MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported this evening that the Diamondbacks have had “advanced discussions” with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Morosi notes that no deal has been finalized to this point, but Arizona is considered a finalist for the southpaw. The report comes on the heels of news earlier today that Rodriguez had narrowed his possible destination down to two teams. A report from Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic initially suggested that the other finalist for Rodriguez’s services was the Cincinnati Reds, though Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds are not a finalist for Rodriguez’s services. Rosenthal and Rosencrans have since retracted the report.
For the reigning NL champions, Rodriguez would provide a third front-of-the-rotation caliber arm to pair with 2023 NL Cy Young award finalist Zac Gallen and veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly. Despite excellent performances from the club’s top two arms, who combined for a 3.39 ERA across 64 starts, the club’s overall rotation ranked just 21st in the majors last season with a 4.67 ERA. That’s thanks to a dearth of quality options behind Gallen and Kelly. Arizona relied on the likes of Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, and Zach Davies in the rotation for much of the year, each of whom posted ERAs north of 5.00.
Adding Rodriguez to the mix should help the club’s run prevention efforts considerably. The 30-year-old southpaw enjoyed a career year in 2023 as a member of the Tigers, finishing the season with a 3.30 ERA and 3.66 FIP across 152 2/3 innings of work while striking out 23% of batters faced against a walk rate of just 7.7%. Those strong overall numbers on the season well may have been even stronger had Rodriguez managed to stay healthy all season, as the lefty cruised to a 2.13 ERA and a 25.5% strikeout rate across his first eleven starts of the season.
Unfortunately, Rodriguez subsequently suffered a ruptured pulley tendon at the end of May that wound up sidelining him for the entire month of June. Upon returning in early July, Rodriguez struggled to match his excellent first half performance. The southpaw delivered decent results, with a 4.24 ERA and 4.08 FIP over his final 85 frames, though his strikeout rate dipped to just 21.2% while his walk rate climbed to 8.9%. Fortunately, Rodriguez bounced back down the stretch to post a solid 3.60 ERA in September. Assuming the left-hander is fully healthy entering the 2024 campaign, he would be a strong addition to most any rotation in the majors.
I thought he wanted to be on the east coast?
Now he’s cool with anyplace, anywhere. Preferences change, spouses change their mind, who knows.
$
He’s a ducking ice hole
Because he told the Doyers “no”?
Nowhere near as much of one as Julio Urias, however.
“MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported last month that any geographic preferences that may have been in place at the trade deadline are now out the window, as the left-hander has expressed an openness to pitching anywhere“ – from the article earlier today.
He can pitch at the Gemini Lounge for all I care.
Translation: “Hell yeah I want all teams to make a bid and drive up the price for where I want to go anyway!”
We’ve all seen this line before.
@cbraves No, he just didn’t want to be with the Dodgers.
Misleading, he just didn’t want to leave the AL central, change leagues, play in a pennant race/playoffs and risk his value for his impending free agency. In short, he knew he had a payday coming and didn’t want to rock the boat. In a way I don’t blame him.
I took it that he didn’t want to go to the west coast for two months away for his family. Now that it’s a longer term deal he’s more flexible.
Ken Rosenthal and others already reported why the dodgers ERod trade collapsed. Eduardo wanted an extra year and $20 million added on to the deal. Among a few offers his agent reportedly made to LA.
Probably just didn’t want to play for the dodgers.
No one would choose the dbacks over the dodgers unless Arizona offered more money. Every baseball fan knows that.
Someone around here called it on the Dbacks a few articles back.
4 years/$82.5M I would guess
me!
Was it you? I think he was talking about me from earlier today.
Stop trying to steal dbacks44 thunder!
I think he’s the one trying to steal mine but I will get over it.
We can get you some thunder next time.
You can even have the flintstones phone during break today.
Told Yall That It Was The Snakes
Hey atta boy! Give yourself a pat on your back!
Simply a marketing tactic to get the other team to bid higher.
So who’s he trying to get more money out of ? Braves or a NY team maybe ?
That’s certainly closer to the east coast than LA.
as a diehard dbacks fan I called this and wanted this!
Let’s see a flurry of activity!
Not in Arizona!
That’s an all time blunder for the Tigers not to trade him at the deadline. A few months later and all of a sudden he’s fine with the west coast?
Dbacks ain’t exactly the west coast.
He vetoed a trade.
They tried, but he wouldn’t go to LA.
Exactly. It’s an all time blunder to waste all that time on a trade, somehow having no idea he would veto. Went right up to the deadline and had no time to pivot to an east coast time.
Do you really think they went that far into trade talks knowing Erod didn’t want to get moved? He screwed them. Then used the BS his family loved Michigan. Once they found out he would veto it was too late. Teams aren’t offering much if you have to desperation call because the other deal fell through.
They wanted to but was scared because he didn’t want to get exposed against stiffer competition before free agency.
This guy is an AL central merchant. He will get lit up in the NL
Yup, that’s why he vetoed the trade last summer.
He will probably be too pricey for the Braves because they don’t want to go over a certain amount on pitchers! But, they need to change this stupid policy, & get Top MLB pitchers! AA should have learned after the last 2 years that you can’t advance in Playoffs with AAA Pitching!
I hope the Tigers are NOT the other team. They should go grab Yamamoto or maybe Imanaga, or even Flaherty or Mahle.
Please Dodgers for free agent prediction contest
I hope the guy comes here and that Hazen talks him into the good family culture.
I’ve always found Rodriguez a strange case and question the head on his shoulders. He definitely tanked in Baltimore to get traded. I remember seeing him pitch in spring training 2014 and thinking ‘this is our top pitching prospect???’. He was throwing like late career Jamie Moyer. And Rodriguez stunk that season in the minors, got traded for Andrew Miller, and then I see him throwing hard for the Redsox, and found out he wasn’t the soft tossing lefty I saw get crushed in spring training.
Dbacks will be very soon. Book it! He fits with them. Hazen knows him. We need a lefty. In our price range.
I just read that the finalists are the Dbacks and Reds. No clue how good that tip is. I’d love to have him on the Reds though!
Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans both backed it up. Dbacks or Reds!
I said reds in the thread earlier but it was a shot in the dark, I’d rather have him than cease for the price. Please pick us lol
The plot thickens!
Come on Reds
Reds also finalists to sign Jeimer Candelario! Go get’em, Po Boy!
Ah yes to be closer to his home in meh hee co
He’s Venezuelan, not Mexican.
I’ve always seen it like this. E-Rod had some issues and left the team for a bit. Came back and had the oppty to play in LA and be completely in the limelight, the EXACT opposite of Detroit. Now, dude has the oppty to come get paid in the low media market of Phx baseball. Makes sense to me. Who doesn’t wanna get paid, he just wants a smaller media market. Boston ruined him lol
Going to Dbacks. 4 years $80m. Jeff Passan reports
D-Backs going for it but Seattle can’t afford to make an effort! Going to make some noise again in 2024. Love to see it.
“We report that the two finalists are the Diamondbacks and . . . “ (checks notes) . . . “nobody”.
So hopefully the D’backs did not bid against nobody.