Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is returning to free agency, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman (X link) reports that Rodriguez has opted out of the last three years and $49MM on his contract with the Tigers.
Today was the deadline for E-Rod to enact his opt-out clause, and it has long seemed like the southpaw would indeed take the opportunity to again test the market. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in early October that the club was first waiting on Rodriguez’s opt-out decision before discussing an extension, yet MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported yesterday that the two sides were having some level of talks “about potentially restructuring his contract.”
The nature of these discussions might not be known now that Rodriguez has opted out, though the Tigers still hold exclusive negotiating rights with the lefty until Monday. It would seem like a longshot if a new deal did come together with Rodriguez so close to being able to speak with other teams, yet he did express his love of playing in Detroit in August after E-Rod used his 10-team no-trade clause to reject a proposed deal to the Dodgers.
Rodriguez signed a five-year, $77MM deal during the 2021-22 offseason, as the Tigers splurged on both E-Rod and Javier Baez as a way of signalling that the team was ready to contend after a rebuilding period. Instead, the Tigers stumbled to a 66-96 record in 2022, due to a punchless offense and a multitude of pitching injuries. Rodriguez was hit by the injury bug in the form of a ribcage sprain, but his extended absence during the middle of the 2022 campaign was due to a family-related personal matter. The Tigers put Rodriguez on the restricted list for most of that absence, and he ended up tossing only 91 innings (with a 4.05 ERA).
A pulley rupture in his left index finger put E-Rod on the injured list for a little over five weeks this season, but by and large, 2023 was a more normal year for the left-hander. Rodriguez posted a 3.30 ERA over 152 2/3 innings, with a less-flattering 4.26 SIERA and a set of Statcast metrics that generally landed either slightly above or slightly below league averages.
It makes for an interesting comparison to Rodriguez’s last foray into free agency, when he landed that $77MM deal on the strength of some good underlying metrics, even though he had a 4.74 ERA over 157 2/3 frames for the Red Sox in 2021. Without a qualifying offer impacting his market this time around, Rodriguez shouldn’t have much issue topping three years and $49MM, and another five-year pact seems very plausible since he doesn’t turn 31 until April.
However, geography might be a bit of a limiting factor for Rodriguez. Staying close to his family on the East Coast was reportedly a reason E-Rod vetoed the trade to the Dodgers, so if he wasn’t willing to head west for just the remainder of the 2023 season, it’s probably not too likely that he’d join a team in the western U.S. for a longer term. These feelings could potentially change once Rodriguez and his representatives fully gauge the market, yet for now, it would appear as though clubs in the east or more central (like Detroit) parts of the baseball world might have an advantage.
Back to the Red Sox..? Hopefully
Hopefully not. He’s inconsistent and more likely than not to be a massive overpay
Not only that he pitched against the Sox this season and got hammered. Sox knew his weaknesses and exploited them .He won’t be back with the Sox.
If he goes back to the Sox, he won’t get hammered by the Sox. Make sense now?
You just won the stupid comment of the month award.
Agreed about the overpay. I’d welcome him with open arms if he were cheap but there is no guarantee he puts up the numbers people expect for the price we pay. If I remember, he was not great at Febway due to being lefty.
All FA signings are overpays. 29 other teams said that was too much.
Nooooooooooooooooo!
What Pedro’s mango said
Not sure what you were looking at, they were lucky to get 5 innings an outing out of him when he left, and you get the feeling when he pitched he was a nibbler far too often!
Rather overpay for Montgomery. He’ll have a chip on his shoulder facing the yanks, and rightfully so. One of the Biggest mistakes they made. He seems steady. Always liked him, didn’t understand why the Yanks never seemed to.
“After conferring with my family, who loves Detroit…”
Damn him for using his contractual right. What a bad sport!
My snippy quips aside, you’re right deeds.
It’s not that he doesn’t have the right. He didn’t have to give the whole family likes Detroit explanation. He chose to. If he signs with a West Coast team, you know he hates the Dodger organization
Who says he’s leaving Detroit? My guess is when it’s over, he’s still a Tiger.
