MLB Rumors: Eduardo Rodriguez Opts Out of Final 3 Years, $49M of Tigers Contract | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Detroit Tigers starting left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has opted out of the remaining three years and $49 million on his contract, according to the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman.

Rodriguez, who turns 31 in April, just enjoyed a tremendous 2023 campaign for the Tigers, going 13-9 with a 3.40 ERA (1.15 WHIP) and 143 strikeouts in 152.2 innings over 26 starts.

His performance naturally made him a hot name on the trade market as the Tigers failed to get much going en route to a 78-84 season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tigers agreed to a deal involving Rodriguez prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but the southpaw vetoed that deal and explained why he did so a day later.

“It’s nothing against the Dodgers or the West Coast or whatever. It’s just about the details to go out there and where my family is,” Rodriguez said at the time, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck. “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 began his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox in 2015. He stayed with the team through the 2021 season and then signed a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers in free agency.

For his career, Rodriguez has posted an 82-53 mark with a 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 9.1 K/9 rate.

Rodriguez is coming one of his best MLB seasons. Of note, his WPA (win probably added) of 2.1 is the best mark of his career, per Baseball-Reference.

Naturally, it makes sense for Rodriguez to cash in on his 2023 success and hopefully parlay it into a longer-term and more lucrative contract than what he was about to receive. We’ll see if any team gives him such a deal, but Rodriguez will still be a big name to watch during hot stove season.