Top 10 Landing Spots for Tigers' Eduardo Rodriguez in MLB Free Agency
The decision to leave $49 million on the table and opt out of the final three years of his contract became a no-brainer for Eduardo Rodriguez when he put together a stellar bounce-back season in 2023.
The 30-year-old ranked a notch below Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray and Japanese League standout Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a deep class of free-agent starters, and with both Nola and Gray already signed, his market could heat up at next week's winter meetings.
His decision to veto a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the summer adds an extra layer of intrigue to his free-agency narrative.
Ahead, we've taken a closer look at his potential suitors and ranked his most likely landing spots in free agency.
What Is Rodriguez's Value in Free Agency?
1 of 12
A year ago, it looked like Eduardo Rodriguez might be sitting on one of the worst contracts in baseball after posting 0.2 WAR over 17 starts in the first season of a five-year, $77 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.
However, he rebounded to go 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 143 strikeouts in 152.2 innings in 2023, leading him to opt out of the final three years and $49 million of his contract to test the free agency waters once again.
The 30-year-old ranked No. 10 in B/R's list of the Top 100 free agents of the offseason, behind only Shohei Ohtani (1), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2), Aaron Nola (3), Blake Snell (4), Jordan Montgomery (7) and Sonny Gray (9) among starting pitchers.
One interesting wrinkle to his free agency is the fact that he vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2023 trade deadline, citing his family's comfort as a motivating factor in not wanting to join the NL West division champs.
That doesn't necessarily eliminate all West Coast teams from the conversation, but it certainly pushes them down the list a bit relative to where they might otherwise rank.
Now the question is what he's worth.
Veterans Lance Lynn ($11 million), Kyle GIbson ($13 million) and Luis Severino ($13 million) have each signed one-year deals, while Kenta Maeda (two years, $24 million) and Nick Martinez (two years, $26 million) landed at similar price points on two-year pacts.
It's reasonable to slot Rodriguez a notch above those guys, but also a notch below Aaron Nola (seven years, $172 million) and Sonny Gray (three years, $75 million) in terms of earning power. That would make something in the $15-18 million range the likely expectation for Rodriguez's annual salary.
Recent deals signed by Jameson Taillon (four years, $68 million) and Taijuan Walker (four years, $72 million) line up with that price range, and with a slightly better track record of success, Rodriguez might be able to squeeze out a fifth year.
That four-year, $72 million deal Walker signed with the Philadelphia Phillies might be the most likely outcome, with the potential for that to stretch to a five-year, $90 million contract if the market is robust.
Honorable Mentions
2 of 12
Los Angeles Dodgers
There is clearly interest on the Dodgers' end considering they had put together a trade package to acquire Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers before he exercised his right to veto the deal, and that need has only grown with several question marks in the rotation. With more time to negotiate a long-term deal, the Dodgers might have been able to convince him, so don't rule them out as suitors once again this winter.
Toronto Blue Jays
With Hyun Jin Ryu departing in free agency, the Blue Jays have a vacant spot in the starting rotation behind Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi. Ideally, Alek Manoah would return to form and be the answer, but relying on him to hold down a rotation spot after his 2023 struggles would be risky to say the least. The Toronto front office has certainly shown a willingness to spend on pitching.
Washington Nationals
Looking for a dark horse? The Nationals have shown a willingness to spend money over the years, and after going 35-37 after the All-Star break, they might be ready for a more aggressive approach in free agency. Rodriguez signed onto a rebuild in Detroit, so he's not opposed to getting in at the ground floor for a team in transition.
10. New York Yankees
3 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
RHP Gerrit Cole
LHP Carlos Rodón
RHP Michael King
RHP Clarke Schmidt
LHP Nestor Cortes
Last offseason, the New York Yankees made a splash when they signed Carlos Rodón—a lefty starter with an inconsistent track record coming off a terrific contract year—to a lucrative six-year, $162 million contract.
The early return on that megadeal was a 6.85 ERA over 64.1 innings.
