The Los Angeles Dodgers were motivated to acquire another starting pitcher at the August 1 trade deadline and ultimately did so in Ryan Yarbrough. However, that wasn’t before they tried to land one of the bigger names available, such as Mitch Keller, Eduardo Rodriguez or Justin Verlander.
Of the group, only Verlander changed teams as the New York Mets traded him to the Houston Astros. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers held on to Keller and Rodriguez, respectively.
With only a few hours remaining before the 3 p.m. PT buzzer, the Dodgers reportedly had a deal in place to acquire Rodriguez, only for the left-hander to invoke his no-trade clause and block a deal. The Dodgers were one of 10 teams on Rodriguez’s no-trade list.
Rodriguez thought long and hard about the prospect of playing for the Dodgers but felt more comfortable remaining with the Tigers, per Jason Beck of MLB.com:
“We went through all the conversations,” Rodriguez said of his communication with the Tigers and president of baseball operations Scott Harris. “We discussed a couple teams, and ultimately, my decision was to stay here, which is the best for me and my family and my future. Everybody was really good about it. They talked to me, and I talked to them.”
Rodriguez clarified that his decision to veto the trade stemmed from wanting to remain closer to his family in Miami, and not being adverse to joining the Dodgers:
“It’s nothing against the Dodgers or the West Coast or whatever,” he said. “It’s just about the details to go out there and where my family is. 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.”
While Rodriguez’s family was a major consideration in his decision to block a trade to the Dodgers, it has since been reported that the 30-year-old also wanted his contract reworked before approving a potential deal.
The Tigers signed Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million contract in November 2021. His deal includes an opt-out clause that can be exercised after the 2023 season.
Rodriguez is expected to become a free agent this winter, as a new contract likely would net him more than the remaining three years and $49 million that would come with opting in.
Mookie Betts & J.D. Martinez reached out to Eduardo Rodriguez
As players learned of the Dodgers striking a deal to acquire Rodriguez, his former Boston Red Sox teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez reached out to him about the possibility of reuniting.
“Absolute crickets,” Martinez said.
Rodriguez did respond to Betts on Wednesday, after the trade deadline passed
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