Angels rumors: Nathan Eovaldi's market is heating up

The Los Angeles Angels still have an opening in their rotation and the latest Angels rumors seem to be suggesting that they are very interested in Red Sox free-agent Nathan Eovaldi. Rob Bradford of WEEI is reporting that Eovaldi's market is heating up, and the Angels are one of the teams very interested.

Bradford says that according to multiple league sources, the Angels, Padres, and one other club that is believed to be from the AL East are the teams interested. He says the Red Sox are not one of the teams believed to be the favorites for the veteran right-hander.

Should the Angels sign Nathan Eovaldi?

I've been pretty clear with my stance on Eovaldi to the Angels. I don't like the fit. I think he will be expensive and hasn't shown to be worth what he's going to get.

Nathan Eovaldi is by far the best pitcher left on the open market. After him, the next best options include guys like Michael Wacha, Johnny Cueto, Wade Miley, and Rich Hill who the Angels have reportedly been interested in.

Despite offering the most upside, Eovaldi has proven that he can't be relied upon to stay on the field. He's made 30+ starts just twice in his 11-year career. He's crossed the 120-inning mark just four times. He will be 33 on Opening Day. Should I really trust him to give the Angels 25-28 starts as he ages? Last season alone he had two separate stints on the injured list that caused him to miss over a month each time.

If Eovaldi ends up getting the three-year deal I expect him to get, that could end up aging very poorly. Not only will it be a lot in terms of the money he's going to get, but Eovaldi has the Qualifying Offer attached to him as well. The Angels already signed Tyler Anderson who had the QO so they gave up a pick and international money. They'd have to give up another pick and more international money for Eovaldi.

I see the intrigue here. When healthy, he's a good pitcher! In 2021 he went 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA in 32 starts and 182.1 innings pitched. He had a 2.79 FIP, walked just 1.7/9, and struck out 9.6/9. He was an all-star, a leader for the Red Sox staff that made it to the ALCS, and he even finished fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting and 15th in the AL MVP balloting.

It's good to see Angels rumors surrounding an established pitcher, he just hasn't done it enough to warrant the deal he's going to get. If Arte Moreno is willing to go into the tax to get this done, I have no problem with it. If this deal ruins the chances of the Angels landing another high-leverage arm for the bullpen and potentially a shortstop, I don't like it.