E-Rod gives simple reason for denying Sox qualifying offer originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It isn’t difficult to understand why Eduardo Rodriguez decided to move on from the Boston Red Sox and sign with the Detroit Tigers in free agency.
The veteran left-hander declined the Red Sox’ $18.4 million qualifying offer and instead joined Detroit on a five-year, $77 million deal. The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams asked Rodriguez on Monday why he rejected Boston’s qualifying offer, and that prompted a pretty funny exchange.
Asked Rodriguez if he ever considered Boston’s qualifying offer at 18.4 million:
Rodriguez: “I’m gonna be honest with you, would you rather 18 or 77?”
Me: 77.
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) November 22, 2021
A $59 million difference seems like a reasonable explanation to us.
“I [didn’t] talk to them about how many years and all that,” Rodriguez added. “I know they wanted me back there, but it’s time for me to move and start the new part of my life.”
Also speaking to the media on Monday was Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who discussed why the club didn’t match Detroit’s lucrative contract offer.
“We were fighting our emotions on this one of what we thought was the right use of our resources and how far to extend,” Bloom said. “He means a lot to people here. I think he’s not just a great teammate and a really good pitcher who had some tremendous big-game performances for this organization, but also a credit to a lot of people here who identified him when he was in the minor leagues, brought him over here and got the most out of him.
“There are deep roots here, and that made it harder to see him go. But ultimately it’s something where we’re happy for him and we have to be comfortable with how far we’re willing to extend.”
Rodriguez went 13-8 with a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP during the 2021 season with Boston.