Eduardo Rodriguez had a sneaky good season in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers (13-9, 3.30 ERA, 143 K, 1.15 WHIP) and he is one of the more underrated pitchers on the market currently. Rodriguez turned heads when he turned down a midseason trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now he's reportedly close to signing a deal to pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network:
“Source: Eduardo Rodríguez and the Diamondbacks have had advanced discussions about a multiyear contract. A deal is not finalized, but the NL champions are among the finalists to sign him.”
While generally, the biggest free agents come off the board first before teams turn to signing other players, several solid pitchers have found new homes before Shohei Ohtani this offseason. Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola have found new homes recently, and now Rodriguez could be joining them in agreeing to a new deal with the Diamondbacks.
The Arizona Diamondbacks finished last season with an 84-78 record, good for second place in the National League West. Arizona caught fire in the playoffs and rolled through the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies behind star rookie Corbin Carroll. The Diamondbacks ran into the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, falling in five games.
The team needs a front-end starter to add to the rotation. Zach Gellen and Merrill Kelly performed well, but the starters dropped off after those two.
The New York Mets are the Major League team that had been most closely linked to Rodriguez in free agency this offseason.
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