The Arizona Diamondbacks checked yet another offseason need in early December. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will reportedly join the reigning NL champion Diamondbacks on a four-year deal, giving Arizona some much-needed depth for a team looking to make it back to the playoffs in 2024.
Related: Five Interesting Names Take in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft
A Look at Rodriguez
After a strong overall run with the Red Sox, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez signed a multi-year deal with the Tigers in the fall of 2021. Rodriguez pitched just 91 innings thanks to injuries and a stint on the restricted list in 2022, but came back in a big way in 2023.
“E-Rod” went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and career-best 1.15 WHIP for the Tigers and proved to be the ace of Detroit’s staff — one that included Reese Olson, Matt Manning, and Tarik Skubal later in the year — for much of 2023. That’s thanks to an eclectic arsenal that includes a low-to-mid-90s four-seamer and a litany of other weapons.
Rodriguez won’t wow anyone with his Baseball Savant page. However, the lefty’s craftiness, tunneling, and ability to jam hitters have made him a valuable pitcher both with the Sox and Tigers.
The key to Rodriguez’s arsenal is his high-80s cutter that he primarily used against righties. Rodriguez finished in the top 10 of the league in flared and weak contact against right-handed hitters among left-handed pitchers.
In addition to that cutter, Rodriguez will splash his fastball — which doesn’t have a high IVB (14.6” Mean IVB) — up, beat lefties with a running sinker and slider, and also sports a changeup that’s both a groundball pitch and a swing-and-miss one.
Add all that together, and Rodriguez finished this year first among qualified pitchers in Weak% (7.3%), well above the league average of 3.9%.
All in all, Rodriguez isn’t a flashy pitcher. But, good command and good movement on the cutter, coupled with other pitches, make the new Arizona lefty one of the better pitchers available on the market.
It seemed likely for much of the summer that Rodriguez would be traded to a contender. However, Rodriguez killed a potential deal with the Dodgers last summer and ultimately stayed with Detroit for the rest of the season.
Per The Athletic, the Diamondbacks will have Rodriguez for the next four years at an average annual value of $20MM ($80MM). There’s also a vesting option that could turn this into a five-year, $99MM deal.
Analysis
When we profiled the biggest need for each National League team last month, Arizona’s most notable hole was in the rotation.
The D-Backs did take care of a major one with the acquisition of Eugenio Suarez to play third base. However, Arizona needed an arm for the starting five to complement Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt. Arizona was able to get by in the playoffs with just those three. However, the Diamondbacks were going to need help in a 162-game season.
Between a solid top four in the rotation and a deep bullpen that includes Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, and Joe Mantiply, the D-Backs are in solid shape for 2024. It won’t be easy to repeat what they did in 2023, but the offseason is off to a strong start.