The entire situation involving Eduardo Rodriguez and the Detroit Tigers is vexing.
Eduardo Rodriguez’s situation with the Detroit Tigers is frustrating.
During the Al Avila era, the Detroit Tigers signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million contract. However, he did not complete his five-year contract with the Tigers after opting out to enter the free agent market this offseason.
Rodriguez pitched for the Detroit Tigers for two years, and he was outstanding in the rotation in 2023. This summer, the left-hander was able to put together a string of strong starts for Detroit. Rodriguez had 152.2 innings pitched in 26 starts. He has a 3.30 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, 48 walks, and 143 strikeouts.
Rodriguez was doing well around the trade deadline last summer, which turned into a frustrating situation in and of itself. Before the trade deadline, the Tigers reportedly had a deal in place to send Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rodriguez was able to veto the trade and remain with the Tigers organization in Detroit because his contract included a no-trade clause. While Rodriguez had this in his contract due to Avila and the negotiations prior to this regime, missing out on a deal like that is still frustrating.
Rodriguez made it appear that location was a problem. Furthermore, his family did not want to begin a cross-country move to Los Angeles in the middle of the season, with the possibility of returning after the season. I understand that having family involved must be difficult, but missing out on the deal must also be difficult.
Furthermore, this is not the first time the Tigers have had issues with Rodriguez. He has previously been MIA from the team and has had absences from the team. He had been dealing with family issues and had missed time in the past.
It must be extremely frustrating for Detroit to have Rodriguez do this, veto a trade, and then hit the open market. I know there are Tigers fans out there who wanted Rodriguez to stay in town and finish out the final three years of his contract.
But it was Jon Morosi’s tweet that put the final nail in the coffin. Even if it was due to an in-season move, geographical restrictions were an issue, but things have changed.
Beyond geographical limitations, it must be aggravating to see the Dodgers mentioned. The Dodgers were rumored to be a trade deadline suitor, and now they can pursue him for free.
It must be frustrating for the Tigers to see how this all played out. Detroit missed out on Rodriguez, receiving nothing in trade, and were unable to lock him down for his final three years. Even though the Tigers are renegotiating with him, it’s a frustrating situation.
