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Eduardo Rodriguez

Padres, Braves Have Been Involved On Verlander; Astros Still Perceived As Likelier Landing Spot

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1:40pm: The Padres are out on Verlander at this point, tweets SNY’s Andy Martino. The Giants, who briefly threw their hat into the ring, have also backed out of the bidding.

11:55am: Feinsand reports that the Astros were close to a Verlander deal last night but that “things have really cooled down” today. He says the sticking point in the talks was the players going to the Mets, not the financials.

11:46am: Heyman tweets that while the Braves have been involved on Verlander, they’re not strongly in the mix at present.

11:14am: With just over six hours to go before the deadline, rumors about Justin Verlander’s future continue to swirl. The Astros, Dodgers and Orioles have all been linked to the three-time Cy Young winner. They’re not the only clubs with interest, however.

Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports (on Twitter) the Braves are also in conversations on Verlander. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweets that the Padres are involved, though it’s not clear how serious San Diego’s interest is. The Friars also like Detroit southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez, suggests Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (on Twitter).

Even with the revelations of Atlanta and San Diego being at least on the periphery of the Verlander market, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the previously-known trio of Houston, L.A. and Baltimore appear to be leading the market. Andy Martino of SNY and Bob Nightengale of USA Today both reiterate that Houston appears the likeliest landing spot.

Neither Atlanta nor San Diego has a strict rotation need. The Braves have some uncertainty towards the back of the staff at present, relying on recent waiver claim Yonny Chirinos to start games. Yet they’re a virtual lock to secure the NL East title and a first-round bye given their 11-game lead in the standings. Any additions at this point are geared more towards the playoffs. Max Fried will soon be back to join Spencer Strider at the top of the rotation. Bryce Elder and Charlie Morton are each playoff-caliber starters, while Kyle Wright could also factor into the plans in October.

Still, the Braves’ excellent roster at least affords them the flexibility to kick the tires on luxury buys. Verlander has an accomplished postseason track record. He’s not pitching at last year’s Cy Young level, but he carries a 3.15 ERA over 16 starts this season. It seems an open question whether the Mets would actually pull the trigger on a move to Atlanta, however. New York flipped David Robertson to Miami, so they’re not categorically opposed to intra-division trades. Yet Robertson is an impending free agent during a season in which the Mets are more or less conceding their playoff chances. Dealing Verlander, under contract for next year, to a club with which New York will ostensibly try to compete for a division title in 2024, would be a much bigger move.

San Diego seemingly checks in on every big-name player available. The Padres are reportedly targeting position player depth and bullpen help, which indeed seem like bigger concerns than the starting rotation. San Diego’s starters lead the majors with a 3.63 ERA and rank seventh with a 24% strikeout rate. With Blake Snell and Seth Lugo (by likely declining a player option) seemingly a few months from free agency, there’s an argument for the Friars looking for rotation help controllable beyond this season. That said, their reported diligence on Verlander and Rodriguez seem more like the Friars’ general approach of staying involved on any star.

Verlander is owed around $14.2MM on his record salary through season’s end. He’s due $43.333MM next year, while his contract contains a $35MM vesting/player option for 2025. The Mets would have to pay down some portion of the salary. They’re clearly amenable to doing so, though reports have suggested they value Verlander more highly than they did Max Scherzer — whose contract they paid down to $22.5MM over the next two seasons to land Luisangel Acuña from Texas.

Dodgers “In Hot Pursuit” Of Eduardo Rodriguez; Padres Interested

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With less than seven hours to go until the trade deadline, the Tigers hold a pair of key starting pitcher cards in southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez and righty Michael Lorenzen.  Yesterday morning, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said the pair would “definitely” be traded, and this morning MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand said the Tigers are “expected to trade” both.

Asking prices appear to be high, according to Feinsand, though we rarely hear asking prices described any other way.  Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says the same, after talking to rival executives.

