The Boston Red Sox entered Monday's trade deadline day with three clear needs: a lineup upgrade either at catcher or shortstop, and reinforcements to the pitching staff, both in the starting rotation and bullpen. Among the teams that have shifted their attention to selling thanks to a poor showing over the weekend is the Texas Rangers, who, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, are willing to listen to offers on "anyone on their roster." 

As the Red Sox look to add an innings-eating veteran to supplement a pair of rookie lefties in Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett, who have both soared past their career high in innings pitched, could they look to reunite with 2018 World Series champion Nathan Eovaldi?

After five seasons in Boston, the 36-year-old is now in his fourth season in Texas, where he won the 2023 World Series, the second of his career. He has made 21 starts in 2026, posting a 4.31 ERA over 127.1 innings pitched. Despite the shaky results, Eovaldi has been among the best strikeout pitchers in the game, generating a 36.7 percent chase rate, a 30.7 percent whiff rate, and a 25.3 percent strikeout rate, while only walking 5.9 percent of batters faced. 

Overall, Eovaldi has made 97 starts over four seasons for the Rangers, posting a 3.40 ERA over 572 innings, peaking at 170.2 innings in the 2023 season. 

Prior to signing a two-year, $34 million deal with Texas ahead of the 2023 season, the hard-throwing right-hander spent five seasons in Boston from 2018-2022, where he was a staple of the Boston rotation. 

During his time in Boston, he posted a 4.05 ERA over 461.2 innings pitched, peaking in the 2021 season, when he posted a 3.75 ERA over 182.1 innings pitched en route to a fourth-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award voting. 

The then-28-year-old starred in Boston's 2018 World Series win, posting a 1.61 ERA over 22.1 innings, including saving the bullpen in the infamous 18-inning Red Sox loss. Overall, in 79.2 playoff innings, Eovaldi has thrived, posting a 3.05 ERA. 

He is currently in the second year of a three-year, $75 million deal signed ahead of the 2025 season. The 36-year-old right-hander does have some control over where he winds up thanks to a full no-trade clause. 

It's an interesting decision for Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow to make in bringing in a pricey veteran ahead of the impending lockout. If there is a chance of a salary cap being implemented, a 37-year-old backend starting pitcher making $25 million would be a substantial price to pay. 

However, as Breslow told WEEI's The Greg Hill Show on Thursday, Boston is firmly in the camp of building on the 2026 roster and improving their chances to compete this season, rather than worrying about what may happen in the future. 

The MLB Trade Deadline is Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET.