Eduardo Rodriguez
Eduardo Rodriguez has been on the roster since 2015 and has come into his own the last few years. Going into 2018 he had a great buzz around him among the Fenway Faithful. During the season he showed glimpses of that promise but would time due to injuries.
E-Rod is the perfect guy on the roster to finish the rotation off. He’d be reprising his role as the #5 man from 2018 and I think that’s best for him. With the injuries he had this last season being the final guy in the rotation would allow for an easy replacement or shuffling of the days off.
Rodriguez can bring the heat when he is healthy and has no problem throwing it by batters. He is a great compliment to the other guys in the rotation as everyone brings their own skill set to the mound. I also like E-Rod here as he brings the rotation back to the left side after a pair of right-handers in Eovaldi and Porcello.
Rodriguez is another one of those pitchers that can eat up innings and give the bullpen some rest. With it not always being a guarantee that his stuff will be on and his career 4.12 ERA, it’s good to have a guy that can save the bullpen. If a game is getting out of hand he can stay in there and try and give the bats some time to rebound.
E-Rod is still young in his career and can always find that missing puzzle piece to make it click. Having him in the fifth man spot is the best place for him to continue to work towards meeting that potential that he has shown.