returned to free agency when he declined a $20MM player option with the Rangers. Reports quickly tied him to the Braves, but Atlanta is one of a number of teams involved JaKarr Sampson Jersey . Rob Bradford of WEEI that Eovaldis camp has heard from roughly a dozen teams, the Red Sox among them. Eovaldi spent five seasons with the Sox, totaling 461 2/3 innings of 4.05 ERA ball. He had a fantastic postseason in 2018 to help Boston win the World Series. Eovaldi returned on a $68MM free agent deal on the heels of the championship. He generally lived up to the contract, most notably finishing fourth in AL Cy Young balloting in 2021. Eovaldi departed after the 22 season, declining a qualifying offer before accepting a two-year, $34MM guarantee with the Rangers. That positioned the righty to win a second ring. Eovaldi made 25 starts with a 3.63 ERA as Texas won the World Series in 2023. The Rangers disappointed this year, though that wasnt any fault of his. Eovaldi fired 170 2/3 innings acro s 29 starts, working to a 3.80 earned run average with solid peripherals. He punched out nearly 24% of batters faced while i suing free pa ses at just a 6% rate. His fastball still checked in around 95-96 MPH on average, while he picked up swinging strikes on an excellent 13% of his pitches. There arent many better free agent starting pitchers in the short term. Eovaldi turns 35 in February. Hell be limited to two or at most three years, but hes well positioned to cash in on annual basis. The previous qualifying offer made him ineligible for one this time around. Theres no draft compensation weighing down his market. Eovaldi should land behind and , both of whom are two years younger, among high-AAV starters available for relatively short terms. Boston probably has some level of interest in all the top starters. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke at the GM Meetings about the need to raise the ceiling in the rotation. Boston has solid depth with , , , a returning , and the likes of and . Theyre awaiting word from on the $21.05MM qualifying offer, though hes seemingly the QO as he looks for multiple years. The Sox are among the most obvious fits for the , and tier in free agency. Bradford suggests that the true top-of-the-market arms remain the Soxs biggest focus, but Eovaldi represents one of the biggest available upgrades among the middle tier of free agents. Brian Bowen Jersey