Rodriguez does not come with the same long history of injury issues, but he has been far from consistent over the course of his career, so the Yankees might want to steer clear of making a similar mistake to the one they did a year ago.
On the flip side, it looks like they need at least one more rotation piece, especially considering how their depth has been put to the test in recent years and the fact that Michael King will be a full-time starter for the first time in his career.
9. Detroit Tigers
4 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
LHP Tarik Skubal
RHP Kenta Maeda
RHP Matt Manning
RHP Reese Olson
RHP Casey Mize
A reunion with the Detroit Tigers is not out of the question, though it became a lot less likely after Kenta Maeda was signed to a two-year contract to fill Rodriguez's vacated spot in the starting rotation.
Healthy seasons from Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning and Casey Mize could give the Tigers one of the best young rotations in baseball if everything clicks, while Reese Olson had a 3.99 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 103.2 innings as one of the better under-the-radar rookie pitchers of the 2023 season.
With Mize coming off a lost 2023 season spent recovering from Tommy John surgery and Manning sidelined down the stretch with a broken foot, the Tigers could use some quality depth. Now that Maeda is in the fold, they will likely aim lower with any other additions they make to the starting pitching contingent.
8. Arizona Diamondbacks
5 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
RHP Zac Gallen
RHP Merrill Kelly
RHP Brandon Pfaadt
RHP Ryne Nelson
LHP Tommy Henry
Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are one of baseball's best starting pitching tandems, while Brandon Pfaadt solidified his spot in the rotation behind them with a terrific run as the team's No. 3 starter during the playoffs.
The fact that the team opted to go with an opener in Game 4 during their postseason run speaks to the question marks behind that trio on the staff, and while Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry have both shown potential, the team would be better served having them compete for the No. 5 starter job rather than penciling them both into the Opening Day staff.
The D-backs have shown a willingness to spend big on starting pitching before with the Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner contracts, so there is some precedent for a free-agency splash.
7. Minnesota Twins
6 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
RHP Pablo López
RHP Joe Ryan
RHP Bailey Ober
RHP Chris Paddack
RHP Louie Varland
With Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda both gone in free agency, the Minnesota Twins have two spots to fill in a starting rotation that led the American League and ranked second in the majors with a 3.82 ERA en route to an AL Central title.
A healthy Chris Paddack can step into one of those vacated spots after he looked sharp in his late-season return from Tommy John surgery, including 3.2 scoreless innings in the postseason. The 27-year-old is entering the second season of a three-year, $12.5 million contract.
Right-hander Louie Varland pitched much better as a reliever (7 G, 1.50 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 12.8 K/9) than he did as a starter (10 GS, 5.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 8.7 K/9), while young pitchers Jordan Balazovic, Simeon Woods Richardson and Matt Canterino are also rotation options on the 40-man roster. That leaves the door open for at least one major signing to bolster the rotation, and Rodriguez could be that guy.
6. New York Mets
7 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
RHP Kodai Senga
LHP José Quintana
RHP Luis Severino
RHP Tylor Megill
LHP Joey Lucchesi
After trading away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, and with Carlos Carrasco departing in free agency, the New York Mets have multiple spots to fill in the starting rotation, even after signing Luis Severino to a one-year deal earlier this week.
They are expected to be major players for Japanese League standout Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but even if they sign him, they could target Rodriguez as a secondary addition to the staff, similar to the under-the-radar move to sign José Quintana to a two-year, $26 million amid all their other wheeling and dealing last winter.
It remains to be seen exactly what the Mets have in mind for their short-term outlook, and whether their priority will be contention in 2024 or a more sustainable approach in the years to come. Until they show their hand, they have to be considered contenders for almost every arm on the market.
