Why Eduardo Rodriguez turned down Dodgers trade, explained

The Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to an Eduardo Rodriguez trade, but the player invoked his no-trade clause. Here’s why.

A trade sending Eduardo Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Dodgers wasn’t meant to be. E-Rod, who became the best available starting pitcher once Justin Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros, decided against a trip to the west coast.

As confusing as this decision might be on the surface given the Tigers are third in the AL Central and Los Angeles leads the NL West, it should be noted that Rodriguez prefers playing close to home.

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Ah yes, Detroit, which is famously on the east coast and not, say, in the middle of the country.

Why Eduardo Rodriguez turned down Dodgers trade, explained

So, this decision screws over the Tigers two-fold. First, it’s clear that Scott Harris intends on trading him, and there’s only an hour before the trade deadline. Second, eliminating the Dodgers takes an obvious suitor off the board, which will hurt negotiations with teams that actually fit Rodriguez’s demands.

Now, had Rodriguez been honest with the Tigers from the jump about not playing on the west coast, this all could have been avoided.

Rodriguez is injury-prone, but arguably having the best season of his career to this point. He also has a player opt out in his contract, meaning he will likely become a free agent once the season is done. Detroit prefers to cash in on his value while they have a chance, rather than losing him for nothing and nothing at all (minus a comp pick).

Detroit still has time to trade Rodriguez and they very well may. It’ll be a tough test for Scott Harris to pass as a first-time general manager. Baseball fans are watching closely, and judging both sides of this deal.