It seems that Detroit Tigers ace Eduardo Rodriguez may be having a career year at just the right time, and the team may look to cash in before he can leave them high and dry.
Over the first eight years of his career, Eduardo Rodriguez has built a reputation as a solid backend of the rotation starting pitcher.
Since he debuted in the league with the Boston Red Sox in 2015, up until his second season with the Detroit Tigers in 2023, he has posted a decent career ERA of 4.02. In the seven seasons before this year, he has also averaged just shy of 10 wins per season and twice won 13 games.
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Respectable stats for a major league pitcher. However, this season he has elevated his game to all new levels over his first eight starts. In 2023, Rodriguez has gone 4-2 and is second in the league with a 1.57 ERA for the 17-19 Detroit Tigers.
What makes his season for the Tigers all the more impactful is he is only earning $14 million (via Spotrac) and is set to make a very affordable $49 million in the next three seasons. Unfortunately for Detroit, Rodriguez has an opt-out before next season, and if he keeps up this pace and earns his first All-Star appearance, he is likely to use that option.
Detroit Tigers record (2023): 17-19
That is why ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney explained that Eduardo Rodriguez’s day with the Detroit Tigers could be numbered and he will likely end up being one of the best impact arms available before the August 1 MLB trade deadline.
“Eduardo Rodriguez is a name to watch because he has been excellent early in a season after which he could opt out of the last three years of his contract; he is slated to make $49 million from 2024 to 2026. If Rodriguez continues to throw well and the Tigers become convinced he’ll walk away as a free agent this offseason, they could make him available in front of contenders.”
– Buster Olney
Eduardo Rodriguez missed the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. And after having a very rough return in 2021, he has gotten better every year since, to where the surgery may have made him a better pitcher than he was before the procedure.