Tigers Ink Eduardo Rodriguez To Five-Year Deal

This morning, the Detroit Tigers made a statement, setting the pace for what figures to be a busy offseason in MoTown.

According to Tigers beat writer Cody Stavenhagen and Jeff Passan of ESPN, Detroit has signed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year $77 million deal. The Deal includes an opt-out after two seasons and several incentives.

Rodriguez had a tough year with the Red Sox in 2021. He went 13-8, but pitched to a 4.74 ERA. He has had success for most of his career though. In 2019, he went 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA. He missed all of the shortened 2020 campaign due to a COVID related illness. 

With several uncertainties in the Tigers rotation, including injuries and inexperience,            Rodriguez provides them with a veteran presence, as well as big game experience. He was a part of Boston’s World Series championship team in 2018, and pitched in some high-leverage situations during this past postseason.

As a result of this signing, the Red Sox will receive a compensatory draft pick in 2022, given that they extended him a qualifying offer with $18.4 million for one year.

The Tigers have not been to the postseason since 2014. Signing Rodriguez helps point them in the right direction. They’re expected to look at other starters as well this offseason.

According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Blue Jays, Angels, and Red Sox were in on Rodriguez in addition to Detroit. Morosi says he expects those three teams to pivot to other rotation options as the offseason unfolds.

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