Eduardo Rodriguez explained why he blocked a trade to the Dodgers
According to a new report, Rodriguez and his agent asked for "financial and contractual enhancements" before agreeing to the deal.
Former Red Sox starter (and current member of the Tigers) Eduardo Rodriguez was almost dealt by Detroit at the MLB trade deadline, but the proposed deal with the Dodgers ultimately fell apart when he exercised his no-trade clause.
Rodriguez, 30, signed with the Tigers in 2021 after leaving the Red Sox in free agency. But with Detroit well out of contention, the team was looking to possibly trade the left-hander.
Following the deadline, Rodriguez offered an explanation as to why he blocked the trade.
“It’s nothing against the Dodgers or the West Coast or whatever,” he told MLB.com’s Jason Beck. “It’s just about the details to go out there and where my family is. My future is where they’re happy and I’m happy and that’s why I decided to stay here. It has nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
Rodriguez’s agent, Gene Mato, also implied in a statement that the pitcher chose to stay in Detroit for the sake of his family.
“Eduard is one of the best left-handed starting pitchers in baseball, but he is also a human being who wants stability for his family,” Mato said in a statement he shared on social media. “They are comfortable living in the Detroit area and have adjusted well.”
Later in the statement, Mato referenced a financial impasse in negotiations with the Dodgers that also appears to have played a role in the trade’s collapse.
“We did our best to come up with a way to make it happen where everyone was comfortable with the outcome. Unfortunately we just ran out of time.”
In a report for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal added that “Rodriguez and Mato asked for financial and contractual enhancements for the pitcher to join the Dodgers.”
“When those enhancements were not granted, he invoked his no-trade protection,” wrote Rosenthal.
The trade falling apart could have negative consequences for both the Tigers and Dodgers.
For Detroit, it was a missed opportunity to get some return for Rodriguez prior to the end of the season (when he can opt out of the remaining three years of his contract). For Los Angeles, it leaves the National League contenders short of starting pitching heading into the stretch run.
Two of Rodriguez’s former Red Sox teammates, J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts, are now with the Dodgers. Both texted Rodriguez asking if he would waive his no-trade clause to join them, but according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, neither received a response prior to the deadline.
Betts did get a text back on Wednesday, but added that he has respect for a player making a decision based on family.
“Can’t do nothing but respect that,” Betts told Ardaya. “Even if he said, ‘I just don’t want to become a Dodger,’ that’s fine with me. As long as he’s happy, he’s good, he’s feeling good. That’s all I care about.”
Rodriguez was absent from the Tigers for two months in 2022 after he was placed on the restricted list. During that time — reportedly spent away from the team due to a marital issue — he had no contact with the team.
Yet in 2023, even with time missed due to an index finger injury, Rodriguez has been excellent. Through 16 starts, he has a 2.96 ERA with a 1.049 WHIP while averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
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