The Boston Red Sox are looking to upgrade their pitching rotation in MLB free agency. So why didn't they make more of an effort to sign Eduardo Rodriguez, a star pitcher who previously pitched in Boston.
“Red Sox showed interest in bringing back Eduardo Rodriguez but preferred to wait on (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto and (Shota) Imanaga,” Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported.
Rodriguez ultimately signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Boston, meanwhile, has made signing Yamamoto their top priority in MLB free agency.
Red Sox considered signing Eduardo Rodriguez
Rodriguez, a left-handed pitcher, began his big league career in Boston with the Red Sox during the 2015 season. He would remain with the Red Sox through the 2021 campaign before joining the Detroit Tigers.
Rodriguez earned AL Cy Young consideration in 2019 after recording a 3.81 ERA with a league leading 34 starts. Overall, though, his time with the Red Sox was filled with ups and downs.
He set himself up nicely for free agency in 2023 after pitching to the tune of a 3.30 ERA in 26 starts. He added 143 strikeouts across 152.2 innings pitched.
Rodriguez would have made sense for the Red Sox. Boston needs pitching help and he's familiar with the team. However, the Sox are clearly focused on signing either Yamamoto or Imanaga.
Boston's free agency plans
Imanaga projects to be a talented starting pitcher at the big league level. However, Yamamoto is arguably the best available free agent aside from Shohei Ohtani.
Yamamoto is drawing interest from multiple teams. He features an ace-caliber ceiling. Teams such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers have also been connected to Yamamoto.
The Red Sox have competition in their pursuit of the star pitcher, but they are seemingly willing to do everything they can to sign him. Yamamoto could become the next great ace in Boston if the team is able to agree to a contract with him in free agency.
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