The Dodgers “are in hot pursuit” of Rodriguez, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.  Jack Harris of the L.A. Times spoke to “multiple people with knowledge of the team’s thinking unauthorized to speak publicly,” and then wrote yesterday that the club’s Plan B after Justin Verlander “could be” a pursuit of Rodriguez.  Harris said the Dodgers “had maintained interest” in E-Rod as of Monday afternoon.  The Dodgers added Lance Lynn to their embattled rotation in a trade with the White Sox a few days ago.

Never a team to sit on the sidelines with good players available – even five games out of the wild card – the Padres are “said to be high” on Rodriguez and “could make a push” for him, reports Feinsand.  The Padres seem to have some level of interest in Verlander as well, according to Heyman.

Rodriguez, 30, owns a 2.95 ERA on the season with a 25.9 K%, 6.0 BB%, and 40.5% groundball rate.  He missed all of June with a left index finger pulley rupture.  He’s pitched to an unpleasant 5.66 ERA in four starts since returning from the injury, but his peripheral stats were in line with his season marks and two of the four starts were solid.  Though Rodriguez is scheduled to take on the Pirates tomorrow at PNC Park, he may have already made his last start in a Tigers uniform.

Rodriguez is owed about $4.67MM this year and $49MM from 2024-26, but he’s generally viewed as a rental given the likelihood he opts out of those final three years after the season.  While all opt-out clauses represent downside risk for an acquiring team, things would have to go quite badly for E-Rod in the next two months for him to forgo the clause.

The Orioles, who traded Rodriguez to the Red Sox in a significant deadline deal for Andrew Miller nine years ago, are a potential suitor for both Tigers starters.  Last week, Feinsand named a slew of teams that had been scouting Rodriguez.  Some have since acquired a starting pitcher, but others included the Reds, Phillies, and Diamondbacks.  On the topic of the Reds, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic wrote of “whispers Monday” about Cincinnati “being a suitable destination for Rodriguez.”

Lorenzen, 31, is a pure rental with about $2.8MM left on his contract, plus possible $250K performance bonuses for innings benchmarks.  Lorenzen represented the Tigers in the All-Star game, though he’s never been a strikeout pitcher.  He has seemingly turned a corner with some of the best control of his career, though his peripheral stats generally don’t support a 3.58 ERA.  Lorenzen has a 3.96 mark over his last nine starts, and something in that range would likely match a buyer’s expectations.  The Marlins, Orioles, Astros, and Rays have been linked to Lorenzen, but the Rays have since added Aaron Civale.

Orioles, Mets Have Discussed Justin Verlander

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Despite possessing the American League’s best record, the Orioles have had a quiet deadline. They rolled the dice on Shintaro Fujinami’s recent improvements and triple-digit heater, hoping to deepen an already strong bullpen, but the rotation — arguably their top need — has gone unaddressed. The O’s were linked to multiple starters who have since been traded elsewhere, but other targets (e.g. Michael Lorenzen, Rich Hill) remain available. And, Baltimore clearly hasn’t ruled out a much higher-profile addition. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the O’s are “on the periphery” of the Justin Verlander market, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets that the O’s are among the teams with whom the Mets are actively discussing Verlander. Morosi adds that the Orioles and Tigers are also talking — presumably about Lorenzen and/or Eduardo Rodriguez.

At least on paper, it’s hard to find a better fit for Verlander than the Orioles. Baltimore has the American League’s best record, is as deep in young talent as virtually any team in the game, and has a blank slate when it comes to long-term payroll. Perhaps no contending club could more easily accommodate the remaining $14.444MM on Verlander’s 2023 salary and the $43.333MM he’s owed in 2024. His contract also contains a conditional $35MM player option for the 2025 season that would vest if Verlander throws 140 innings next year. That’s been an understandable hurdle in talks with multiple clubs; Verlander will pitch the 2025 season at age 42.

