Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is entering his final year of team control, in which he’ll earn around $8.3MM in arbitration, but his hope is to remain in Boston beyond 2021.
“I want to stay in Boston as long as my career goes,” he told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “I want to play in Boston forever. That’s where I got to the big leagues. That’s where I got an opportunity. That’s my family. That’s a ballpark where I really love to pitch — the history, everything.”
Rodriguez emphasized to Speier in their discussion, which is worth a full read, how well he is doing after a season cut off because of myocarditis and COVID-19. He expects to return to the mound next year after missing all of 2020 because of those health problems.
“I’m 100 percent and I can start doing everything,” he said. “I feel fine. I feel great.”
You can’t help but feel happy about the progress made by Rodriguez, who was a quality starter for the Red Sox from 2015-19 before his health issues cut him down. Rodriguez recorded a 3.81 ERA/3.88 FIP in 203 1/3 innings as a member of the Red Sox two seasons ago and looked like one of the top young starters in the game then. One of the main questions now is whether the 27-year-old will stay in Boston for the long haul.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom didn’t make it clear in an interview with WEEI (via Rob Bradford) how serious he is about an extension for Rodriguez, but he did say there’s “a mutual desire” to hammer out an agreement. However, if no extension comes together in the coming months and Rodriguez reestablishes himself as a formidable rotation option next year, he’ll be a very appealing free agent a year from now.
Boston needs to go sign Tanaka.
i hope they sign as many ex-Yankees as they can to annoy their fans…and heck, let the Yankees do the same when a big RS free agent hits the market. its great entertainment.
That didn’t work out so well for the Yankees last time.
Did with Clemens, though…
Clemens signed with the Blue Jays and was traded to the Yankees
Ellsbury was a wonderful signing for the Yankees and their fans.
Not many Sox signings from the Yankees in recent memory that had an impact. Damon was a good pick up by NY but the Sox got him the same way. For fans old enough to remember, seeing El Tiante in pinstripes was a disgrace.
And he used PEDs to help Yanks cheat in 99,00
That was weird, though, no more so than Boggs. But the most disgraceful was Youk. He never belonged in pinstripes.
Boggs was about as an unlikable player as they come, when he left we missed his production, but that’s it
No that never works out. That was the old Red Sox.
Uh, no.
Tanka the next Tommy John surgery waiting to happen….
People have been saying that for the last 5 years about Tanaka.
Screw Tanaka. Overrated
All ex-Yankees the Sox sign immediately become failures. It’s called the Ramiro Mendoza Effect…
Tanaka is shot, can’t throw the splitter anymore. The Res Sox can have him, he’ll get lit up there.
I still can’t believe the orioles traded him away
Of course the Orioles traded him.
It’s what they do.
To be honest about it tho.. Andrew Miller at the time was also saying he wanted to remain in Boston, yet they traded him away for Rodriquez and Miller was the one of the top relievers in the game for 3-4y afterwards,
Remember, ERod had that knee issue the 1st 3+ years where it kept coming out of place and wasn’t fixed until year 4 with Boston, causing long DL stints. He really could have put up better numbers than he did had the team and himself addressed that chronically bad knee earlier. That said? I’d like to see him remain if they can get him signed reasonable to a 4-5y deal. He’s only like 28yo I believe.
Problem with knees is they are never truly fixed. As ERod has been a big boy, his knee has already taken a pounding and whomever signs him including Boston should anticipate some stretches in the future on the IL. Also, we hope he’s 100% but I personally worry about stamina and strength after what he’s been through. Can he handle a closer’s role should it be a long term issue? Hopefully he is 100% as he says.
Glad he’s back to being healthy. I’ll root against him on the field until he changes uniforms but I’m rooting for him health wise.
I’m so glad E-rod is healthy again, I was ready to hear some bad news that I really didn’t want to hear. Tbh, I’d love to see Texas sign him next off-season, but he’s a Red Sox. He even seems like the type of guy to take a (minor) pay cut to stay with the team he loves. I can appreciate that. He seems like a good dude, and I hope to see his career flourish along with the Sox.
Funny how players on the last year of contracts or arb., always profess ultimate love for their current team hoping to get a high degree of interest returned in the form of a big, multi year contract….mark it down, should another team offer greater years, or a larger contract, he will do “what’s best for his family” and leave town.
Exactly what type of player takes a “hometown discount” these days especially when there is a better offer on the table?
it’s been over 20 years now, but Tony Gwynn was my hero
It’s called public relations. You know… the kind of things you have agents for and have coach you to say.
Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw both took hometown discounts and nobody can argue against that.
Its always nice to list two of the highest paid players when talking about how they took a discount. Shurrr they did. Trout became the best paid player in baseball history, when he gave a “discount”!
Acuna did. Albies did.
Are you saying that they couldn’t possibly have made more by becoming free agents? Kershaw took a 3-year deal as 30 y.o. to make $31M annually while he had just made $35M.
