Chicago White Sox: Eduardo Rodriguez is coming to AL Central

The Chicago White Sox had a magnificent year in 2021. They won the AL Central Division by 13 games and never really struggled to hold that lead at any point in the second half of the season. Things seem to be getting tougher, however, as the offseason goes along. Now a really good pitcher like Eduardo Rodriguez is on his way to the midwest to try and dethrone the White Sox.

The White Sox won the division over the second-place Cleveland Indians but Cleveland was not the second-best team in the division. They had three more wins than the third-place Detroit Tigers who were actually the second-best team. The rough start that they had put them in too big of a hole but things really started to click in the second half.

Now, Detroit is the lucky winner of the Eduardo Rodriguez sweepstakes as he has chosen them as his next team. He signed a deal worth 77 million for five years which is very good for both him and the team. He joins a team looking to take a big step going forward.

Since the offseason began, it was clear that the Tigers were the team in the division to worry about going forward. They showed so much progression in 2021 and they made a move for an outstanding catcher in Tucker Barnhart. This team is all of the sudden becoming a problem.

Eduardo Rodriguez is really going to help the Detroit Tigers take a step.

Rodriguez is joining a very good young pitching staff that will be very good in short order. In 2021, he was with the Boston Red Sox through their Wild Card win and an eventual berth in the American League Championship Series. The Houston Astros defeated them for the pennant but it was a great year of team success.

During the 2021 season, Rodriguez had a 13-8 record with a 4.74 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, and 185 strikeouts. Those aren’t superstar numbers but he is a solid Major League pitcher with lots of great experience playing in big games. In addition to this year’s deep run, he won the World Series with Boston in 2018. That type of experience is so valuable for a young team that is up and coming.

It isn’t good for the White Sox to see the Tigers add good players like this. However, the White Sox won 93 games with an extremely injured and inexperienced group. If they can use this as motivation to go spend some money themselves, they are still ahead of everyone in the division right now. With that in mind, keep an eye on Detroit because they are coming.