Kansas City, Mo. — Eduardo Rodriguez is going to let everyone else worry about the Aug. 1 trade deadline. He’s not sweating it. Not even a little.
“It’s easy,” he said Tuesday when asked how he was dealing with it. “The only thing I can do is go out and pitch. Just go out every five days and do my best to help the team win the game. I’m right here. I signed the contract with the Tigers to stay here and play here.
“Right now, I am here.”
Of course, the business side of all this is more layered than that. There is a reason Rodriguez and his agent insisted on having an opt-out before the third year of the five-year, $77 million contract he signed with Detroit in November of 2021.
Asked about that, Rodriguez said, “I feel like I already signed for a lot of money. I feel like I have a really good contract and I feel like I can take care of my family the rest of my life with the money I’ve already made. For me now, it’s just about enjoying going out there every five days.
“That’s my mentality and my mindset. What happens in the future is not in my control.”
More: Twitter photo shows Royals pitcher with sticky stuff on his wrist. Tigers’ response: Meh
Not right now, no. But it will be completely in his control this offseason. And it is hard to envision a scenario or circumstance where he doesn’t exercise his opt-out clause.
He will have $49 million left on the Tigers’ deal after this season. He will have a chance, given the current market conditions for starting pitchers, to at least double that sum as well as get a couple more years added on, perhaps taking him beyond his age-35 season.
He bargained for the right to be in this situation and by virtue of his performance, he’s turned that into leverage for a sizeable contract upgrade.
But that has nothing to do with these next three weeks or how he feels about the Tigers. Truth is, he likes it here.
“I signed here for five years and right now I really enjoy pitching here,” he said. “I enjoy my teammates. I like playing here. For me, just go out and pitch as a Tiger. That’s my mindset and I enjoy it and I will keep doing it for the rest of my contract if I have to.”
Rodriguez, including his start on Wednesday, will have two and possibly three starts before the deadline.
“It’s been a non-topic,” manager AJ Hinch said. “We haven’t talked a ton other than a little bit about his experiences here, the good and the challenging parts. He really likes our group. We’re focusing on what we can control here and let the rumors be what they’re going to be.
“I know he likes what we’re building here. I know he likes what’s going on here. He is super valuable to us. I haven’t sensed any stress or got any questions except for when his next start is.”
There is no stress. By virtue of his own industry, he has put himself in a win-win position.
“Just take the ball every five days and help my team win, that’s how I see all this about the deadline and trades,” he said. “Go out and pitch and whatever I can do, do it. Whatever I can handle, handle it. If my future is in somebody else’s hands, then it is in somebody else’s hands.”
Around the horn
… Spencer Turnbull (neck) is scheduled to throw another live bullpen session in Lakeland Wednesday. He will be back in Detroit Friday when the Tigers return off this road trip. It’s possible that he could start his rehab assignment next week.
… Riley Greene was not in the starting lineup Tuesday. It was a scheduled day off as the Tigers try to ease him in after missing more than six weeks with a stress reaction in his left leg.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
Tigers at Royals
When: 8:10 p.m., Wednesday, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
TV/radio: BSD/97.1
Scouting report
LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-5, 2.70), Tigers: He’s due for one of his maestro performances. He’s been grinding a little bit since coming back from the finger injury – relative to his stellar work before the injury. When you total it all up, though, he’s been ace-worthy: sub-3 ERA, a 1.0 WHIP, holding hitters to a .211 batting average.
RHP Ryan Yarbrough (2-4, 5.29), Royals: Pretty amazing story here. The former Tampa Bay workhorse was hit in the face with a line drive (106 mph) in May and suffered multiple facial fractures. He made his return to the mound Sunday in Cleveland and allowed one run over six innings. He’s holding hitters to a .200 average with both his sinker and curveball. He also throws a cutter and changeup – not a single pitch over 88 mph.