The only guaranteed contract on Baltimore’s books in 2024 is backup catcher James McCann, and the Mets are picking up all but $2.5MM of next year’s salary as part of the trade that sent him to the Orioles. Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, John Means, Tyler Wells, Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle are among the many notable members of the Orioles’ arbitration class, but it’s nonetheless as close to a pristine payroll outlook as you’ll find for a contending club.

Meanwhile, starting pitching has long been reported to be the Orioles’ top need. It’s easy enough to understand why. Good as the team’s overall record is, their rotation’s 4.48 ERA ranks 16th in the Majors. With the exception of veteran innings eater Kyle Gibson, the bulk of the Baltimore staff is approaching or has already exceeded 2023’s innings total. Dean Kremer is just 15 innings shy of last year’s total. Kyle Bradish is 36 innings shy of his own 2023 total. Wells and Grayson Rodriguez have already topped last season’s workloads.

The Mets traded one high-priced, future Hall of Famer over the weekend when they sent Max Scherzer to the Rangers, paid down all but $22.5MM of the salary he was still owed, and acquired top prospect Luisangel Acuna in return. They’re reported to hold Verlander in even higher regard, setting both a higher prospect asking price and showing less willingness to pay down significant money.

The Verlander market is generally thought to be accelerating, and there’s a real chance he’s traded today. SNY’s Andy Martino reports that the Mets’ Verlander talks “picked up steam” late last night with multiple clubs. The Astros, according to Martino, have made a formal offer. At least one other team has done the same, and there are two to three more clubs also involved. Jon Heyman of the New York Post dusted off a time-honored trade deadline favorite this morning, tweeting that there’s at least one “mystery team” beyond the previously reported Astros and Dodgers.

That, of course, could be the Orioles, but given Verlander’s status and the league-wide need for starting pitching, it’s only natural to assume others are involved. The Reds, Angels and D-backs have all been rumored to be in the market for varying levels of rotation help as well, and virtually no major name hits the trade market without the Padres throwing their hat into the ring as well. None of those teams has been directly connected to Verlander, to be clear, but the day is young.

Dodgers Rumors: Verlander, E-Rod, Singer, Keller, Cardinals, Scherzer, Canha, Pham

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The Dodgers have already both added and subtracted from their pitching mix prior to the deadline, acquiring Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the White Sox while also shipping out Noah Syndergaard to the Guardians in exchange for Amed Rosario.  Between these moves and the re-acqusition of old friend Enrique Hernandez from the Red Sox, Los Angeles has already checked several boxes on their wishlist with over three days to go until the trade deadline, but more transactions seem likely given the Dodgers’ aggression.

Pitching remains the focus, as while Lynn will theoretically fill one hole, Lynn’s inconsistency and the Dodgers’ relative lack of rotation has put a lot of other hurlers on the team’s radar.  According to Jack Harris and Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers’ list of targets include Justin Verlander, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brady Singer, Mitch Keller, Jack Flaherty, and Jordan Montgomery.  Beyond Verlander, the Dodgers are also looking at a couple of other Mets players to address their outfield needs, as The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports that Tommy Pham and Mark Canha are of interest.

One Met who apparently isn’t under heavy consideration is Max Scherzer, as Harris/Castillo write that “the likelihood…isn’t as strong” of Scherzer heading to Chavez Ravine at another trade deadline.  L.A. memorably landed Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals two years ago, but Scherzer was a rental at the time, just two-plus months away from free agency.  Scherzer implied yesterday that he would be exercising his $43.333MM player option for 2024, and with the Mets likely to ask for a strong trade return, the uncertainty over that player option makes Scherzer a pricey add both financially (he is also still owed $16MM for the rest of 2023) and from a prospect cost.

Given how aggressive the Dodgers have been, a Scherzer reunion might not be entirely ruled out until either the team makes another pitching move, or until Scherzer is potentially shipped elsewhere.  With Verlander, Pham and Canha also apparently under discussion, the Dodgers’ talks with the Mets could go in several directions between now and Tuesday’s 5pm CT deadline.

