Eduardo Rodriguez is set to become a free agent this offseason, which means the Boston Red Sox soon have a very important decision to make: Whether to extend a qualifying offer to the left-hander.
If the Red Sox extend the offer -- a one-year contract worth $18.4 million this year -- and Rodriguez accepts, he'll remain under club control through 2022. If Rodriguez declines, the Red Sox will receive draft pick compensation should he sign elsewhere in free agency.
Rodriguez had both ups and downs in 2021, but he has a solid track record and obvious talent. Plus, he turns just 29 in April. Quality starting pitching doesn't grow on trees, and the Red Sox's rotation already could use an offseason boost, with or without E-Rod in the mix.
As such, two evaluators of other teams told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier the Red Sox's decision regarding Rodriguez is "a no-brainer."
A one-year, $18.4 million deal is reasonable for a pitcher of Rodriguez's caliber. So, the bigger question might be whether Rodriguez would accept the qualifying offer or reject it in order to pursue a multiyear contract on the open market.
Rodriguez even could reject the offer and ultimately re-sign with Boston, perhaps on a long-term deal. Speier reported Thursday, citing major league sources, that the Red Sox made a multiyear offer to Rodriguez during the 2021 season, though talks never gained traction.
All told, it would behoove the Red Sox to strongly consider extending the qualifying offer. Because either they'd retain an important rotation piece at a decent price. Or they'd position themselves to land a draft pick. They at least wouldn't have to worry about Rodriguez walking away and receiving nothing in return.
Qualifying offers can be extended to free agents who spent the entire season with their current club. The offers must be made within five days of the World Series' conclusion.
Rodriguez, who missed the 2020 season with myocarditis following a bout with COVID-19, is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he went 13-8 with a 4.74 ERA, a 3.32 FIP and a 1.39 WHIP in 32 games (31 starts) covering 157 2/3 innings. He struck out a career-high 10.6 batters per nine innings and walked a career-low 2.7 batters per nine frames.
