Nathan Eovaldi Says Texas Rangers Reliever Trade Shows Front Office 'Believes'

Belief can be a powerful thing for a baseball team. Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has seen it from both sides.

When the Texas Rangers made the deal for reliever Aroldis Chapman at the end of June, it was the first significant trade of the season. When the Rangers made the move, general manager Chris Young said part of the logic was to get an “extra month of Aroldis Chapman.”

For Eovaldi and other Rangers, it sent another signal — belief.

“For us to go out there and strike first and get him, it shows us that the front office believes in us and believes in the talent that we have in the clubhouse, and they’re trying to make the team better,” Eovaldi told the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast.

Chapman worked just three innings for the Rangers before the All-Star Break. But they were productive. He retired nine of 10 hitters, striking out four of them. He’s produced exactly as the Rangers expected he would.

“He’s throwing as well as I’ve ever seen,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said on Friday. “I think that’s how he’s been throwing all year. I mean, the numbers show it. He’s throwing over 100 miles per hour, so that hasn’t changed.”

Many believe the Rangers are not done making deals, either. Just in the past few days, the Rangers have been linked in rumors for Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito.

Eovaldi was on the other side of this in 2018, when the Tampa Bay Rays sent him to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline. Eovaldi became a critical piece of the Red Sox’ run to a World Series title that season. The Red Sox’s belief that he could make a difference fueled his exceptional postseason performance.

He knows the belief runs both ways, and it’s why these types of deals can be so important to teams that have World Series aspirations.

“The bullpen was one of our needs at the beginning of the season,” Eovaldi said. “He’s (Chapman) going to impact any team that he joins.”

Eovaldi will make his first start of the second half on Tuesday against Tampa Bay.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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