Similarly, there are plenty of layers to the negotiations between the Dodgers and Cardinals, as Nolan Arenado is yet another star name Los Angeles has explored.  In a move akin to that Scherzer/Turner blockbuster of 2021, the Dodgers could aim to land both a major position player and a rental pitcher (either Montgomery or Flaherty) in the same deal.  Harris/Castillo note that L.A. might also pursue either Montgomery or Flaherty on their own, should the more complicated machinations of an Arenado deal fall through.

Rodriguez has drawn attention from several other teams as the deadline approaches, and the Tigers left-hander’s status is also impacted by a contractual option.  Rodriguez has the ability to opt out of his contract after the season, leaving three years and $49MM on the table in search of a richer and longer-term deal.  An opt-out seems like a distinct possibility the way E-Rod has been pitching, yet an injury or a drop in form (with the Tigers or a new team) could certainly still occur post-deadline, leading to a change in his thinking.  If this did happen after a trade, a new club could find itself on the books for $49MM of a suddenly distressed asset, which surely factors into the thinking of the Dodgers and any other team considering the southpaw.

Beyond these veteran rental players, the Dodgers are also slightly expanding their perimeters to look at more controllable pitchers.  The Pirates have arbitration control on Keller through the 2025 season, while the Royals have Singer arb-controlled through 2026.  Keller seems like the longer shot, as Pittsburgh is perhaps only listening to trade offers out of due diligence, and would command a huge prospect return in any deal.  While Los Angeles is one of the teams with the prospect depth to perhaps get the Pirates’ attention, it doesn’t seem likely that the Bucs will move Keller anywhere at the deadline or even in the near future, as Pittsburgh may have an eye on fully turning the corner back into contending in 2024.

“No traction toward a deal has materialized” between the Dodgers and Royals, so Singer is probably also not on the move.  The former first-rounder has a breakout season in 2022 but has struggled to a 5.46 ERA over 113 2/3 innings this year, albeit with a somewhat more favorable 4.41 SIERA.  It is possible that L.A. was looking to buy low on the righty (who turns 27 next week), just in case Kansas City was considering a wider-range rebuild in the wake of its disastrous 2023 season.  The Royals are in a tough spot given the lack of production from almost all of their projected cornerstone young players, yet while it isn’t clear what the next step will be for the franchise, it does seem too soon for K.C. to give up on Singer, one of the few members of that group who has had some level of success in the majors.

Returning to Verlander, he would also bring a bit more control than a rental player, as he owed $43.333MM in 2024 and he can earn a $35MM player option for 2025 if he pitches at least 140 innings in 2024.  It’s a steep price tag for a pitcher who turns 41 in February, as even though Verlander has pitched closer to his vintage form in the last few weeks, he missed time earlier this year due to a teres major strain and was then shaky in his first few starts of 2023.

Perhaps more relevant to August 1, Verlander has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and said earlier this week that “I’m focused on being a Met.  I want to win here…Obviously it hasn’t gone according to plan just yet, but I didn’t sign a one-year deal.”  Since the Mets have already started to trade veterans and look ahead to 2024, it is possible Verlander might change his mind should a contender make an offer, and there has been a connection between Verlander and Los Angeles in the past.  The Dodgers pushed to sign Verlander in free agency last winter, with Harris/Castillo writing that L.A. offered the future Hall-of-Famer two years and $80MM.

Eduardo Rodriguez Drawing Widespread Trade Interest

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With the trade deadline now just a few days away, Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez is drawing plenty of trade interest. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that scouts from several rival clubs having been keeping an eye on him, with the Rangers, Rays, Reds, Phillies and Diamondbacks among those keeping tabs.

It’s unsurprising that Rodriguez, 30, is garnering attention around the league. He’s been a solid major league starter for many years and is having arguably his best season to date. Coming into this year, he had thrown 947 2/3 innings with a 4.15 earned run average, striking out 23.9% of batters faced while walking 8.1% of them and keeping the ball on the ground at a 41.2% clip. Here in 2023, he has a 2.95 ERA, nudging his strikeout rate to 25.9% and lowering his walk rate to 6%, that latter number being a career best by a full point.

