3 Detroit Tigers most to blame for failed Eduardo Rodriguez trade
By Mark Powell
Tigers to blame for failed Eduardo Rodriguez trade: Al Avila
Even in the baseball afterlife, Al Avila is haunting the Detroit Tigers.
It’s Avila’s decision-making that has the Tigers stuck in this perpetual rebuild. He signed Javy Baez to one of the worst contracts in team history, and he inked Rodriguez as well. Signing E-Rod wasn’t necessarily a bad move, but it’s become clear that his contract swayed several teams away, and may have even limited the return Detroit would have received had a deal actually gone through.
Rodriguez is a fine player, but by no means has he earned the right to receive a no-trade list or a player opt-out at this stage of his contract. His injury history, along with some questionable off-field decisions made him a flight risk. Unfortunately for the Tigers, that reality has played out exactly as some expected, with Rodriguez taking months away from the team, calling an entire game without his catcher’s input, and now creating drama in the front office.
Detroit is relatively lucky that Rodriguez had a breakout campaign this season, but it occurred at the worst possible time. Now, after failing to move him at the trade deadline, the Tigers risk losing him for nothing thanks to Avila’s poor negotiating skills.