Red Sox trade target that doesn’t make sense: Eduardo Rodriguez and any other starting pitcher headed to free agency
Reunions in sports are romanticized. Eduardo Rodriguez coming back to the Red Sox is one of those matches the team doesn’t need to make. As excellent as he has been with the Detroit Tigers this year, his contract should have Boston spooked.
Rodriguez has an opt out at the end of this season and looks ready to flex it. Why give up anything for him when you’re just going to have to re-sign him to a brand new deal? Rodriguez is a better fit for a team looking to acquire a finishing touch to their starting staff to help them win now. The Red Sox need more and to acquire Rodriguez they’d be giving up quite a bit.
Rodriguez is hardly the only starting pitcher trade candidate for the Red Sox to pass on. Anyone on an expiring contract or with an opt out should leave the radar. There are too many roster holes for the Red Sox to fill to become a more serious contender. Within their own division, they look like the weakest link.
Maybe a return to Boston for Rodriguez in free agency could work. At the trade deadline, he just doesn’t make all that much sense. He has a high salary and will come at a price the Red Sox shouldn’t pay.