Those numbers would fit great in just about every rotation around the league. What makes his situation unique is his contract. He’s not a rental in a strict sense but will be treated similarly to one. The Tigers signed him to a five-year, $77MM deal going into 2022, but that deal gave him the ability to opt out after the second year. That opt-out opportunity is now just a few months away, when he will have to decide between hanging onto the three years and $49MM left on his contract versus returning to the open market.

The last time he was a free agent, he was coming off a season in which he had a 4.74 ERA and had rejected a qualifying offer. This time, it seems like he will have the ability to return to free agency with a stronger platform year and no QO attached, since players aren’t allowed to receive more than one in their careers. He will be two years older and the underlying numbers of his 2021 season were still strong, but all the factors taken into consideration would seem to point to him having a strong shot of getting past that $49MM guarantee in free agency. The most recent offseason saw mid-rotation pitchers like Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker and Jameson Taillon get between $63MM and $72MM, with Rodriguez having an argument for being in that range as well.

With that being the case, it makes sense for the Tigers to consider moving him for talent that can help them in future seasons. Their record is currently 46-55, which only puts them 6.5 games off the lead in the weak AL Central, but FanGraphs only gives them a 1.7% chance of making the playoffs with Baseball Prospectus at 0.3%.

The tricky thing is that, unlike other rental players, there’s more downside for the acquiring club. Although Rodriguez is trending towards opting out, there’s a chance he could experience a downturn in results or suffer an injury that causes him to take the bird in the hand. That’s something that other clubs would have to take into consideration when discussing deals, and it’s possible the Tigers get a lesser return than if Rodriguez were simply in the final year of his contract. The injury question mark is always a factor with pitchers and certainly with Rodriguez, who has only once topped 160 innings in a season.

Complications aside, each of the listed clubs would surely love to have Rodriguez in their rotation for the stretch run. The Rangers have lost Jacob deGrom and Jake Odorizzi to season-ending injuries, which has put a couple of dents in their depth. Dane Dunning has stepped up and has an ERA of 3.18 this year, but a 15.4% strikeout rate that casts some doubt on its sustainability. Martín Pérez and Andrew Heaney are each having lackluster seasons as well, with their respective ERAs hovering just under 5.00. They are still leading the AL West but the Astros are only two games back, with the Angels also aggressively making a push. They’ve already been connected to starters, with reported interest in Lance Lynn of the White Sox.

The Rays have some strong elements to their rotation with Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Taj Bradley and Zach Eflin in four spots, but Eflin has dealt with persistent knee issues in his career and underwent an MRI on his left knee yesterday. It’s unclear if that will be a serious problem, but they are already without Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen for the rest of the season, with Josh Fleming on the 60-day IL as well. Like the Rangers, they’ve also been connected to Lynn in their pursuit of more starting pitching. They have slipped behind Baltimore in the East but still hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League.

The Reds have known for some time to be in the market for pitching, which makes plenty of sense. They were hoping to have their rotation fronted by Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo but both have been on the IL for a while now with at least a few more weeks until their expected returns. Other starters like Justin Dunn and Connor Overton are on the IL with them. Luke Weaver is still clinging to a rotation spot despite his 7.20 ERA on the year, leaving plenty of room for an upgrade. They are currently holding a Wild Card spot and are just a game and a half behind the Brewers in the Central division.

The Phillies have a solid group of five in Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez, but their depth has been weakened by the Tommy John surgery of Andrew Painter and the struggles of Bailey Falter. The only member of their current rotation than can be optioned is Sanchez, who has a 2.98 ERA but a 4.06 FIP. But perhaps someone could wind up in the bullpen or they simply use a six-man rotation for a while. They currently hold one of the Wild Card spots in the tight NL race.

