Eduardo Rodriguez, a left-handed pitcher with 82 wins in the big leagues, is headed to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Arizona has agreed to terms with Rodriguez on a four-year, $80 million contract,” MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, reported on July 7. The fifth-year vesting option is worth $99 million.
Rodriguez broke into the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox in 2015 and made a splash in his first year, going 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 21 games and 121⅔ innings. The next two seasons were disappointing, with ERAs in the 4s, but he rebounded in 2018 with 13 wins.레모나토토 주소
The upswing continued. Rodriguez was 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 34 games and 203 1/3 innings in 2019 and 13-8 with a 4.74 ERA in 32 games and 157 1/3 innings in 2021.
Rodriguez then signed a five-year, $77 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, where he went 18-14 with a 3.58 ERA in 43 games and 243⅔ innings over two seasons. Most notably, he went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 26 games and 152⅔ innings this year, his first double-digit win season since 2021 (13 wins).
Rodriguez, who opted out after the season, was looking for a new team and landed with Arizona, which was looking for a starting pitcher. According to MLB.com, “Rodriguez joins a proven veteran starter behind Zack Greinke and Merrill Kelly. Strengthening the starting staff was a top priority for Arizona, which had to use bullpen days in the postseason.”
Arizona currently has a solid one-two punch in Gallon and Kelly. Their performances this fall helped the team reach the World Series. Kelly, who is especially familiar to fans in Korea, spent four years in the KBO with the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) starting in 2015. Considered the “poster child for KBO reverse exports,” he had his best season this year with a 12-8 record and 3.29 ERA in 30 games and 177⅔ innings pitched in the World Series, becoming the first pitcher to win both the KBO Korean Series and MLB World Series.
However, the team has struggled to find a starter to fill the other spot in the rotation without a solid one-two punch. That’s why the team is excited about Rodriguez’s arrival. “Arizona won’t have to rely on young starters like Brandon Pham, Tommy Henry, Ryne Nelson, Slade Cecconi and Bryce Jarvis,” MLB.com said.