I’m not so sure I’d say that he hates the Dodgers. He earned his no trade rights, and wanted to be compensated for waiving them. The Dodgers, seemingly, didn’t want to do so. With all of the lost games in the starting rotation, especially late, I’m not sure how much of a difference he would’ve made anyways.
Yeah I remember he wanted an additional year to approve the trade to the Dodgers. A real expensive one year. The Dodgers said ‘no’ so the trade was vetoed. It was never really about wanting to stay in Detroit. It was about the $$.
I can’t find anything that says he wanted an extra year to accept a deal.
Here is what this site reported at the time
mlbtraderumors.com/2023/08/eduardo-rodriguez-vetoe…
Its was always about staying close to family on the east coast.
You also have to consider that moving in season can shake up a whole family as opposed to moving in the off-season when you have more time and will to relocate your family.
Follow the money.
Deed, then why did he hide behind his family instead of just saying he was exercising his no-trade clause. Good riddance to a guy who was just too much trouble!
Maybe the tigers shouldn’t be dumb enough to give out no trade clauses now? Remember that when free agents choose other teams over the tigers because they aren’t giving out no trade clauses now.
Yeah unless he’s just posturing to get a bigger deal from the Tigers, it made no sense for him to reject a trade.
I get it’s in his contract and that his family apparently liked it there, but why would you turn down a chance at a ring just to spend another two months where you’re at?
The guy has gone through marital issues and there are more important things in life than going to the playoffs.
Your name is literally Baseball Is Life
Sure, but those would be exactly the reasons why you do NOT opt out.
Leverage if Detroit wants him back.
So you would choose baseball over your family?
But they would be exactly the reason why you would refuse a trade for 2 months.
Tom Brady told his wife to take a hike, you only get one athletic career you can get a wife after….
You must not really like your family much. He turned down the trade so he would not have to uproot his family and interrupt their lives, when he may be doing it this offseason. He didn’t want to do it twice, and realizes its all about others, not you.
He now has more time to move. Mid-season can be too quick
No big surprise here, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he got a 5 year deal.
Just me (I’m a Tiger fan), but I think he’s going to hang around on the FA market for some time and end up signing a “less than” expected contract. It will not be much better than the contract he just left.
Isn’t that what pretty much happened with Andrew Chafin last year?
Alex Anthopoulos has a history of striking early. I wouldn’t be surprised if he offered 5/75 today.
He can’t until Monday.
I have him pegged for the Braves or another team closer to his home in Florida.
I would absolutely be surprised to see that, definitely not an AA type of move…Free agency not exactly his forte especially for 5 years nor starting pitching
Yeah, but the rotation was a problem all year long. They’re gonna need to sign at least one SP this winter, and we know it won’t be Snell.
Cardinals are desperate enough for pitching he won’t be hanging around the market to long…
Bruhhhh, I thought he LOVED Detroit
He could end up with any of 28 teams.
A’s are too cheap.
And Dodgers . . . !
Red dox need to sign him back
As a Red Sox fan I’d take him, average is better than what we currently got after Bello. I think he’s plan B though, plan A is Yamamoto who hasn’t been diseased by the 100 pitch count thing. I think Paxton deserves to be re-signed as well.
this is harris’ fault for trying to trade him to a team on his no trade list in the final hours of the deadline.
You don’t that he didn’t or if there were any offers Baltimore obviously needed him but wouldn’t part with any prospects & they lost because they didn’t have enough pitching!
a case of prime for him is better than him walking like he just did.
depends on the player. max waived his to go to texas
I’ve been saying since he turned down that trade to the Dodgers…. No, he doesn’t love Detroit. That’s not why he turned it down. He turned it down because he wanted more. The Dodgers declined to re-work his contract. And, that type of hardball was exactly what he was going to play when it came time to decide.
The Tigers would have had to blow him away with a contract offer in order for him not to opt out. He may end up re-signing, but I doubt it. I’m sure Detroit made their best and final offer and it wasn’t good enough.