The Diamondbacks have a top-heavy rotation with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly at the front. Brandon Pfaadt was one of the top pitching prospects in the league coming into the year but has an 8.81 ERA through his first seven starts. Tommy Henry has a 4.01 ERA but with uninspiring peripherals and a 5.14 FIP. Ryne Nelson’s ERA is is 4.97. General manager Mike Hazen has already admitted the club will pursue pitching upgrades. It remains to be seen how aggressive they will be since they’ve been struggling lately, but they are still just half a game out of the playoff picture.

AL Central Notes: Twins, McKenzie, Tigers

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Twins infielder Royce Lewis saw his career-long injury woes continue during yesterday’s game against the Orioles. The 24 year old suffered a strained left oblique while attempting to beat out a groundball. Lewis has played well in the big leagues when healthy, pairing a career 136 wRC+ in 140 plate appearances with strong defense on the left side of the infield for Minnesota. Unfortunately, staying healthy has proved to be a considerable challenge for the youngster, who’s played a total of just 82 games between the major and minor leagues since the end of the 2019 campaign. Per a club announcement, Lewis is headed to the 10-day injured list, though Phil Miller of the Star Tribune notes the club is hopeful he’ll only require a minimum stay on the shelf.

Replacing Lewis on the roster is Jose Miranda, the Twins’ Opening Day third baseman. After a solid rookie season in 2022 where he hit .268/.325/.426 in 483 plate appearances, Miranda scuffled through the first 35 games of his sophomore season. A brutal .220/.275/.318 slash line in 142 plate appearances was enough for Minnesota to demote Miranda to Triple-A, where the results (including a .686 OPS in 39 games) haven’t been much better. That being said, the 25 year old has begun to hit better in recent weeks, with a .300/.370/.456 slash line, a 10% walk rate and a 16% strikeout rate over his last 100 plate appearances. If Miranda has successfully recaptured the offensive form he flashed during his rookie season, he should help to boost a Twins offense that ranks just 18th in MLB with a wRC+ of 98.

More from around the AL Central…

  • Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie has been shut down from throwing since mid-June with a UCL sprain, but the club is still gathering information regarding their young starter before deciding on how to move forward, as manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Joe Noga of Cleveland.com). Francona suggests that an update on McKenzie’s status could come within the next few days now that the righty has received second opinions from Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Keith Meister. Any diagnosis involving the UCL- the ligament repaired during Tommy John surgery- is obviously a worrisome diagnosis, so it’s no surprise that the club is proceeding with care. McKenzie broke out in a big way for Cleveland last season, posting a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work, but has managed just two starts this season between his current injury and a strained teres major muscle he suffered during spring training.
  • The Tigers are expected to welcome left-handers Tarik Skubal and Eduardo Rodriguez back into the rotation this coming week. Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, that the club has Skubal starting on Tuesday and Rodriguez starting Wednesday written down “in pencil”, with a final evaluation of both hurlers required before they return to a major league mound. It’s great news for Detroit, as Rodriguez as been among the best starters in the sport this season; the veteran lefty’s 2.13 ERA across 11 starts this season is the lowest of any pitcher in the majors with at least 60 innings pitched this season. Skubal could provide the club a boost in his own right, as the lefty broke out last year with a 3.52 ERA and 2.96 FIP in 117 2/3 innings of work before he underwent season-ending surgery in August.

Tigers Option Nick Maton, Plan To Reinstate Matt Manning Tomorrow

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The Tigers announced this evening they’ve optioned infielder Nick Maton to Triple-A Toledo. Tyler Nevin was recalled to take his spot on the active roster. There’ll be more moves tomorrow, as the club informed reporters that Matt Manning will return from the 60-day injured list to start Tuesday’s game in Texas (via Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic).

Maton heads to the minors for the first time this year. The left-handed hitting infielder was one of three upper level players acquired from the Phillies for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens over the winter. He’s had a tough first season in Detroit, struggling on both sides of the ball.

