White Sox among a whole bunch of teams reportedly interested in Nathan Eovaldi

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The White Sox have already been linked to the two biggest names on this winter’s free-agent market, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. And now they’ve been mentioned as one of a host of teams interested in one of the top free-agent starting pitchers, as well.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo listed the White Sox as one of the “early suitors” for Nathan Eovaldi. But they’re not at all alone, with Cafardo including the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants as other members of that group.

That’s a lot of competition.

It’s not terribly surprising to hear the White Sox have apparent interest in Eovaldi, as they’ve publicly stated starting pitching as a team need they’ll be addressing this offseason. They have two holes in their 2019 starting rotation thanks to Michael Kopech’s recovery from Tommy John surgery and James Shields’ departure. One way or another, the White Sox will have to fill those holes, though their financial flexibility gives them the option of going with a couple one-year fill-ins and waiting for their young arms to fill out the group in 2020, or adding someone for both the short and long terms.

Eovaldi would fall into the latter category after his breakout second half and postseason with the Red Sox, who acquired him in a midseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. After coming to Boston, Eovaldi posted a 3.33 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 54 innings. In the playoffs, he allowed only four earned runs over six appearances totaling 22.1 innings. That postseason run was highlighted by his six innings of one-run ball in the marathon Game 3 of the World Series.

All that success in a Red Sox uniform will likely get him a nice payday this winter, and perhaps that success is why, as Cafardo reported, Eovaldi “would love to stay in Boston.”

But it is worth noting that Eovaldi’s numbers prior to last summer’s trade were not nearly as wonderful. Before he missed the 2017 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, he turned in a 4.42 ERA in 84 appearances, 81 of those starts, from 2014 to 2016 with the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees. His 8.2 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 were good showings in 2018, but during that three-season stretch, those numbers were 6.8 and 2.5, respectively.

With Eovaldi coming off a career season, however — a season that saw him throw harder than he has at any other point in his career, a Tommy John success story — it’s no shock that interest in high around the league. As is the case with any top free agent, the rebuilding White Sox would likely have to get Eovaldi to buy into planned long-term success versus the ability to win multiple championships right now.

But they’re apparently interested, another potential example of their seeming willingness to land a big fish this offseason.

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