Eduardo Rodriguez won't be returning to the Boston Red Sox after all, it appears.
The veteran left-hander has agreed to a five-year contract with the Detroit Tigers in free agency worth $77 million, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday. The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen was the first to report Rodriguez's pending deal with Detroit, which could include up to $3 million in extra incentives, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
The Tigers, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly all had interest in Rodriguez, who had until Wednesday to accept or reject a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Red Sox.
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Considering his robust market, it's not surprising Rodriguez is heading elsewhere: He'll make nearly $16 million per year on his new deal with Detroit, which will pay him through 2026.
Rodriguez joined the Red Sox in 2014 in a trade that sent reliever Andrew Miller to Baltimore. The Venezuela native broke into the big leagues in 2015 and pitched six full seasons in Boston, compiling a 64-39 record and a 4.16 career ERA.
Rodriguez's best season came in 2019, when he posted a 3.81 ERA with a 19-6 record. After missing the 2020 season due to myocarditis caused by COVID-19, the 28-year-old returned in 2021 to pitch better than his 4.74 ERA implied with a career-high strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.94.
Boston Red Sox
Expect Boston to be in the market for a starting pitcher this offseason to fill Rodriguez's steady presence in the rotation.