Nathan Eovaldi is one of the hottest names on the free agency market. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Braves now join the list of suitors for Eovaldi, which includes the Brewers, Phillies, Angels, Red Sox, White Sox, Blue Jays, Padres, and Giants.
The long list should come as no surprise. Eovaldi is coming off a legendary postseason after the Red Sox swung a deal for him at the deadline. Now, he is seen as a valuable asset to many teams, and his market is indicative of that. He also is likely the best pitcher on the open market that was not issued a qualifying offer.
However, Eovaldi does not come without risk. The number of suitors is likely to increase his price tag above $15 million annually. Prior to this postseason performance. Eovaldi has always been a solid starting pitcher, but not a great one. Paying him like he is a number 1 pitcher would be a huge mistake. He has also already undergone two Tommy John Surgeries.
There is no doubt Eovaldi could help any team, and he proved this in October. However, the team that likely signs Eovaldi will be heavily overpaying. This does not sound like the way the Braves do things, but time will tell. Considering they have a full rotation on paper as of today and riches of pitching prospects, bringing in another arm is useless unless it is an ace talent.