The New York Yankees are reportedly interested in signing Carlos Rodon, but if they fail to land him, they may take a former Red Sox ace off the market.
The Yankees and Carlos Rodon reportedly have mutual interest in one another, making it seem likely that they’ll land him. After all, the Yanks are among the wealthiest teams in the league and even after such a large signing of Aaron Judge, they could dish out a good deal to him.
However, as is the case in free agency, there’s still the chance that they won’t end up signing him. In that case, they’re reportedly considering Nathan Eovaldi as a backup plan, which could definitely be a pain point for the Red Sox.
The Red Sox are already struggling to stay afloat. They don’t have a solid rotation, and while there was room for improvement with Eovaldi, he was one of the better pitchers in the rotation and Boston would be worse off without him.
It’s unclear exactly what Boston is doing this offseason, and there’s no indication that they’d replace him if he gets signed elsewhere.
Red Sox may not have a backup plan for Nathan Eovaldi
The Yankees certainly need improvements to their rotation, so it’s no surprise that they’re setting up backup plans in the event that their first target doesn’t work out. Eovaldi isn’t the best, but he’s also not a bad option for what’s left on the market as stars Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander were both signed very quickly.
Eovaldi was also a Yankees player before joining the Red Sox. He played for New York in 2015 and 2016, then joined the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 before being traded to the Red Sox. He hasn’t been very consistent, but he’s capable of getting hot and the Yanks need the depth.
Over the course of the 2022 season, Eovaldi had an ERA of 3.87, batting average against of .264 and WHIP of 1.23. He wouldn’t be their best pitcher, but he’d be a good upgrade to the rotation overall.
The Red Sox, however, would be at a noticeable loss without him around, and it’s unclear whether or not they’re even trying to keep him to begin with. If not, hopefully they have a plan to improve the hole his absence will leave.