JUST-IN: former Boston red Sox star is set to reunite with the club
Detroit Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez could go home.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is rumored to be a free agent. The left-hander is expected to hit free agency and leave the Tigers organization, which isn’t the biggest blow.
The most surprising news is that he was linked to another organization before cutting ties with the Detroit Tigers.
Rumors abound, and it appears that Rodriguez is planning a move east.
Rodriguez eventually began his career with the Boston Red Sox and made his MLB debut in 2015.
He spent six seasons in Boston, a total of seven since 2020, when he was sidelined from the mound with a heart condition related to COVID-19.
He was a fan favorite in Boston and was rumored to be open to joining Rodriguez if he plans to hit free agency as expected.
According to rumors reported by Jon Heyman, Rodriguez “likes Detroit” but still wants to hit the open market.
Patrick McAvoy’s drawing on Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Red Sox site suggests the two sides will reunite.
With Boston looking to bolster its rotation, money to spend and the familiarity of what Rodriguez brings, this may be too good to be true.
Actually, McAvoy is right.
Boston has a good relationship with Rodriguez, and if he’s a fan favorite, a reunion could be a good thing for both sides.
Rodriguez may want a salary, and if Boston has enough money, a deal could make sense.
After all, it’s no secret that Rodriguez goes where he wants to be with his family. Sure, he left Boston to sign a five-year deal with Detroit, but he knows what Boston has to offer and probably feels good about the city’s off-field decisions about him and his family.
Rodriguez refused to be traded this summer, preventing the Tigers from moving him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.
Although he was only here for a few days, Rodriguez wanted to stay in Detroit and moving to Los Angeles didn’t seem like a good thing for him personally.
That means a calculated offseason move to join the Red Sox could be in the cards.
I’m not sure if Tigers fans expected Rodriguez to return to Detroit and be taken off waivers.
While waivers are expected, I’m very excited to be back in Boston.
Rodriguez pitched 152.2 innings for Detroit in 2023 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He had 143 strikeouts on just 48 hits. It was an impressive campaign for the Tigers left-hander, who had his best performance since joining the team’s rotation.
However, given his performance, it is believed that Rodriguez could hit the open market to earn more money with a new contract.
There is no opt-out date yet, but he is expected to opt out and a deal with Boston is also a possibility.
