Corey Kluber. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Red Sox have lost another key free agent with Nathan Eovaldi signing with the Rangers and now Boston needs alternatives to add to the rotation.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Boston Red Sox fan who’s happy with the way the offseason has transpired thus far, most notably with the team losing homegrown star shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the Padres and reportedly not even being close to keeping him. And now the hits keep on coming at 2018 World Series hero Nathan Eovaldi is leaving as well, signing with the Texas Rangers.
Though most people expected to lose Eovaldi in free agency, that doesn’t remove the entirety of the sting. More importantly, though, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox front office have promised to bring in starting pitching help and have failed to do so yet. As of right now, here’s what the rotation in Boston would look like, assuming that the club keeps Chris Sale and that the southpaw is healthy:
- LHP Chris Sale
- RHP Nick Pivetta
- RHP Garrett Whitlock
- RHP Tanner Houck
- RHP Brayan Bello
- LHP James Paxton
While there is upside with guys like Whitlock, Houck and Bello, that’s not a wholly reliable group, especially if Whitlock and Houck remain needed in the bullpen as they were in 2022. That means the club needs to be aggressive still in the starting pitcher market and replace Eovaldi. Here are three ways they can do that.
Red Sox rumors: 3 replacements for Nathan Eovaldi after losing SP to Rangers
3
Corey Kluber
SP Tampa Bay Rays
Corey Kluber and the Red Sox are mutually interested and would make sense
One of the options remaining on the free agency market for the Red Sox would be veteran Corey Kluber. A two-time Cy Young winner, Kluber had struggled to stay healthy prior to the past couple of seasons, but made 31 starts with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2022 season.
Set to be 37 years old soon after the 2023 campaign starts, Kluber would undoubtedly be a short-term option for Boston but he’s certainly one that’s attainable. There have been reports for more than a month that both the veteran righty and the club are interested in potentially striking a deal this offseason after the Sox have been after him for some time.
And really, it would make a ton of sense.
Kluber has overall been solid if unspectacular over the past two years in 47 combined starts with the Yankees and Rays, compiling a 4.17 ERA, 1.254 WHIP and below-average ERA+ of 92 over that span. The big issue this past season, though, was inconsistency as he posted a 3.05 ERA in March/April and a 2.54 mark in five June starts, but also had a 5.34 ERA in July.
Even still, the Red Sox have made some worthwhile dice rolls of late on injury-plagued veterans and Kluber has a better long-term pedigree than most. He wouldn’t need to be the ace in Boston, but he could provide valuable depth if they can bring him in.