December 28th, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Back in 2008, the Dodgers drafted a (then) 18-year-old right-hander out of Alvin High School in Alvin, TX. In his brief three seasons down on the Dodgers farm, this young right-hander struggled a bit, posting a combined 19-26 record and a ERA that hovered around the 4.00 mark. But regardless, this young right-hander eventually earned a ticket to The Show with the Dodgers on August 6, 2011.
He appeared in 20 games (16 starts) in Dodger Blue, posting a 2-8 record with a 3.96 ERA in his combined 91.0 innings pitched during the 2011 and 2012 seasons before being traded to the Miami Marlins on July 25, 2012 for Randy Choate and (wait for it…) Hanley Ramirez.
That right-hander is (now) 32-year-old Nathan Eovaldi who, through 11 Major League seasons, owns a combined career record of 67-68 and a combined career ERA of 4.16 in his 240 Major League appearances (221 starts).
However (and this is big), Eovaldi also owns a fastball that averages above 97 MPH. Unfortunately, he has never put up the strikeout numbers one would expect from a guy who often tops the century mark with his heater. Simply put, Major League hitters wouldn’t be at baseball’s highest level if they couldn’t hit a 100-MPH fastball … especially when they pretty much know it’s coming.
The good news is that the Houston, TX native has a cumulative 4.4 walk percentage since 2020 – second lowest in the MLB among the 120 pitchers with 200+ innings pitched to only Dodgers future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw‘s 4.3 walk percentage, so there’s that.
Late Tuesday evening, it was being widely reported that Eovaldi, now a free agent, had agreed to a lofty two-year/$32 million contract with the Texas Rangers that includes a potential additional $30 million in performance incentives. In other words, he could earn a total of $62 million over the next two seasons if he reaches those performance incentives.
The burning question, although now rhetorical, is: Did Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman miss out on an opportunity to (re)acquire one of the (very) few remaining veteran starting pitchers still out there by not signing Nathan Eovaldi?
…or is it a blessing that he did not?
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
Talent says a missed opportunity — career stats say otherwise. It all comes down to choices where to spend payroll dollars — I am pleased with Kershaw and Thor in the same rotation as Urias, Gonsolin, May, Pepiot, Miller, et al.
Totally agree
It is a blessing for sure. We are better off spot starting new pitchers that the hitters have had limited exposure to.
Don’t forget we are paying Bauer anyway, he has ace potential, so let’s roll with him and see where y goes
totally agree…but they won’t
Definitely agree but as said they won’t. Now paying him and releasing now makes no sense. Take him to camp if it doesn’t work release him. The chance it works out is greater then not. They could showcase him and trade him mid season or if he’s good you have another top line starter for the playoffs.
Just releasing him is not a good business decision.
It’s got to be kidding me! No Trevor Bauer! He’s bad for the team he’s bad for the fans he’s bad.
Sad Larry.
Did you stop to think that you are a horrible person for talking smack about somebody you don’t even know? Why don’t you move down to Anaheim and see how bad the pitchers are down there.
No miss at all. A draft pick is forfeited as well with that signing.
If the Dodgers rotation is Urias Bauer Kershaw Gonsolin May and Thor we have a great rotation. Will compete to win the West for sure.
We really
If the Dodgers have a brain cell left, they will play Bauer. Hang him if he is a criminal, otherwise shut up.
Fist person to say what’s real. Keep him play him trade him. 22 million out the door otherwise. Should have kept j turner forb11 million belly but he did get 17 mill so that’s huge if u want ohtani at the end of year or when Angel’s are out of it. To get him the merchandise sales alone could pay luxury tax. A c hff a championship could pay the taxes. What do fan poles dsay. HE IS NOT A CRIMINAL. As long as it was consensual. But many may not care. If you are admitted racist and not done anything should you not be allowed to play. Get something for him if kershaw hates him lol
Texas is desperate to win and over paid for Eovaldi. We don’t need another starter. Especially with Bauer coming back. If the Dodgers release Bauer and he pitches for another team on our nickel, it will be incredibly stupid.
Bauer will never play Baseball again. That’s just a fact. So yes, Evolde was a miss but the Dodgers basically are not going after anyone and blew the team up to save cash. I’ve never witnessed a team so incredibly inept. They should have fired Roberts 4 years ago when I announced on twitter he’d never win a WS. Yeah they won a 67 game season WS. Big old asterisk there.
So not only do they not fire him, they get rid of the best Shortstop in baseball, Corey Seager then dumped Bellinger (He was still one of the best defensive players in the entire MLB, they let go every pitcher NOT Kershaw basically and will now suck for the next 10 years.
Incredible — a chance to make a reasoned, rational comment and failed
He zigged when he should have zagged.
If 2020 deserves an asterisk, how do we account for 2017? Can’t blame Dodgers for futility when they were cheated out of a championship.
For that matter, every Wild Card WS champion gets an asterisk, too. They couldn’t win their division and yet become Champions of Baseball? How convenient.
I can assure you Bauer will never pitch for Dodgers again. Any Deshain Watson rationalizations are delusional. With loss of key players and presumed performance and win falloff next year attendance will be enough of a challenge without boycott of Dodgers with Bauer on team.
Attendance will be just fine. If the Dodgers can survive the McCourt years, it can certainly survive playing Bauer. By the way, he has committed no crime. Dodgers would be ignorant to release him so he can pitch for the Giants, Padres, ASStros, Yankees, or any other team on our dime.
I guarantee you that if they put a vote to Dodger fans on weather or not to play Bauer this year, the vote would be overwhelming in favor of playing Bauer.
I think you are correct. I am surprised the Dodgers PR Dept or the LA Times hasn’t put together a poll to get a better feel for what the fans are thinking. From the various Dodger blogs I have been reading, the majority want him back.
Releasing Bauer will be a bad business decision but it is an excellent public relations decision and it IS the decision I believer they will make.
Few, VERY few Dodger fans visit baseball blogs like we do.
I believe Bauer will pitch in the MLB again though it might not be at the start of 2023 or in ’23 at all. But some team with less scruples – can anyone say Astros – WILL sign him. That is unless MLB pressures teams not to and then yet another series of lawsuits begins.
So now it’s guilty after being proven innocent in America these days… good job letting progressive screwballs mess up our National pastime as well as the entire country
Yes, Roger Clemens was found innocent, Barry Bonds was never convicted of a crime and both are seen as guilty. Crime or not, Trevor still admitted to beating up his accuser and the Dodgers team and players won’t stand for it. We’re a classy team, if you don’t like it go root for someone else. The Dodgers have one of the best farm systems in Baseball and now it’s time to let the kids play and move on from Bauer, JT, etc.
Was not Clemens’ found guilty of lying in court tho? Or am I JUST thinking of Palmero? And by the way, Brady Anderson DID do roids during his 50 HR campaigns! Lol…I know a pitcher on that team in the mid 90’s, and he did do roids as well. Not a scrub either. Cal? Idk…tho I’d see Cal late nights squatting 400 pounds while I was farting around the trsiming rooms, and pitcher was watching tapes(data) of that days game
Innocent of what he treats women like shit and it’s a proven fact. No Trevor Bauer! No Trevor Bauer ever a dodger. If they do this they will be losing their base
Like Dmac said , y’all: the TB situation could’ve been wayyy worse! What if Betts was caught doing this?! So many nay sayer’s, good teams come from within usually, specially in baseball. We have the 2nd best chips in MLB! Amd we’re saving for Ohtani. Get a grip y’all. This is Urais break out year being his walk year too. May is B+ version of randy Johnson. CK is coming off a 13-4 2:54 year. We dumped 3 hitters avg .217. JT CB and Gallo. And…and, we can and will make a trade at the break. N somebody said we let the best SS in mob go? We let both the best SS go! Lol. High priced luxuries. Sho is an elite player whóm will win us big. Seager is an injury prone guy too! Gonso was 16-1 and his loss was cuz of errors. His first playoff game wasn’t pretty, only bad game since camp was that game. We even one most of Gonzo’s starts thatchenjad a no decision
In the case of Bauer, it’s not a matter of guilt or innocence but rather a brand (Dodgers) and the public. Bauer made his bed and beat the crap out of it. Not a good look. He’s not in jail, he’s just not pitching. If he wanted to pitch this season, he could have reworked his contract so that he doesn’t get $35M, or whatever it is. Isn’t his third year a player option? Anyway, I don’t care for him personally or professionally, and will not feel missed out on him should he play elsewhere on the Dodgers dime. Dodgers never should have signed him in the first place.
Yes, according to Cot’s baseball contracts, Bauer can opt out of his 2023 contract, becoming a free agent with the Dodgers paying him $15M.
Trevor Bower is an obnoxious asshole while he is on the mound and walking off the mound. Yes he was a good pitcher as far as balls coming across the plate and the results of it. But calling him a class player I’d rather say classless. There are way too many things I don’t like about him as a human being whether hes breaking the law or not. He’s like Carlos Corea times 10
i really dont like arguing with people its a waste of time.
Bauer is not Correa times 10, his negative activity occurs off the field.
Correa was part of a team wide strategy to cheat and hurt the game of baseball.
I would rather have Bauer on my team for 1 season than have Correa for 12 for 315 mil.
Bauer
Dodgers really don’t have to do anything till around June 1st. He can’t pitch for anybody till then, this is taking into account that he needs at least 2 starts tuneups.
They are paying him 22 mil for the year so why cut him and have him play for someonelse.
They can look to trade him to the AL paying his salary and maybe getting something back in return.
Bauer is eligible to pitch immediately. He is just not getting paid for the first 50 games. Basically being docked for the pay he received in 2021 while on administrative leave.
Dodged a huge bullet. Guy is average when healthy. The when healthy is a big if