Hours after news broke that Rich Hill had reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates, another veteran Red Sox starter left via free agency.
Veteran right-hander and Texas native Nathan Eovaldi agreed to a two-year contract with the Rangers that includes a vesting option for an additional season, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because the deal was not finalized and the club had not announced the move.
Eovaldi, who was born in Houston, has pitched for five teams over 11 big league seasons. He spent the past 4 1/2 seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He was 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 starts in 2022.
The agreement with Eovaldi comes after the Rangers signed two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob DeGrom to a $185 million, five-year deal this month.
Texas also signed Andrew Heaney to a $25 million, two-year contract in free agency, acquired Jake Odorizzi in a trade with Atlanta and retained All-Star left-hander Martin Perez with a $19.65 million qualifying offer. The Rangers signed right-hander Jon Gray to a $56 million, four-year deal last winter at the same time they added the half-billion dollar middle infield of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.
Eovaldi had interest in a reunion with the Red Sox but reports in recent days indicated that Boston had fallen behind in a race that included the Orioles, Angels, Padres and others.
Boston did not offer Eovaldi an extension during the season but did make attempts to bring him back shortly after the hot stove season began. In addition to issuing Eovaldi the one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer, the Red Sox also gave him a multiyear offer; Eovaldi declined both. The Red Sox will receive draft pick compensation — in the form of a fourth-round pick — now that Eovaldi is gone.
Eovaldi was originally acquired from the Rays in a trade at the 2018 trade deadline then emerged as one of Boston’s best starters down the stretch that season.
He posted a 3.33 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) during the regular season then logged a 1.61 ERA in six postseason games, including an iconic six-inning relief performance in Boston’s Game 3 loss in the World Series. After helping guide the Sox to a ring, Eovaldi re-signed with the club on a four-year, $68 million contract that ended in 2022.
All told, Eovaldi posted a 26-18 record and 4.05 ERA in 96 appearances (84 starts) over five seasons with the Red Sox. His best year came in 2021, when he finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting after finishing 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA in 32 starts. He was an All-Star that season as well.
The Red Sox would still like to add a starter or two to a rotation mix that is projected to include Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Chris Sale, James Paxton, Garrett Whitlock and, potentially, Tanner Houck. Michael Wacha remains a free agent.
PIRATES: Hill, who spent 2022 with the Red Sox, has agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pirates, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Hill, who will be 43 in March, had an effective season in Boston’s rotation, pitching to a 4.27 ERA and 3.92 FIP in 124 1/3 innings over 26 starts. The Milton native was especially effective down the stretch as he posted a 2.36 ERA with 30 strikeouts in his final five starts (26 2/3 innings).
Hill expressed interest in returning to the Red Sox in 2023 but drew interest elsewhere, including from the Orioles, Angels and Rangers. His $8 million salary represents a healthy raise from the $5 million he earned in 2022. In Pittsburgh, he’ll provide a veteran presence to a rebuilding team that has many young pitchers. He joins Roansy Contreras, Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker and recently signed righty Vince Velasquez in Pittsburgh’s rotation mix.
Hill previously said he was considering all options for 2023, including retirement or the possibility of staying home with his family for the first half of the season before signing with a contender near the trade deadline. Instead, it appears he chose to sign a good deal with a rebuilding team that might flip him to a contender in advance of the July 31 trade deadline.
When Hill appears in a game for the Pirates, it will be his 12th major league team. He has previously pitched for the Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox, Cleveland, Angels, Yankees, Athletics, Dodgers, Twins, Rays and Mets. Parts of five of his 18 seasons have been spent in Boston.
METS: The New York Mets re-signed reliever Adam Ottavino to a two-year contract, bringing back a top setup man for All-Star closer Edwin Diaz.
Ottavino’s deal includes a player option for 2024. He became a free agent after going 6-3 with a 2.06 ERA and three saves in 66 appearances last season, his first with his hometown Mets.
The 37-year-old right-hander, who grew up in Brooklyn, tied for seventh in the National League with 19 holds and held right-handed hitters to a .161 batting average. Using his sweeping slider, he finished with 79 strikeouts and 16 walks in 65 2/3 innings to help the Mets reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Ottavino joins veteran right-hander David Robertson and lefty Brooks Raley in the back of a Mets bullpen anchored by Diaz.
Robertson agreed to a $10 million, one-year contract, Raley was acquired from Tampa Bay in a trade and Diaz was re-signed to a $102 million, five-year deal. Right-hander Drew Smith also returns.
Ottavino is 38-34 with a 3.44 ERA and 33 saves in 12 major league seasons with the Cardinals, Rockies, Yankees, Red Sox and Mets.
In a corresponding move, right-hander William Woods was designated for assignment by New York.
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