3 favorites to land Eduardo Rodriguez if geography isn’t an issue
Eduardo Rodriguez profiles as one of the top arms on the free agent market. The Detroit Tigers' ace was almost dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, but he vetoed the deal since it moved him too far away from his family in Florida.
The general expectation was that Rodriguez would attempt to stick close to the East Coast in free agency, but a new report from MLB insider Jon Morosi could seriously shift the market landscape. Rodriguez has "no geographic restrictions" in his search for a new deal, which could lead west-coast teams to engage with the 30-year-old.
Source: LHP Eduardo Rodríguez has informed teams he has no geographic restrictions in free agency.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 8, 2023
That is encouraging for the Dodgers and Giants, who are already active on starting pitchers.
Notably, the Dodgers nearly traded for Rodríguez at the deadline.@MLBNetwork @MLB
It's a tough break for the Tigers, who attempted to trade Rodriguez for a haul rather than lose him for nothing. But, it would appear a full offseason to relocate the family is enough to change Rodriguez's perspective. Or, he at least thinks he can get more money by engaging with every corner of the league.
With this new revelation, here are the three contenders at the forefront of the Eduardo Rodriguez sweepstakes.
3. San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants finished the season four games below .500, frustratingly far from the wild card race. A disappointing collapse after the All-Star break cost Gabe Kapler his job. The Giants went from a spunky underdog overcoming limited star power to a bonafide failure in a matter of months.
Pete Putila and the front office have several holes to plug, but pitching should be front of mind as free agency begins. The Giants' stark lack of an ace was a significant contributing factor behind their late-season slide. Logan Webb and Alex Cobb are fine, but that's not the one-two punch of a contender.
Rodriguez would immediately assume No. 1 duties in the Giants' pitching rotation. San Francisco would be wise to target multiple quality starters, but Rodriguez is a reliable — and durable — arm to build the bullpen around. He went 13-9 last season on a bad Tigers team, posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.153 WHIP in 26 starts.
He won't solve all the Giants' woes, but Rodriguez would move San Francisco a long way in the right direction. San Francisco is expected to toss its hat in the ring for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the like, but Rodriguez is a strong, potentially more affordable alternative — or, a potent second fiddle.