While everyone was paying attention to the Juan Soto blockbuster trade on Wednesday night, Eduardo Rodriguez ended up flying under the radar and signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. For a D-backs team fresh off an unexpected World Series appearance, adding another top starter in Rodriguez at a fairly reasonable price is a good piece of business.
There were teams that were skeptical of signing Rodriguez in free agency after he left the Detroit Tigers in 2022 due to personal matters, and because he blocked a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline this past season. Where Rodriguez plays is very meaningful to him, and it should come as no surprise that his new deal with Arizona has another ten-team no-trade clause.
E-Rod once again got a 10-team no-trade, the same one he used to block the trade to the Dodgers (and no, LA didn’t pursue him this time). E-Rod met with D-Backs officials two hours and plans to move his family to Arizona. Can actually hit $100M w/ 150 IP in each of years 3 and 4 https://t.co/latUJxMyvc
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2023
The hope for the Diamondbacks is that this trade clause never gets put to use, but it is worth noting considering what happened with Rodriguez last season. If things go south for Rodriguez, he has a bit of control over where he would end up if he got traded. It may not seem like much, but this may have actually played a big part in helping Arizona lure him out west.
Eduardo Rodriguez turned in one of the best seasons in his career in 2023 with the Tigers (13-9, 3.30 ERA, 143 K, 1.15 WHIP) and earned himself a nice new deal in free agency with a Diamondbacks team that suddenly looks like one of the best in the entire MLB. After coming up just short in the World Series last season, Arizona is going to want to find a way to get over the hump in 2024, and Rodriguez should play a big role in their championship aspirations over the next few years.
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