MLB Rumors: Pete Alonso future, Dodgers’ E-Rod flop, Red Sox almost blunder

MLB Rumors: Dodgers’ unconvincing attempt to recruit Eduardo Rodriguez

The story of the MLB trade deadline was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ attempt — and failure — to acquire Eduardo Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers. A deal was in place, but Rodriguez nixed it in the 11th hour by invoking an obscure no-trade clause in his contract.

While Rodriguez has since offered an explanation for the decision, it’s strange that both sides were so far along in discussions for a player capable of vetoing the trade. One has to imagine there was reason to believe, at one point or another, that Rodriguez would sign off on the trade. Ultimately, it hit a snag. The specific snag, we may never know.

That said, we certainly can’t give credit to the Dodgers’ recruitment technique. Mookie Betts, who was once teammates with Rodriguez in Boston, sent the southpaw a rather uninspiring text message ahead of the 6 PM deadline on Tuesday.

“I texted him, I don’t care what you do,” Betts told The Athletic. “If you come, cool. If you don’t, cool. Our relationship is not based off that. We’ll always be boys. I didn’t give a d**n what he did.”

Great! It’s good and healthy for players to have relationships outside of work, but also… Mookie, you could’ve made a stronger pitch here. The Dodgers were eager to bolster their bullpen ahead of the stretch run. When the Rodriguez trade fell through, LA was left holding a big bag of nothing. It was probably worth a “hey man! would love to have you here!” at the very least.