Jared Weaver. Sat at his press conference abs said “how much do you really need?” Boras was next to him with steam coming out of his ears.
Loved it.
They also claim to be healthy. To admit otherwise hurts their value.
What do you classify as “these days”? Chipper Jones. How about Joe Mauer? Even though it didn’t end well, at the time, it was a record breaking AND a “HOMETOWN discount” contract.
I don’t think he’ll have the opportunity to “play in Boston forever”. He’ll be useful as long as the algorithms say he is.
Here’s a question: Do people think that analytical teams like the Rays, Red Sox, and Dodgers are going to be “impersonal” and just play by the numbers? For example, you have a pitcher like Wainwright who is in his late 30’s and puts up a consistent 4.00 era, do you release or trade him? Is the point to win or to keep a good culture that respects the players? Just something to think about.
Heck, the Rays traded Longo, who was essentially their captain for a decade. Yes, he was overpaid, but he was instrumental to them. IDK, give me y’alls opinion.
I think it’s all factored into the analysis. Throw a little extra money to a respected player or an unlikely team hero and you’re showing all players that management isn’t completely impersonal. Might make it easier to sign or extend a different player.
Bad example because money always factors in with Tampa.
Henry and Bloom will try and lowball him and he’ll be gone after 2021 and then Bloom will bring in 5-6 BBB’s to try and replace him.
Baseball players have always been discarded once they were no longer considered “useful.” The analytics are just a different rationale.
Gotta love “tanaka the next candidate for TJ surgery”. Like who as a fan can predict that? Stupid, just scroll on and keep your mouth(keyboard) quiet.
he had a partial tear of his ucl a couple years ago so he’s been a tjs waiting to happen ever since. a really durable “certain” tjs patient. reminds me of Nolan Ryan in that way
The future of erod in Boston is tied to 5 things:
1) what version of Chris sale returns
2) the ascendency of houck, and trajectory of mata, and to a much lesser extent groome this year
3) exactly what type of salary and discount erod envisions
4) what version of pivetta shows up a full season long
5) what this offseason turns up for SP additions and how they fare.
If sale is shaky erod is much more important. Likewise, if bloom makes a bunch of reclamation and aaaa signings, and none pan out you need erod a little more.
But if sale rebounds strong, Houck repeats 2020s showing, pivetta is solid in his new scenery, and Mata looks on track along with groome recovering nicely… well, erod’s more expendable in the long term unless there is a very affordable deal.
It’s lots of ifs, but, my guess is absent a very team friendly deal bloom rolls the dice when theres as many moving parts as there are. (And as cheap as henry has sounded of late)
For 2021 the sox will go with low $$ 1 yr deals; 2 or 3 of Lester, Porcello types; 1 or 2 RP’s; and, 2 or 3 of Pillar, Moreland, Cesar Hernandez types.
If it works they will add in July, if not they will trade anyone with value to rebuild the farm.
Groome is almost a non factor at this point. The only reason hes even on the 40 man is to save him from being a rule 5 pick. Hes shown almost nothing at all in the minors yet due to injuries, so he would have to turn into DeGrom overnight in order to have any impact on erod.
This us the kind of player that I want to face (and beat, of course) as a Rays fan, much more so than the free agents. Bring it.
If there’s a decent deal to be had, should try and lock him up. Good pitcher coming off of a missed year, should be easier to sign him now than if he has another good year in 21 and can ride that to a bigger payday
The biggest advantage of Cora returning will be his impact on Rodriguez and Devers. Rodriguez reminds me of Lester. Once Lester learned to throw to both sides of the plate he took a big step forward – Lester’s guidance came from Varitek. Looking forward to watching Rodriguez pitch again.
The thing that always got me about Lester was how do you become a MLB pitcher, yet, you CANNOT throw to 1st?
How does that even happen?
And yet, even though that was no secret, he didn’t get run on all that often.
Wasn’t Varitek a guy who said, “I’m staying in Boston, figure it out,” to his agent before every new contract?
Clemens was let go after 4 mediocre years in Boston, roided up in Toronto and cashed in with the yankees.
Wakefield stayed as long as they paid him $4M a year until he was done. Took about every job on the staff.
I think Lester was a debacle but he helped the Cubs win along with Rizzo, another debacle. Not happy about their departures but happy for the Cubs.
I hope Erod stays, he can be solid for awhile.
Agreed, Why. The Lester departure occurred during another of John Henry’s erratic belt-tightening episodes. Something to the effect of ‘not signing pitchers over 30.’ Sox never should have let Lester leave Boston. Then, Henry okays the signing of Price – erratic. Glad Lester had success in Chicago. You see Lester bought $47K of beers for Cubs fans a few weeks ago? Class guy.
google.ca/amp/s/www.si.com/.amp/mlb/2020/11/02/cub…