Orioles surprisingly urged to sign $49 million veteran over Braves superstar Max Fried
Orioles surprisingly urged to sign $49 million veteran over Braves superstar Max Fried
Following an 83-79 finish, the Cubs are nowhere near where they expect to be as an organization. They’ve tried to field playoff-caliber teams in each of the past two seasons, but the talent hasn’t quite performed at playoff levels.
Now, the Cubs could go in several different directions to improve, and starting pitching is among them. Because Chicago is a big market, Atlanta Braves superstar Max Fried has been floated as a strong candidate to join the Cubs rotation in 2025.
However, a cheaper alternative to Fried has emerged in the mind of one Cubs writer. Christopher Kline of FanSided named Texas Rangers veteran Nathan Eovaldi as a preferable option to Fried for Chicago this winter.
“For Eovaldi, the goal this winter will be to lock up at least a couple years of guaranteed money in excess of $20 million. So, not cheap necessarily, but also less of a commitment than Fried,” Kline said.
“Fried has become somewhat infamous for his postseason flameouts, including a rough outing against the Padres earlier this month. Eovaldi, on the other hand, pitched an absolute gem in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series. He has pitched on that stage a couple times now (with Boston in 2018 and Texas in 2023), and on balance the results have been positive.”
This season wasn’t Eovaldi’s finest, but he still logged 170 2/3 innings to the tune of a 3.80 ERA. He’s made 106 starts since the start of 2021, so he’s proving to be more durable in his 30s than he was as a young fireballer floating around several teams.
Eovaldi will turn 35 in February, so if the Cubs are looking for a long-term ace, Fried is clearly the better solution. But there’s a case to be made that the Cubs should only be concerned about 2025, given their failure to make the playoffs in any season since 2020.
If that’s the case, Eovaldi could well prove to be the better asset in the 2025 playoffs. He’d certainly help them get there, too, given his ability to put innings on the board. And at some point, it’s important that the Cubs sign somebody, regardless of who they might be.