This doesn’t make much sense to me. You turn down that trade for personal reasons, not professional. The only professional reason would be him not wanting to regress on a more prominent stage. The plus side here is a larger platform and postseason success, both of which could have increased his marketshare considerably past what it currently is
The Athletic reported that E-Rod wanted an extra year and a raise and the Dodgers declined.
I’d also like to speculate that he has a toxic wife and she played a role in his decision.
You are correct.
I doubt that HARRIS will even attempt to sign him back. HARRIS looked like a fool at the trade deadline. He knew the Dodgers were on the no trade list, but tried anyway. His mistake was he did not have a backup plan. When it fell thru, because a new contract could not be agreed upon, HARRIS was left empty handed. I feel he blames that on E-Rod. Tigers will move on to someone else.
I read his family lives in Miami and not Detroit anyhow.
That’s correct. His family lives in Miami.
I was in a toxic relationship for almost 5 years. The things I would do to keep that crazy relationship intact are incompressible to me now. I’ve read a lot of articles about E-Rod and I feel that there’s a lot of similar symptoms.
I may be wrong (and I hope for his sake, I am). But, mark my words, E-Rod has more unexplainable behavior to come. And if I may make one more prediction, he’s going to end up somewhere in the south/southeast. The latter I’m not as sure about as I am the former.
detroit said th u would wait to see what he gets offered because the fact is he missed time both years in detroit and i would rather see them pivot to nola
So he lied. Bye.
It was his contractual right to decline a trade and it was his contractual right to opt out. Who cares?
Scotty Harris screwed the pooch there. Why try and trade him to a team on his no trade list? That makes no sense unless you talk to him first and find out if he’s open to it. Trade him somewhere that he doesn’t have that option. I bet Texas or Miami or Arizona would have loved having a top starter as a rental.
Oh well, let the clown show continue in Detroit. Wyatt Langford will be so much better than Max Clark. Guaranteed.
I feel like E-Rod led Harris to believe he was going to waive his no trade clause. It’s not like Harris could throw him under the bus with this opt out decision looming. No, you play nice and professional and that’s exactly what he did.
I’m pretty certain Harris harbors some resentment over that.
Well, I believe Harris is a clown and didn’t even know there was a no trade in ERod’s contract..
I’m quite certain that E-Rod’s agent would have reminded him if didn’t know, but realistically it is naive to assume that a GM doesn’t know what is in a player’s contract before offering said player up for trade.
Melchez…Harris isnt going anywhere anytime soon. Pick a new favorite team if he bugs you that much. Your favorite player Langford is in Texas go cheer for them. Everyone was pissed by the Erod thing (probably even Harris).
This is Scotty “freakin’ I need to see what we have” Harris. It’s Detroit… it’s like standing in front of the fridge with the door open when all that’s in there is some spoiled milk.
Do your job man!
I was cheering for them. They signed Seager when Tiger fans poo pooed… “Ooooh, he won’t be playing SS 5 years from now” They were just as bad as Detroit a few years ago… now look at them. World series champs with a strong minor league system.
Tiger fans said you can’t build a major league team and the farm at the same time. ROTFLMAO!!!! Maybe Scotty Harris can’t do it, but yes, it can be done.
According to Harris they didn’t inform ERod of the potential trade until the night before the trade deadline.
The Bum is on Chris’s payroll.
Rah rah…Goooo Team!
He is Mr. Positive. This is the very first time I’ve ever heard him say something negative. Harris understands it’s about.making money for.the owner, the fans don’t have any choice.
It’s a monopoly. Detroiters.and.Michiganders have no other choice to.show thier.loyalty.
The Texas Rangers were awesome this year. I was rooting, all the way home.
He knew. Rodriguez changed his mind at the last second. Harris is a million times smarter than all these arm chair GMs.
