Former GM predicts Rangers’ team-friendly reunion with Nathan Eovaldi

It's only November, but the stove is already piping hot.

While it is not entirely clear what Chris Young and the Texas Rangers' front office will do this offseason, one early prediction has them re-signing a valuable starting pitcher who has proven he can step up and perform under the bright lights of October.

Former general manager and contributor to The Athletic, Jim Bowden, recently predicted that two-time World Series champion Nathan Eovaldi will re-sign with the Texas Rangers this winter on a $42 million deal.

The prediction comes amidst what will be an intriguing few months for Eovaldi. He will likely opt to test the market. The Houston native will have a number of suitors waiting to make him an enticing offer. He holds a career Postseason ERA of 3.05 and recorded a 12-8 record along with a 3.80 ERA across 29 starts in 2024.

Young had mentioned that re-signing either Eovaldi or Andrew Heaney would be priorities for Texas this winter. Bowden's prediction would match this approach and help the Rangers maintain a top-flight starter.

Former GM predicts Rangers’ team-friendly reunion with Nathan Eovaldi

“We can't have enough pitching,” Young said in October.“That's the theme. As far as Evo and Andrew go, those are priorities for us. 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.”

It is also worth mentioning that the Rangers are attempting to remain under the luxury threshold this offseason. Essentially, they will try to sign Eovaldi for the best possible price. One could argue that they may be willing to go out of their comfort zone to keep the righty in Arlington, but that is not a guarantee given they expect Jacob deGrom to be himself in 2025.

Bowden's proposed deal could be considered team-friendly. Even though Eovaldi will turn 35 in February, there will surely be teams who will toy with the idea of "overpaying" for a player with his experience and ability to consistently eat innings. This would be a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

At his best, Eovaldi is the kind of pitcher who can headline a rotation, but his market may depend on what teams like the Rangers believe he would be at his worst.