The 26-year-old infielder has tallied a career-high 239 plate appearances, ranking fourth on the team in playing time. He’s hitting only .163/.289/.287. Maton is drawing plenty of walks but has gone down on strikes in a quarter of his plate appearances and hasn’t made much of a power impact. He has just six home runs with a middling 33.1% hard contact percentage.

Defense has been a similar issue. Maton has rated between five and six runs below average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast over 303 innings at third base. Those struggles peaked yesterday, when he committed a throwing error with two outs in the eighth inning to allow the Twins to tie the game and couldn’t handle an extra-inning grounder that turned into a game-winning single for Minnesota. Jonathan Schoop draws into the lineup tonight at the hot corner.

As for Manning, he’ll need to return to the 40-man roster tomorrow. He’ll be making his third start of the season. The former ninth overall draftee worked to a solid 3.43 ERA in 12 outings last year. His 2023 campaign was thrown off in mid-April when he was struck on the right foot by a comebacker.

The Tigers could soon welcome back another pair of starters. Tarik Skubal is already on a rehab stint as he works back from last summer’s flexor tendon surgery. He’ll be joined this week by Eduardo Rodriguez, as Detroit announced the veteran southpaw will take the ball for Toledo on Thursday. Rodriguez has been out for just under a month with a finger concern.

AL Central Notes: Anderson, Buxton, E-Rod, Manning

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Over the first 824 games of his Major League career, Tim Anderson had almost exclusively as a shortstop, with a couple of DH days thrown into the mix.  However, Anderson has now made two consecutive starts at second base, as a way of getting the veteran into the White Sox lineup despite some lingering soreness in his right throwing shoulder.  Sox manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and other reporters that “all intentions are for [Anderson] to go back to shortstop” eventually, and that the club was monitoring Anderson’s shoulder on a day-to-day basis.

Considering Chicago’s 33-45 record, it can’t be ignored that Anderson’s temporary move to the keystone could also serve as a showcase for any interested trade partners.  As per most public defensive metrics, Anderson has had subpar glovework as a shortstop over the last two seasons, and a move to second base might eventually be required as Anderson (who turned 30 years old two days ago) gets deeper into his career.  A team doubtful of Anderson’s shortstop defense could be more keen on using him as a second baseman, or an ability to shuttle between both positions might also boost the former All-Star’ trade value given how clubs prize versatile players.  That said, offense is a bigger concern than defense for Anderson at this point, since he has struggled to a .241/.279/.282 slash line over 229 plate appearances while missing about three weeks on the injured list with a left knee sprain.  2023 is the final guaranteed year of Anderson’s contract, as the White Sox hold a $14MM club option on his services for 2024.

More from around the AL Central….

  • Byron Buxton left yesterday’s game due to back spasms, which arose while he was trying to beat out a grounder to first base.  Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park and other reporters that Buxton has been bothered by the back problem for much of the season, and that he is day-to-day pending further evaluation though Buxton seemed “to already be feeling a little bit better” following the game.  Buxton has been used exclusively as a DH this season, with the nagging back issues adding to the surgically-repaired right knee that is still causing Buxton issues, and keeping him out of his usual center field position.
  • Eduardo Rodriguez threw 50 pitches during a live bullpen session on Saturday, and afterwards told reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News) that “everything was perfect — feeling-wise, body-wise, shoulder-wise, finger-wise.”  Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day IL just over a month ago with a pulley rupture in his left index finger, and the unusual nature of the injury made it somewhat difficult to establish a true timeline for his return.  However, McCosky notes that it certainly looks like Rodriguez might be on pace to return to the Tigers rotation prior to the All-Star break, though manager A.J. Hinch said the left-hander will have to make at least one rehab start before being activated from the IL.  Rodriguez has an outstanding 2.13 ERA over 67 2/3 innings for Detroit this season, making him both an important piece for a Tigers team still in the AL Central race, or potentially as a deadline trade chip if the Tigers pivot into seller mode.
  • In other Tigers news, Matt Manning is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL during Detroit’s upcoming series against the Rangers.  Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) that the club hasn’t yet decided if Manning will be activated to start on Tuesday or Thursday, as the Tigers are also factoring in whether or not to give Reese Olson an extra day of rest.  Manning has been sidelined since his second start of the season, when he suffered a right foot fracture after being hit by an Alejandro Kirk comebacker to the mound.