Of course the trade outline was worked out with Rodriguez’ knowledge and consent. He tried to squeeze more out of the Dodgers at the last minute, Dodgers wouldn’t bite so he screwed the Tigers over by vetoing the trade. You know, the team that paid him millions while he sat out for stress or whatever.
Why would you try and trade a player to a team on the no trade list unless you knew for sure he would accept the trade. That’s literally the meaning of a “No Trade List”.
He was not paid while on the restricted list.
That is not the case. Harris said that they did not approach Erod about a trade to the Dodgers until less than 24 hours before the deadline.
I can find nothing from ERod or his agent saying they asked for more money. I found speculation from writers, but even they acknowledged that it was mere speculation. ERod himself was clear about why he said no. Family.
We are all asking that question. More important, why didn’t HARRIS have a backup plan. There was still 2 hrs to go when it was vetoed. How was that last 2 hrs spent? Did offers drop because everyone knew HARRIS had no leverage? Is that why he refused to do anything?
If Harris held resentment then why did he try to renegotiate his contact?
Your points make no sense.
It has been pretty well discussed, but ERod did not tell Harris up front that he would nix a deal to the Dodgers. He waited until he could see if the Dodgers would pay him more. They chose not to. ERod chose to invoke the clause.
ERod has put himself ahead of the team from day 1. Remember, his deal 2 years ago was a below market kind of deal. He only took it because he got the opt out and the no trade clause. Avila had no choice.
Harris has lots of choices. ERod will most certainly not be in the Tiger rotation next year.
I’m going to disagree with your statement that he put the team ahead of himself from day 1. He missed half of 2022 due to personal reasons.
His statement was that he put himself ahead of the team so actually you guys agree
You don’t even negotiate with a team on the no trade list unless you know for sure… Harris didn’t know. He’s a clown.
Naw, Harris isn’t the clown. ERod is. Everyone was and still is laughing at his decisions. He cares only about himself. Not winning, not a team. Just himself lol
If he cared about winning, why sign with Detroit in the first place? Yes, he did it for himself. He let everyone know what he intended to do. Scotty Harris just didn’t listen.
The clowns are the ones being fleeced of thier hard earned money…..
I understand, a lot of people make a lot more money than the average Joe for doing PRACTICALLY NOTHING….they can afford it….
And the truth be told, the Billy Crystals and.other rich people of the world like it that way and would rather WE working class folks didn’t even go to the games to polute the air they breathe…..except to serve them thier refreshments and snacks….
Soon, that will be true.
When was the last time you saw those EMPTY BOX SEATS OCCUPIED BY A BOY SCOUT TROOP or A GROUP OF SCHOOL KIDS?
Rich people are different nowadays….don’t even feel the need to put up a facade…..
Don’t give unless there is a spotlight on thier names…..
And I do think Billy Crystal might be a nice guy, I don’t know him and probably shouldn’t have singled him out – it’s just a name.
I do know, I am easily bamboozled…..
Wish I could flag this comment for being just plain stupid. You don’t know what other teams were interested or what they offered. You don’t know that the Tigers didn’t talk to E-Rod about a potential trade to the Dodgers or any other team on his no-trade list. You just don’t know.
I hope one day we learn of the players that would have been sent to Detroit, had the deal gone through. One day, someone’s memoir will tell us.
You might be right… Maybe no one offered to trade for a solid left handed starter during a playoff run… Maybe other teams demanded the Tigers throw in Riley Greene in order to take him? Maybe every other team wanted the Tigers to pay the next 4 years of ERods salary in order to take him off their hands?
But, I’m going to go out on a limb and say, I’m pretty sure somebody not on the no trade list would have offered more than nothing to take him.
But I’m a mega optimist.
Guaranteed, eh?
No surprise. IF you could make more money, as in millions of dollars more, tell me you wouldn’t do it. That goes double, if you are married and want to stay married…..
No surprise at all.
Clint Eastwood shot up and blew up half of Mexico for a fist full……(and a nun, and he wasn’t even Catholic).
Beam me up!
All the bu.t.thurt Tigers fans spewing hate at the man for exercising the right the Tigers gave him in his contact.
