2. Eduardo Rodriguez, SP
This one hurts. There was some hope that ERod might return after he declined a trade to the Dodgers at the MLB Trade Deadline, but that hope appears to have been a pipe dream.
Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to opt out of the 3 years, $49M remaining on his Tigers contract this offseason
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 28, 2023
(via @JonHeyman) pic.twitter.com/VW4nk6fU0V
Multiple sources have reported that Rodriguez is expected to opt-out of his contract and test free agency because his annual salary would likely increase beyond its current $18 million figure.
Losing Rodriguez is tough because the move actually WORKED! Sure, he missed time dealing with family issues in 2022, but ERod was a borderline Cy-Young contender for much of this past season.
Put plainly, this is painful for a budding rotation that’s been snake-bitten by injuries and is in desperate need of a veteran innings-eater. The likely departure of Rodriguez confirms that Detroit’s rebuild is far from over.