Thank you Eduardo Rodriguez.

It was sad when I saw the Athletic’s report that Eduardo Rodriguez would be signing with the Detroit Tigers on a 5 year deal worth 77 million. At the same time, I was happy for Erod as he has had a great 6 year run with the Red Sox. Whether you are an Erod fan or not, this is a blow to the Red Sox rotation and a player I will miss watching take the mound every 5 days. 

When the Red Sox made the deal back in 2014 to acquire Eduardo Rodriguez from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Andrew Miller at the trade deadline, I don’t think many Red Sox fans could have imagined Erod turning into the pitcher he did. I know wins do not mean hardly anything in today’s game but for what it’s worth he does have the 25th most wins (62) since he debuted in 2015. He is also 39th in WAR since 2015 (14.4) and that is with him missing all of 2020. When the 2015 season began, Eduardo Rodriguez ranked fourth in the Red Sox farm system, behind players like Blake Swihart, Henry Owens, and Manuel Margot. Rodriguez debuted in 2015, making 21 starts and winning 10 games with a 3.85 ERA. After his rookie campaign, there was optimism around Rodriguez.

Knee injuries would prevent Rodriguez from reaching his full potential. It wasn’t until 2019 that Rodriguez put together a full season, and when he finally did, he won 19 games with a 3.81 ERA in 34 starts. Unfortunately, Erod would not be able to repeat what he did in 2019 because a covid related health issue caused Eddy to miss the shortened 2020 season. When Erod returned to the mound this past season, we saw two different pitchers. In the first half, Erod had a 5.52 ERA as fans could tell he did not have a great feel for his most effective pitch, his changeup. In the second half, we saw a pitcher that looked more like the Eduardo Rodriguez of old. He had a 3.71 ERA in 14 starts. 

For the Tigers, I think this a slam dunk move. The Tigers have three very talented young arms in Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Matt Manning. A veteran pitcher like Rodriguez can show the young talent the proper way to go about their business. The rotation weight does not have to fall on the shoulders of the young arms but now Erod can carry some of the load. Eddy is not an ace and he does not have to be that for the Tigers moving forward. But he can eat innings and be a leader for the Detroit pitching staff. Rodriguez will be 29 next season and by the time his 5 year deal is up, he will be 33. They are still getting some of Erod’s prime years. Something unique with Erod is most pitchers do not get to take a full year off in their prime unless there is a serious injury, usually an arm injury. Eddy did not have anything wrong with his arm and I will be curious to see if he can extend his career into his 30s as he does not have as much wear and tear on his arm as other 28 soon to be 29 year old pitchers.   

As for the Red Sox, there is now a giant hole in their rotation. Sale, Eovaldi, Pivetta are pitchers that you can count on for 150+ innings. Houck, and potentially Whitlock are young arms that would be pitching in their first full season in the big leagues. What the Red Sox get from their young arms will be unknown. But now Bloom and company will need to find a durable starter who can pitch in the A.L. East. I would be content if the Red Sox decide to go into the season with Houck or Whitlock competing for the 5th rotation spot. But another starter, possibly two, is needed to get through the 2022 season. Replacing a durable pitcher like Eddy is going to be a challenge.

What I will remember about Eddy is his incredible 2019 campaign. Every time he took the mound, it felt like he was getting deep into games. He threw 6+ innings in 21/34 starts and I can say I penciled him into my schedule every 5 days so I would not miss a game in which he started. I am glad that Erod had two solid starts in front of the Fenway faithful this postseason to finish off his Red Sox career. 

Who do you think the Red Sox will replace Rodriguez with?

Will you miss Eddy?

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