5. Chicago Cubs
8 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
LHP Justin Steele
RHP Jameson Taillon
RHP Kyle Hendricks
LHP Jordan Wicks
RHP Javier Assad
The late-season success of rookies Jordan Wicks (7 GS, 4.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 24 K, 34.2 IP) and Javier Assad (32 G, 10 GS, 3.05 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 94 K, 109.1 IP) could move starting pitching down the list of needs for the Chicago Cubs this offseason.
They also exercised their $16.5 million club option on longtime starter Kyle Hendricks, so theoretically they could roll with their current projected five-man rotation, even with veteran Marcus Stroman departing in free agency.
Then again, they could just as easily repurpose the $25 million they paid Stroman in 2023 on a multiyear deal for Rodriguez or another quality starter. That would leave Wicks and Assad to compete for the No. 5 starter job.
4. Boston Red Sox
9 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
LHP Chris Sale
RHP Brayan Bello
RHP Nick Pivetta
RHP Kutter Crawford
RHP Tanner Houck
The Boston Red Sox finished 22nd in the majors with a 4.68 ERA from the starting rotation last season, so a reunion with Eduardo Rodriguez could help push their staff closer to the middle of the pack.
The young trio of Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck has the potential to be the foundation of a solid staff, and Chris Sale stayed healthy enough to throw more than 100 innings for the first time since 2019, but rolling with the above projected rotation would be risky to say the least.
Rodriguez went 64-39 with a 4.16 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 892 strikeouts in 856.2 innings over six seasons with the Red Sox to begin his career, racking up 14.3 WAR and finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting during the 2019 season.
3. Atlanta Braves
10 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
LHP Max Fried
RHP Spencer Strider
RHP Charlie Morton
RHP Bryce Elder
RHP Huascar Ynoa
With Kyle Wright traded to the Kansas City Royals, Ian Anderson recovering from Tommy John surgery and young starters like AJ Smith-Shawver, Dylan Dodd, Darius Vines and Allan Winans still largely unproven at the MLB level, the Atlanta Braves are in the market for veteran starting pitching help.
Max Fried, Spencer Strider and Charlie Morton are locks for the first three spots in the rotation and Bryce Elder will almost certainly join them, but the 2023 All-Star looks like one of baseball's most obvious regression candidates after posting a 5.11 ERA in 11 starts during the second half and logging poor batted-ball metrics.
The Braves were linked to Sonny Gray before he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, so they are willing to spend some money on a second-tier veteran starting pitcher.
2. Cincinnati Reds
11 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
RHP Hunter Greene
LHP Andrew Abbott
RHP Nick Martinez
RHP Graham Ashcraft
LHP Nick Lodolo
The Cincinnati Reds have already taken steps to upgrade a pitching staff that ranked 25th in the majors with a 4.83 ERA, signing reliever Emilio Pagán and swingman Nick Martinez to multiyear deals in free agency, but there is still work to be done.
The Reds have been speculatively linked to Tyler Glasnow, Shane Bieber and Dylan Cease already this offseason, and they have the young pieces to swing a blockbuster trade to find the proven staff ace they are currently lacking.
Even if they reel in one of those big fish on the trade block, they could still make a play for Rodriguez in free agency. Pitching is the clear focus of the offseason with a dynamic young offensive core in place and no glaring holes on the position player side of things.
1. Baltimore Orioles
12 of 12
Current Projected Rotation
RHP Kyle Bradish
RHP Grayson Rodriguez
LHP John Means
RHP Dean Kremer
LHP Cole Irvin
The emergence of Kyle Bradish and a strong second half from Grayson Rodriguez have the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation trending in the right direction, and a healthy John Means will also be a huge boon to the club's pitching situation.
However, they clearly still need at least one more quality frontline option, and with a wealth of young talent and money to spend they can make a play for anyone they decided to target in both free agency and on the trade block.
Rodriguez started his career in the Baltimore organization before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the 2014 deadline in a one-for-one swap for reliever Andrew Miller, so that adds another layer to this potential fit.
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "McVay Explains Viral Presser")
.jpg?w=600 "Thibodeaux, Diggs Top Landing Spots 🛬")