ERod had marital issues bad enough that he took time off without pay to fix them then choose to stay in Detroit with his family instead of uprooting them for 2 months. Those are good qualities in a person. Family comes first.
Then he should stay right there with them now and not be opting out, especially because he should not get paid more than this in a new deal (except some idiot will do it).
Not the case at all. Now wherever he signs he will be taking his family with him long term and making more money. Its still about family.
He knew he would have to uproot them when he opted out. He wasn’t going to uproot his family twice. If the extension had been agreed to with LAD, he may have agreed, as only one move on his family. HARRIS had to know a veto was possible. Why no backup plan?
Cincy could use him, but will Po Boy be competitive for pitching? He hasn’t so far.
Opt-outs are always in the player’s favor. Play well, then opt out (E-Rod). Play terribly, then opt in (Baez).
Mistakes made from the desperation of Al Avila….
Any team that gives opt outs for the player is foolish.
You either agree to the whole contract or you don’t. If you want a shorter contract, sign one.
I agree it’s frustrating as a fan. But, it’s the only way some teams would ever attract top free agents. I don’t think Nick Castellanos would have signed with the Reds without the opt out clauses. But I agree it is frustrating. The only way they are staying is if they are hurt or underperforming.
Similar age to Rodon and Walker from last year. I’ll put him in the middle of their contracts. About 5/120
That would be a massive overpay for ERod. He had a good reputation as a teammate with the Red Sox, but he hasn’t shown any leadership on the Tigers.
What’s your proof?
Take that money, add in some more, and extend Skubal. Please and thank you.
Skubal for Cy Young in 24?
Very possible. Always liked him (of course), but was worried he may not come back strong. But boy, did he.
No word from Baez. That’s no surprise either. I like Joannie. Maybe she could the national anthem now that she’s a little older and a little wiser. So, it makes sense.
Bring Eduardo back to Boston.
Crank up the rumor mill. Every team is the most likely to sign him.
Joins the Gray/Montgomery tier of FA SP’s. Makes for a more interesting off-season. He coukd do worse than staying in Detroit…Tigers are coming around and could definitely steal a wide open division.
Maybe cubs kick the tires on him
We’ll see if the Tigers and E-Rod can work anything out in the next day or so. You expect the opt out even if they are still negotiating. Longshot? Maybe so because I suspect Harris isn’t going to negotiate against himself and go well over market to resign E-Rod when there are going to be plenty of SP available on the market this off season. But both sides could very well be still talking.
A lot of fans cast dispersions on E-Rod for saying he loved playing in Detroit. Yea, players say those things but I suspect he really did love playing in Detroit. But that does not mean he is going to leave money on the table to stay in Detroit. And there is likely plenty of money on that table.
For every new FA starter on the market, there is a new team in need of a starter. And there weren’t enough to go around to begin with. We just saw bullpen games in the World Series!!!
This dude is actually a clown. He vetoed a trade to LA (a significantly better team than DET, and who the hell would ever want to live in Detroit over LA or literally anywhere else)
So obviously since he vetoed that to stay in LA, you would think he would stay in Detroit. Nope, he opts out lmao
An actual clown.
Some people don’t care for LA, or NYC, or Chicago, or a number of other places, as hard as that is for you large market folks to believe.
That’s why these guys exercise those self explanatory no trade clauses that they earned.
True sometimes, but they also do it to get paid when asked to waive those clauses. They pick the teams (mostly large market teams) who are likely to try to acquire their services.
Dodgers refused to pay. Does that make them to blame?
He could have mental issues. Substance abuse?
Farhan on line #1
Caveat emptor.
The Reds tried to acquire him at the deadline, last summer, but apparently wasn’t offering much and wanted the Tigers to pick up most of his salary. Wisely, the Tigers hung up the phone.
Welcome to Atlanta E-Rod.
I don’t get it he said he didn’t want to move at the trade deadline in August.
Might be a blessing for the Tigers.
Now Javier Baez?