Family Played Key Role in Rodriguez's Decision to Sign with D-backs
The Diamondbacks made their key free agent addition to the rotation during the Winter Meetings, signing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year deal. After expressing interest in the free agent left-hander, talks escalated during the Winter Meetings. General manager Mike Hazen and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye met with Rodriguez and his agent, Gene Mato, with negotiations lasting over an hour and 45 minutes. That meeting was enough to convince the free agent left-hander to pick Arizona, as he told his agent that was his preferred destination.
"I'm very happy he chose to join us, coming off the season we did" said Hazen. "We're very excited to add him to our rotation and add to the strength of this ball club."
For Rodriguez, the decision to sign with the D-backs came down to two main reasons: the opportunity to be around his family year-round and the chance to be part of a hungry team that came up just short of their ultimate goal last season.
"The biggest is family-wise, I can stay here in Arizona the whole time. Spring Training, season is here. The second reason for me is these guys are coming out of a World Series. They're hungry for winning a World Series and I want to be part of that. I know how they prepare and they're getting ready for next season, I want to be a part of that team, they're going to bring a World Series here."
Family has played a key role in some of Rodriguez's baseball decisions over the past two seasons. In 2022, he abruptly left the Detroit Tigers for two months to address a family situation in Miami. This past August he invoked his no trade clause to veto a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers after moving them to Detroit. Signed to a four-year deal, with a no trade clause included, he'll have the chance to be around them throughout the entire year.
Arizona holds an unique advantage when it comes down to courting free agents who prioritize family for their next destination, especially when they're a contending team. Playing in downtown Phoenix, coupled with their Spring Training facility merely 20 minutes away in Scottsdale, players have the ability to live in their homes year-round. Hazen acknowledged such an advantage, and how it played a key role in Rodriguez's decision.
"We've always known our advantage of having our Spring Training and regular season team in the same city. We've seen that before and we'll see it again. For players that have families and that's important to them, we think that's a huge selling point for us. Our players get to be in one place year-round, it's tough to be away from your family and having to move to Spring Training and another major league city."
Now a Diamondback, Rodriguez will get to reunite with manager Torey Lovullo. Lovullo's ability to connect with his players and form lasting relationships with them served as an underlying factor in the team's postseason run. Those relationships last beyond time shared together on the same team. One famous example came right before the National League Division Series, when Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts famously crashed Lovullo's press conference on the workout day ahead of the series to give him a hug.
"As soon as I jump into the meeting we had back in the Winter Meetings, I just hugged him and literally said 'What's up bro, how you're doing?'. That's the relationship we had back then. Torey's special, he was in the dugout with me the all the time."
The relationship between Rodriguez and Lovullo will continue to grow as the pair are both signed through the 2026 season. The pair spent two years together on the Red Sox, including a 48-game run in 2015 where Boston went 28-20 with Lovullo serving as the interim manager.
The D-backs, coming off a World Series appearance, were also looking for a veteran option to stabilize their rotation. Rodriguez experienced the thrills of winning it all with the 2018 Boston Red Sox, a feeling he wants to help this team experience. Arizona had basically rolled with three starting pitchers throughout the postseason: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt. Adding Rodriguez to the rotation gives them a veteran starter who has evolved from a hard-throwing left-hander to a pitcher who has learned how to change speeds and locations effectively on hitters. The D-backs expect him to be a solid innings eater in the middle of their rotation and helped stabilize a rotation that's breaking in some young starters.
