Deadline Possibilities: Richard Rodriguez

Headed into the trade deadline, one of the most commonly heard names in baseball has been Richard Rodriguez. The Pirates 31 year old closer has been one of the most consistent back-end arms in baseball the last few years, and has finally been made available by the team. There is little doubt that he will get moved, and it is now a “when”, not an “if”.

Rodriguez debuted in 2017 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. After throwing only 5.2 innings that season, he was acquired by the Pirates. Over the next three and a half seasons, he would sport a 2.98 ERA with a 1.090 WHIP. In 2020 and so far in 2021, he has kept his WHIP under 0.860, and found career bests in several different categories.

Thus far in 2021, Rodriguez has a 2.82 ERA with a career best 0.835 WHIP. He has 33 strikeouts, and is 14-17 in save opportunities across 38.1 innings pitched. Although he has been dominant over the course of the season, some have questioned his ability to continue this great stretch after seeing a significant decline in spin rate following the new banned substances enforcement. Prior to this period, he held a 1.84 ERA. Since enforcement began, he has sported a 6.75 ERA, albeit in a small sample size (8.0 IP).

The Blue Jays need for above average bullpen arms has become obvious to many up to this point, and a player of Rodriguez’ caliber is an obvious potential target, especially for the Jays. He is exactly the type of player they typically target, being that he is a controllable arm. This season he is in his first arbitration year, and is only making $1.7 million. He won’t be a free agent until 2024 either. Although he is in his 30s already, this is exactly the type of addition the Jays like to pursue, historically speaking.

So, what is the likelihood the Blue Jays acquire Rodriguez? The answer is good. It has been commonly reported that they are one of a handful of teams interested in him for weeks on end, including presently. As well, Pirates GM Ben Cherrington is a former Blue Jays executive, having worked for the team as recently as early 2020. He knows the organization well. He knows the prospects, and he has a relationship with the current members of the front office. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise to see a dead get done here, especially if the asking price is lowered after his recent struggles.

Should Rodriguez join the Blue Jays, he would likely slot into an either inning role. They would likely prefer him to Cimber, but would prefer Romano to Rodriguez. Regardless of the order, a three inning stretch of Cimber-Rodriguez-Romano would really start to shape up the bullpen.