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Veteran starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez opted out of his contract with the Detroit Tigers, a source involved in the decision confirmed Saturday. The New York Post reported reported the move. Here’s what you need to know:

• Rodriguez had three years and $49 million left on the deal.
• The 30-year-old left-hander put up a 3.30 ERA over 26 starts (152 2/3 innings) last season, his second in Detroit.
• Rodriguez has a 4.03 career ERA and 1.29 WHIP over eight seasons, six of them with the Boston Red Sox.

Making sense of the decision

Rodriguez’s decision to opt out does not come as an overt surprise. With three years and $49 million remaining on his deal, given the going rate for pitchers in free agency, Rodriguez quickly became a bargain. He has been worth more than 3 fWAR in each of his last three full seasons. In 2023, Rodriguez led the Tigers with 152 2/3 innings pitched despite missing close to a month with a finger injury. Per FanGraphs’ $/WAR figure, Rodriguez was worth $24 million based on his performance this past season. — Cody Stavenhagen, Tigers staff writer

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How will his Tigers tenure be remembered?

When Rodriguez was on the mound, he was the Tigers’ most reliable pitcher and largely lived up to expectations. But Rodriguez missed much of last summer due to personal reasons, and the Tigers placed him on the restricted list during a period of uncertainty about when and whether he would return.

In 2023, Rodriguez settled in and thrived for the first half of the season. With his opt-out looming, he became a natural trade candidate. Rodriguez, though, invoked his 10-team no-trade clause and nixed a deadline deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers that likely would have brought the Tigers significant young talent in return. With Rodriguez opting out, the Tigers could still technically negotiate with him in free agency. But unless the market for Rodriguez turns out to be quieter than expected, the Tigers stand a good chance of losing him for nothing. — Stavenhagen

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(Photo: Rick Osentoski / USA Today)

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