Eduardo Rodriguez turned down the chance to join the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline, but it appears he's not interested in sticking it out with the Detroit Tigers, either.
The left-hander opted out of the final three years of his five-year, $77 million deal signed prior to the 2022 campaign, officially making him a free agent. Via Jon Heyman:
“Eduardo Rodriguez opted out of Tigers deal. Had $49M, 3 years to go.”
A rather confusing decision from E-Rod, who will be looking for a new team this winter. His time in Motown was respectable, compiling a 3.58 ERA in 43 starts across two years. In 23′, he took the mound 26 times, pitching to a 3.30 ERA in 152.2 innings, striking out 143 and walking 48. The 30-year-old also missed some time due to a finger injury.
The Tigers are clearly a long way off being a contender and perhaps that's part of the reason Eduardo Rodriguez decided to opt out. But, the southpaw knew where the organization was at when he inked the deal and it's not like E-Rod isn't getting paid well. He actually had talks with Detroit about restructuring his contract this week per reports, but evidently, nothing materialized.
Given his track record as one of the better lefties in the big leagues, Rodriguez should garner a lot of interest on the open market. He has a career 4.03 ERA and won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018. E-Rod would be a nice addition to a number of rotations across the Majors in 2024. We'll see where he ends up.