Eduardo Rodriguez, who officially opted out of his contract on Saturday, could be lost to the Tigers. The move was entirely predictable, with the left-hander in line for a much better deal than the three years and $49 million that remained.
MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted shortly before Rodriguez’s opt-out that his camp was still in talks with the Tigers about possibly renegotiating his contract. During this week’s GM Meetings, Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris confirmed the report but seemed to downplay the possibility of re-signing Rodriguez now that he is free agent.
According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers’ front-office leader told reporters that the club’s valuation of the pitcher is “locked in” after two seasons in the Motor City. When asked if the team would keep in touch with Rodriguez’s camp, Harris cited rules prohibiting him from commenting on specific free agents before adding that he “can wish him the best of luck in free agency.”
If Rodriguez leaves, it stands to reason that the Tigers will bring in a starter from outside the organization. When Tarik Skubal returned from flexor surgery, he looked like a top-tier starter, but the rest of the rotation has a relatively short MLB track record. As rookies, Reese Olson and Sawyer Gipson-Long showed promise. Matt Manning had a 3.58 ERA but only made 15 starts due to separate foot fractures. Casey Mize, the former first overall pick, missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery in June 2022.
Mize has been throwing bullpen sessions without incident, according to Detroit, and is expected to have a normal offseason. Infielder Nick Maton, who recently underwent an arthroscopic procedure to address a left knee problem, cannot say the same. The Tigers haven’t said whether the problem will persist into spring training, only that Maton is currently in post-op rehab. The left-handed hitter was acquired from the Phillies in the Gregory Soto trade last offseason and batted.173/.288/.305 in 93 games for the Tigers.
In other roster news, Harris addressed corner outfielder Akil Baddoo’s future. The former Rule 5 draftee appeared to be a non-tender candidate, especially after the club added Mark Canha to the outfield mix, joining Riley Greene and Parker Meadows. According to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, Harris implied that Baddoo would be offered a contract and that the outfielder “still very much fits in” their plans. Baddoo, who hit.218/.310/.372 last season, is expected to earn $1.7 million as a Super Two qualifier, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
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