Phillies reportedly scouting veteran left-handed starting pitcher

While adding a right-handed bat with pop seems to be the No. 1 need for the Philadelphia Phillies, they are considering other options in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Phillies are one of five teams said to be scouting Detroit Tigers LHP Eduardo Rodríguez. Among the other contenders interested in Rodríguez, per Feinsand, are the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays.

In 15 starts this season, Rodríguez is 6-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 3.18 FIP and 2.1 WAR over 88 1/3 innings pitched. It’s a nice rebound from a disappointing first season in Detroit, enough that Rodríguez will have to decide this winter if he wants to opt out of the remaining three seasons of a five-year/$77 million contract and return to the free-agent market.

With the quartet of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez and Taijuan Walker, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged earlier this month that the team doesn’t believe they need to add another potential postseason starter beyond their “big four.” He didn’t, however, rule out doing so, although the recent success of Cristopher Sánchez may make the Phillies less inclined to do so, even if some of their top starters have had uneven campaigns.

It should be noted that Dombrowski has a history with Rodríguez. Dombrowski was the president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox when they won the World Series in 2018. Rodríguez posted a 3.82 ERA for the Red Sox in 2018, before setting a career high with 203 1/3 innings pitched in 2019.

Still only 30, there’s no question that Rodríguez would be a nice addition for the Phillies, whether they view him as a rental or someone likely to decline his opt-out clause this offseason. If they will be motivated enough to part with the pieces necessary to compete in the starting pitching market remains to be seen.

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