Tigers Place Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Vierling On IL

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The Tigers announced that they have placed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list and infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling on the 10-day injured list. The former has a left index finger pulley rupture while the latter is dealing with a low back injury, with both moves retroactive to May 29. Right-hander Braden Bristo and infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin have been recalled in corresponding moves.

The absence of Rodriguez will be an unfortunate one for the Tigers, as the lefty has been out to an excellent start this year. He has a 2.13 ERA through his first 11 outings, a figure that would easily be the best of his career, which is the 3.81 mark he posted in 2019 with the Red Sox. He’s had a bit of luck from a .253 batting average on balls in play and 83.3% strand rate but his 6.1% walk rate is on pace to be the lowest of his career and his 25.5% strikeout rate is a bit above his career 24% rate.

That excellent campaign will now be put on pause and it seems unlikely he will be able to return after the 15-day minimum. A detailed injury report from the Tigers, relayed by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, says that Rodriguez will rest for seven to days before being re-evaluated for a throwing program. That seems to suggest he’ll need at least a small ramp-up after that rest.

For however long he’s out, the club will need to find another starter to join Michael Lorenzen, Matthew Boyd, Alex Faedo and Joey Wentz in the rotation. Finding a replacement will be a bit tricky given the club’s other injuries, as staters Matt Manning, Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Beau Brieske and Spencer Turnbull are each already on the IL themselves. Reese Olson and Garrett Hill are on the 40-man roster, though each has an ERA above 5.00 in Triple-A this season. Non-roster options include Rony García, Ashton Goudeau and Zach Logue, though they each have a Triple-A ERA of 4.97 or higher this year. The club has an off-day on Thursday but will need a solution at some point this weekend.

Rodriguez has also been floated as a speculative trade candidate for this summer on account of his strong season. That’s complicated by a couple of factors, one is the weak American League Central division. Despite a 25-27 record, the Tigers are in second place in the division and just two games back of the Twins. If they are able to hover around that level, trading one of their better players would be a tough sell.

It’s also complicated by his contract, which allows him to opt out after this season when he will have three years and $49MM remaining on the deal. His strong season was putting him on track to trigger that opt-out, thus making him a rental. However, the three remaining years would give pause to any acquiring club, as they would have the downside of remaining on the hook for that money if Rodriguez got hurt or underperformed after a trade. Such options and opt-outs generally make trades tricky and that would have been the case for Rodriguez. This injury will only add a further layer of complication on any future trade talks.

As for Vierling, he was acquired from the Phillies this offseason and has received regular playing time from the Tigers, appearing in 46 of 52 games thus far. He’s hit .241/.297/.352 for a wRC+ of 82 while stealing four bases and bouncing to all three outfield spots as well as brief stints at second and third base. It’s unclear how long he’s expected to be out of action but it’s possible that utility players like Nevin and Zach McKinstry get some more playing time next to outfield regulars Riley Greene and Akil Baddoo.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: The Cardinals’ Contreras U-Turn, Mitch Keller’s Breakout, The Padres

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Episode 7 of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Simon Hampton is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • The Cardinals’ U-turn on having Willson Contreras catch (4:22)
  • Mitch Keller’s breakout season with the Pirates, and whether he can be their ace moving forward (10:32)
  • When can Reds fans expect to see Elly De La Cruz in the big leagues? (17:09)
  • Eduardo Rodriguez’ form for the Tigers, and whether Detroit can contend this season (20:56)
  • The Padres’ slow start to the season (25:34)

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