Blue Jays Linked to Former Division Rival
Another day, another pitcher of interest for the Blue Jays.
A day after the front office is said to have had in-person with Corbin Burnes, reports claim that the team is showing interest in Nathan Eovaldi.
Much like Burnes, The Blue Jays are very familiar with Eovaldi having faced him several during his stints with the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.
The right-hander went 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA and 1.107 WHIP in 29 starts for the Texas Rangers last year.
Eovaldi could be a better fit for the Blue Jays for a couple reasons.
The first is quite simply money. While Eovaldi is no slouch and is himself a two-time All-Star, he is simply not going to command the same type of contract that a former Cy Young winner will.
2nd, he completes the rotation nicely. With the expiring contracts of Chris Bassitt this year and Kevin Gausman in 2026, Eovaldi would be a nice transitional anchor (especially if Berrios chooses to opt out as well).
Burnes is a power pitcher, with six different pitches in his repertoire. In this way he is similar to both Bassitt and Gausman.
While Eovaldi's biggest weapon is his fastball, he has never a huge strikeout pitcher. Instead, he generates weak contact through quality use of his secondary pitches.
This kind of combination would be an ideal fit for the Blue Jays rotation.
While Bassitt and Gausman both had down years, Berrios bounced and with the emergence of Bowden Francis, there is hope for the front line pitching staff.
The Blue Jays don't necessarily need to spend big money on an elite ace. What they do need is a midline starter, somewhere between number two and four in rotation, to serve as a balancing act between the old and the new. Eovaldi might just fit the bill.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 7 | 206 ANSWERS Blue Jays Linked to Former Division Rival Who would be a better signing for the Jays? | ||
| Nathan Eovaldi | 32 | 15.5 % |
| Corbin Burnes | 174 | 84.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
