LAKELAND, Fla. — Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez has an opt-out clause in his five-year, $77 million contract after the conclusion of the 2023 season, meaning he could leave the Detroit Tigers to test free agency.
The 29-year-old, who started on Opening Day last season, also has a 10-team no-trade clause in his long-term contract, meaning the Tigers could move him to a limited number of teams before the trade deadline.
For now, those scenarios aren’t on his mind.
“I just signed last year,” Rodriguez, who turns 30 in April, said. “We’re going to go out there, keep working and keep playing baseball. I like the way Detroit is handling everything, especially for what happened last year. I’m so thankful for them. So, I don’t think about the (opt out). I’m just going to go out there and play baseball.”
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In 2022, Rodriguez logged a 4.05 ERA with 34 walks and 72 strikeouts over 91 innings in 17 starts for the Tigers. He suffered an injury in late May and spent June 13 through Aug. 19 on the unpaid restricted list for a personal matter.
He wants to leave the past in the past.
“Not even a fresh start,” Rodriguez said. “It feels like another year. I prepared myself this offseason to get ready for spring training and go out there when the season starts.”
Rodriguez spent the holidays — Christmas and New Year’s — in Colorado with his wife and children. They made memories together on vacation: skiing, snowmobiling, throwing snowballs and building snowmen.
But Rodriguez put in a lot of work, too.
“He spent a lot of time on his body in the offseason,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He spent a lot of time throwing. We’re probably having to slow him down based on where he is physically coming into camp. We can measure all that. His stuff is up, his execution is up, his recovery is up. All of that is a net positive.”
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Rodriguez, who came into last year’s spring training prepared for a heavy workload, seems even more prepared for a workhorse-like assignment from the Tigers in the regular season. This offseason, he started his throwing program earlier than usual in anticipation for the World Baseball Classic in March.
He will pitch for Team Venezuela in his first WBC appearance.
“Since I was born in Venezuela, I have been waiting for that opportunity, and I have it this year,” Rodriguez said. “It was always on my mind that I was going to pitch, and then they told me that I made the roster.”
Rodriguez learned he would join Team Venezuela in January. He is a member of the designated pitcher pool, so he can be called upon to join the squad for one or more consecutive rounds.
“I was preparing myself for that, and I was waiting for that call,” he said. “If they wouldn’t have called me, I would have come straight to spring training and been ready, too.”
The Tigers have been in contact with Team Venezuela. They’re aware of the expectations for Rodriguez in the international tournament. Venezuela, in Pool D, plays against the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Israel and Nicaragua in the first round from March 11-15.
Miguel Cabrera will play for Team Venezuela, too.
“We’re looking to win, that’s it,” Cabrera said. “Our goal is to win all four games in the first round.”
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Once the WBC ends, Rodriguez will return to the Tigers’ spring training facility in Lakeland. He tossed 109 innings last season between the major leagues (91 innings) and minor leagues (18 innings), so he should be able to handle a full workload without significant restrictions.
In 2019, Rodriguez posted a 3.81 ERA with 231 strikeouts in 203⅓ innings (34 starts) for the Boston Red Sox, finishing sixth in American League Cy Young voting.
He is owed $14 million this season and $49 million across the final three seasons of his deal.
The Tigers need Rodriguez at his best — a frontline starter and borderline ace — if they plan to improve upon last year’s underwhelming outcome: a 66-96 record and fourth place in the AL Central.
Rodriguez is optimistic and sees progress.
“I would say 20 steps forward,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the way I see it over here in the clubhouse. It’s my second year, and Javy (Báez’s) too. All the new guys that we saw last year, the rookies, they’re coming into their second season, so they learned from last year. From last year, it’s a lot of good things to take away from the bad things that happened. I see it on their faces. They’re all ready for the season.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.