Eduardo Rodriguez has reportedly agreed to a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers.
MLB.com reports the deal includes an opt-out after the second season (2023), as well as incentives.
Rodriguez finished the 2021 season with a 4.74 ERA in 31 starts, but he was fourth among AL starters with both a 3.32 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Red Sox had made an $18.4 million qualifying offer to Rodriguez for 2022 – above the average annual amount of the Tigers deal ($15.4) – so either Boston did not want to give him five years or Rodriguez simply wanted to leave.
Losing a solid starter is never good, but I'm not too upset over this. Rodriguez had his moments (and he was a huge heist from the Orioles, costing only two months of Andrew Miller!), but he never made the expected progression to a dependable ace. His inconsistency and tendency to nibble led to long counts and far too many outings where he was near 100 pitches by the fifth inning. I wish him well in Detroit.
I definitely have mixed feelings about his departure. At times, he was great; other times, not so much. He was definitely a good 3rd or 4th starter, and I'm not sure that I would have given him a five-year deal. I wish him the best of luck in Detroit when he's not pitching against the Red Sox. ;)
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