pitcher. He can go deep in games, has good stuff, and gives his team a chance to win mostly every time out. In 2021 he was able to remain healthy and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting.

The Rangers only guaranteeing two years to Eovaldi is a tough pill to swallow. If I were Perry Minasian and the Angels I probably would've matched the deal, but they likely wanted to keep the draft pick and international money, especially after losing it already to sign Tyler Anderson. I can't blame him for that. It's also very possible that the Houston, Texas native wanted to play for a team in his home state.

The Angels have other options to pivot to like Corey Kluber, Johnny Cueto, or maybe even a Chris Sale trade.

Losing Eovaldi is not the end of the world but watching him go to a division rival who's also competing for a potential playoff berth on a contract that isn't crazy is annoying.

The Angels have been saying they want to add another starter. Let's hope that is the case.