Eduardo Rodríguez Is Looking Like an X-Factor in Arizona
After pitching his country to victory in the World Baseball Classic, the veteran southpaw could be the difference maker for Arizona in 2026.
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Eduardo Rodríguez is one of those guys who has sneakily been around for quite some time. With a major-league debut dating back to 2015, the southpaw is no stranger to the ups and downs that come with being a big leaguer.
Throughout his decade-long career, Rodríguez has never been an elite starting pitcher. Despite a handful of extremely solid campaigns, he’s never even been an All-Star. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been effective through stretches, though.
It’s no secret Rodríguez’s first few seasons in Arizona have been underwhelming. His start to the 2026 campaign has been a completely different story, however. He looks like a starter ready to revamp his career.
A Rocky Start in the Desert
Rodríguez put together a career year in 2023 with the Tigers, posting a 3.30 ERA in 152.2 innings with an fWAR of 3.1. He timed it perfectly, too, as he put together this campaign right before heading into free agency.
This led to the Arizona Diamondbacks handing him a hefty four-year deal worth $80 million. He looked like a perfect addition to a group that was ready to make some noise coming off a World Series appearance.
Unfortunately, it looked like quite the opposite through the first half of the deal. In that first year of the new pact, Rodríguez wouldn’t be available until August and eventually threw just 50 innings.
In the limited time, he posted the worst run prevention mark of his long career with a 5.04 ERA.
While he bounced back the next year with 29 starts for the snakes, that didn’t change the lack of effectiveness. Even with the 100-inning improvement from the year prior, his ERA barely fell, going from that 5.04 mark in 2024 to a 5.02 ERA in 2025.
Rodríguez quickly looked like one of the most overpaid players in the sport, and with two years and $40 million remaining, the Diamondbacks seemed stuck.
They had no other option than to run it back with him to open the 2026 campaign, and thank goodness they did.
Can He Be the Difference?
To no surprise, fans had little hope for Rodríguez heading into spring training. However, the now 33-year-old quickly raised those hopes while pitching in the World Baseball Classic.
In seven innings across two starts in the tournament, the lefty posted a 3.86 ERA while striking out nine batters. Those numbers may not jump off the page, but it was what he did against the United States in the championship game that opened some eyes.
The Venezuelan veteran ended up going 4.1 innings of shutout baseball with just one hit allowed and four strikeouts to help lead his country to victory. Simply put, he completely shut down one of the best offenses that has ever been assembled in the sport’s history.
Out of nowhere, fans had hope that Rodríguez could turn back the clock. If he could perform like that against a lineup full of Hall of Fame talents like Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, then he could put together a strong season for the Diamondbacks, right?
The early answer to that question is absolutely. The Diamondbacks’ 5-6 record as a squad may not be the most inspiring, but Rodríguez looks like he’s right back in the middle of his 2023 campaign.
He had a tall task to open the year facing the reigning world champion Dodgers. Rodríguez ended up outperforming all expectations, throwing five innings of shutout baseball with five strikeouts and four hits.
It was going to be tough for him to top that intriguing season debut, but that’s exactly what he did. In seven innings against the Braves, he would once again not allow a run while giving up just four hits.
Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks would go on to lose both of his starts, but they clearly have a rejuvenated Eduardo Rodríguez. Heading into play on April 7, he’s one of five qualified starters in the league who have yet to allow a run.
Of course, it’s only two games. However, in the small sample, he’s dropped his walks per nine by over a batter and is inducing ground balls at a much higher clip. These will likely regress over time, but if he can sustain a strong improvement in those departments in comparison to his last two seasons, the performance appears sustainable.
If you combine the championship outing in the WBC with his first two outings of the regular season, Rodríguez has thrown 16.1 innings of shutout baseball with just nine hits allowed and 12 strikeouts.
Final Thoughts
With Merrill Kelly coming back and Corbin Burnes aiming for a midseason return, the Diamondbacks could really make a run at the wild card. Sprinkle in slow starts from the Giants and Padres, and the second place spot in the NL West looks like theirs for the taking early on.
There’s no question that Rodríguez was a disappointing addition back in 2024. However, could he flip the script and make the back half of this deal look like a bargain?
Of course, it’s early, but initial returns are inspiring. Shutting down two of the best lineups in the National League is a pretty good way to start a season, and that’s exactly what E-Rod did against the Dodgers and Braves.
While several fanbases are complaining that the WBC messed with the preparation of their team’s best arms, it looks like the early competition was exactly what the doctor ordered for Eduardo Rodríguez.
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Michael Monreal got his start in baseball media when he started his own website covering the San Francisco Giants after playing two years of college baseball.…