Eduardo Rodriguez profiles as one of the top arms on the free agent market. The Detroit Tigers' ace was almost dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, but he vetoed the deal since it moved him too far away from his family in Florida.
The general expectation was that Rodriguez would attempt to stick close to the East Coast in free agency, but a new report from MLB insider Jon Morosi could seriously shift the market landscape. Rodriguez has "no geographic restrictions" in his search for a new deal, which could lead west-coast teams to engage with the 30-year-old.
It's a tough break for the Tigers, who attempted to trade Rodriguez for a haul rather than lose him for nothing. But, it would appear a full offseason to relocate the family is enough to change Rodriguez's perspective. Or, he at least thinks he can get more money by engaging with every corner of the league.
With this new revelation, here are the three contenders at the forefront of the Eduardo Rodriguez sweepstakes.
3. San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants finished the season four games below .500, frustratingly far from the wild card race. A disappointing collapse after the All-Star break cost Gabe Kapler his job. The Giants went from a spunky underdog overcoming limited star power to a bonafide failure in a matter of months.
Pete Putila and the front office have several holes to plug, but pitching should be front of mind as free agency begins. The Giants' stark lack of an ace was a significant contributing factor behind their late-season slide. Logan Webb and Alex Cobb are fine, but that's not the one-two punch of a contender.
Rodriguez would immediately assume No. 1 duties in the Giants' pitching rotation. San Francisco would be wise to target multiple quality starters, but Rodriguez is a reliable — and durable — arm to build the bullpen around. He went 13-9 last season on a bad Tigers team, posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.153 WHIP in 26 starts.
He won't solve all the Giants' woes, but Rodriguez would move San Francisco a long way in the right direction. San Francisco is expected to toss its hat in the ring for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the like, but Rodriguez is a strong, potentially more affordable alternative — or, a potent second fiddle.
2. Boston Red Sox
Rodriguez is open to the West Coast, but that won't preclude him from exploring the East Coast as well. The Boston Red Sox have a well-documented need for pitching, and new Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is expected to hammer the free agent market hard. The Red Sox are another team connected to several top aces — Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and you guessed it, Eduardo Rodriguez.
The Sox have deep pockets and the benefit of history on their side. That's a prestige franchise that players want to play for. Boston's pitching staff suffered through injuries and inconsistency throughout last season. Brayan Bello is a rising star, but he's not ready to handle the No. 1 mantle for an aspiring contender. Enter Rodriguez.
Rodriguez doesn't smoke batters with elite heat. Rather, he commands the plate and pitches expertly to contact. He's the perfect mentor for the 24-year-old Bello, who will enter his third MLB season with a starkly similar approach. Bello landed in the 92nd percentile for ground ball rate last season, per Baseball Savant. Both pitchers keep the ball inside the park. For Bello, it's a matter of reducing walks and making it deeper into games.
Boston should expect a major leap from Bello in the near future, but he needs more support. Chris Sale has lost more than a step and Boston's backend starters leave much to be desired. Rodriguez would give the Red Sox a reliable, postseason-proven weapon who happened to spend the first six years of his career pitching in Fenway.
He won a World Series with the Red Sox in 2018. Perhaps he can help them get back to the promised land.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Well, we know the Los Angeles Dodgers want Rodriguez.
LA made a strong effort to acquire Rodriguez at the deadline and even agreed to a trade, which Rodriguez nixed. One has to imagine there are no hard feelings for the Dodgers, who could use a major facelift on the pitching front.
Clayton Kershaw is expected to hit free agency with his sights potentially on his hometown Texas Rangers. He underwent left shoulder surgery after the season and there is "growing sentiment" that 2023 might have been his last season with the Dodgers, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
Even if Kershaw does return, there's no telling how he will look in the aftermath of shoulder surgery. Kershaw saw a sharp decline in effectiveness late in the season, culminating with a ghastly six-run, one-out outing in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Beyond Kershaw, the Dodgers have 24-year-old Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler, fresh off Tommy John surgery, anchoring the rotation. Those are two potentially effective starters, but the Dodgers would prefer to have an experienced, healthy, recently successful ace in the mix. Especially if Kershaw isn't going to be back.
The Dodgers have been involved in the conversation around Shohei Ohtani and other top free agents. LA tends to spend big, so even if the team lures Ohtani with a record contract, Rodriguez isn't off the table. Given the established interest and Rodriguez's new open-mindedness with regard to locale, the Dodgers feel like a strong bet to acquire the 2019 Cy Young finalist.
