Yankees decide against Nathan Eovaldi; re-signs with Red Sox

The Yankees reluctance to offer free agent Nathan Eovaldi a four-year contract led him to re-sign with the Red Sox for $68.5 million, pending a physical.

Still a few days away from the start of the Winter Meetings, the MLB hot stove is on fire. While the Yankees may have begun with a bang, acquiring James Paxton from the Mariners for a handful of prospects, general manager Brian Cashman has been reserved in his efforts on Patrick Corbin, Paul Goldschmidt and now Nathan Eovaldi.

Though the Yanks expressed almost no interest in Goldschmidt, who went from Arizona to St. Louis on Wednesday for a package led by pitcher Luke Weaver, a return of Nasty Nate to the Bronx was a realistic possibility.

However, as we learned earlier in the week, Cashman and company were hesitant to offer the 28-year-old two-time Tommy John survivor anything more than three years — similar to how they never intended to go six years on Corbin.

It’s less that the Yanks were outbid by the competition and more of their newfound restraint being flexed. Perhaps irritating to some, it’s impressive that the Bombers have drawn a line in the sand and haven’t crossed it.

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Although Eovaldi was stellar in the postseason, pitching to a 1.61 ERA and 16:3 K:BB ratio across 22.1 innings, a second go-around in the Bronx was always a dangerous proposition, especially when you consider the mixed bag of results he encountered there from 2015-16.

At this point, you’d think the Yanks would eventually sign one of the top remaining free agent pitchers; Dallas Keuchel, Yusei Kikuchi or J.A. Happ. And no, in my eyes, Charlie Morton is not an option.

While it remains to be seen if Keuchel will command a contract in the $100 million range, following Corbin’s $140 million total; Kikuchi at $50 million or Happ at $40 would be a better bargain.

However, both come with caveats — Kikuchi’s being that he’s never pitched outside of Japan — and the growing belief that Happ will hold out for a three-year deal, which a club such as the Phillies could be amenable to.

Perhaps swinging another trade for a frontline starter like Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer or Madison Bumgarner is the optimal way to go. Of course, that’s dependent on the Yankees’ desire to surrender more top young talent.

Now that Eovaldi is off the board, I’m sure Cashman is on the phone looking for a No. 4 starter. But the longer it takes for him to secure that arm, the more likely it is that adding another readily available impact bat to an already potent lineup occurs.