DALLAS (AP) — The championship vision that led Nathan Eovaldi to sign with Texas as a free agent two years ago is the same one that brought him back to the Rangers.
A World Series title in his first season was followed by a losing record this year.
“I believe in the guys in the group that we have. We were able to do it in ‘23. I don’t feel a lot has changed,” Eovaldi said Friday, a day after finalizing a $75 million, three-year contract. “We had a down year last year, but I’ve said it before, you learn a lot from losing seasons.”
Eovaldi had declined a $20 million player option to become a free agent again and reaching an agreement during the winter meetings in Dallas. Texas also acquired slugging corner infielder Jake Burger in a swap with Miami.
Burger had fallen asleep before getting a call late Tuesday night that he had been traded to Texas, where his family was already planning to move after the October birth of a daughter with Down syndrome.
“The other city that is really good other than Nashville in terms of children’s hospital and resources for her Downs is in Dallas,” Burger said. “Not just from the baseball spectrum, from the life aspect as well … I feel like it was meant to be, and we couldn’t be more more excited about that.”
In the Nashville area, Burger lives close to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, whom he plans to visit with soon. His former Marlins manager, Skip Schumaker, was hired last month by the Rangers as as a senior adviser for baseball operations, and Luis Urueta, Miami’s bench coach the past two seasons, recently joined Bochy’s on-field coaching staff for 2025. Burger and Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning were once roommates in the Chicago White Sox organization.
