Eduardo Rodriguez had the chance to depart from the Tigers but elected to stay in Detroit instead before Tuesday's Major League Baseball trade deadline.
Rumors suggested that the Dodgers and Tigers had a trade in place that would've sent Rodriguez to Los Angeles, but the left-hander exercised his no-trade clause, vetoing the swap entirely. That keeps Rodriguez in Detroit for the remainder of the 2023 season, which simultaneously passes up the opportunity to join a World Series contending team in the Dodgers.
Nevertheless, this decision to stay was well received by Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch.
"Eduardo was the same person this week as he's been -- upbeat, preparing, playing catch, doing his normal routine, all leading up to yesterday," Hinch told MLB Network Radio on Wednesday. "... Obviously we were in touch with him. Both the (front) office was in touch with him and I was. At the end of the day, as Scott (Harris) said last night, it was a deal that Eduardo wasn't comfortable with and he exercised his right. And that's where it's Eduardo's decision and he chose and now we're gonna put him on the mound every five days."
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Pitching for the second consecutive year in Detroit after signing a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers in free agency, Rodriguez has been stellar. The 30-year-old is in the midst of a career-best campaign, recording a 2.95 ERA through 15 starts while striking out 91 hitters in 88 1/3 innings pitched.
The intriguing factor in place is Rodriguez's opt-out option, which he can exercise at the end of the season to test free agency and aim for an upgraded payday.
Yet, for now, Rodriguez can only control his elite production on the mound as the Tigers slowly down in the American League Central standings, doomed for a ninth straight postseason miss.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
