Red Sox Rumors: Boston Nearly Reunited With Postseason Hero

The Red Sox looked into a variety of possibilities for improving their pitching staff this offseason, including the idea of bringing back an old friend.

Nathan Eovaldi reportedly drew interest from Boston when he hit MLB free agency after the 2024 season. The potential pairing made plenty of sense, as the Red Sox were in dire need of a reliable starting pitcher and Eovaldi was very familiar with the organization via his four-plus years in Boston before joining Texas.

The right-hander ultimately decided to stay with the Rangers by way of a three-year, $75 million contract, but that wasn’t due to a lack of external interest. According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, there were “six legit suitors” for Eovaldi including the Red Sox, who were the runner-up in the race to sign the fireballer.

Although Boston missed out on Eovaldi, it still was able to substantially improve its rotation over the winter. The Red Sox signed fellow postseason stud Walker Buehler and made a blockbuster trade for Garrett Crochet, who will be opposite Eovaldi on Thursday when the Red Sox and the Rangers meet for an Opening Day clash at Globe Life Field.

NESN’s complete coverage of the Crochet-Eovaldi duel will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.