The Detroit Tigers could face a serious dilemma over the next few weeks regarding the status of the Venezuelan left-handed starter, Eduardo Rodríguez. 'E-Rod'; who is in the midst of his best campaign, he signed a five-year $77 million contract before 2021, but with the option to get out of it right after this season and give up the remaining three years and $49MM to seek a better economic pact .
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However; the questions are these, what will 'E-Rod do and what will the Tigers do?
"I think this is a perfect example of why it's so important for team executives, and organizations in general, to have a good relationship with their players," a league club executive told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. National. "It would be a lot easier for Detroit if they could sit down with him and understand how he feels and what he might do at the end of the year."
It would be difficult to know if the man from Carabobo will definitely step aside until the end of the regular round. Faced with that doubt, should the team change him this summer?
Currently, a good-profile starter is not in sight for the upcoming trade market, something that postseason contenders always look for. And 'El Gualo' has the necessary caliber to get some “girlfriends” this summer, because in 10 starts and 61.2 innings of work, he has a 2.19 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP.
Even the "feline" set could get a return in a negotiation for "E-Rod" to a solid prospect, or failing that, to a good package of promises.
They must take into account their divisional situation
However, Detroit must take into account their situation in the AL Central, where although they are 23-25 with a -44 run differential, they are two games behind the Twins; líderHe is from the zone, and four and a half games from the third wild card.
The Tigers have seven games scheduled against the "Twin Cities" squad between June 15 and 25, which could well be the thermometer for those led by AJ Hinch to clarify their chances of fighting or not for postseason positions.
"In our roles, we try to be as disciplined and rational as possible," an American League executive explained to MLB.com. “While we should never take the postseason chase lightly, we need to be objective when evaluating our team's strengths. We have to look beyond our record or how many games separate us from first place."
“We have to study the underlying numbers to assess where we really are. The run differential would be one of the first things we would look at to see how viable it is for us to continue to contend."
The opinion of a clerk from the old circuit passed that the Tigers' chances of switching to 'E-Rod would increase if their rivals decide to reinforce themselves, and therefore reduce the chances of the “Motor City” team. On the other hand, if the opposite happens, or they opt to sell outright, "it would effectively increase Detroit's chances of qualifying, so in that case it might be more reasonable to be inclined to keep him, even if the Tigers are looking ahead." .
history could be repeated
The reality is that in 2015, Dave Dombrowski; as Detroit's General Manager and President, he went through a similar situation trading David Price to Toronto with the team competing for one of the wild cards. Today Scott Harris; in the same position, he could be forced to make a similar decision. That even if his team has a chance of going to the playoffs.
However, trading a player in the middle of a great season and with your team with an October berth looming could send a negative message to the fan base. There are recent examples. That is why Detroit must think carefully about its possibilities.
