San Francisco Giants Rumors: Starting Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi

Coming off an incredible run in the 2018 MLB Postseason, Nathan Eovaldi is getting a lot of interest, even from the San Francisco Giants.

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Giants are one of the early suitors for starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Would it be wise for the Giants to make a push for him?

Nathan Eovaldi was nothing short of impressive in the 2018 postseason for the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. He posted a 1.61 ERA over 22.1 innings, helping his team win its fourth title since 2004.

Other than that, he has bounced around a lot from team to team and has a history with injury. Is this really the sort of guy the Giants should take a shot at?

He has never pitched 200 innings in a season, although he got as close as you can get in 2014 tallying 199.2. His career ERA of 4.16 does not inspire much confidence either.

Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports raises the point that new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has a history of signing oft-injured pitchers in the form of Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, and Rich Hill.

Just because Eovaldi seems like the kind of guy Zaidi would go after does not mean he is the kind of guy the Giants should be going after.

There’s no doubt his stellar performance in the postseason raised his stock quite a bit. After seeing him mow down Dodger hitters in the World Series, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him do the same dressed in orange and black.

However, the Giants, and other teams for that matter, should be swayed less by recent success and more by long-term mediocrity.

There certainly are reasons that the Giants would want to sign a starting pitcher in free agency. With Johnny Cueto out for most, more likely all, of 2019, with Jeff Samardzija being Jeff Samardzija, and with rookies who might still be getting their footing in their sophomore seasons, not to mention the uncertain future of Madison Bumgarner, the starting rotation is anything but solid.

But in my opinion, Eovaldi is not the man the Giants should pursue. They should not be fooled by his recent success and should instead take into account his injury history and lack of sustained success, opting for options with fewer risks.

Don’t be surprised though if the Giants feel they’re desperate enough, in an attempt to compete in 2019, to go hard after Eovaldi or someone like him to try to bolster the rotation.