The Detroit Tigers failed to trade Eduardo Rodriguez before the MLB trade deadline. Scott Harris has some explaining to do.
Eduardo Rodriguez is a man of a different regime. E-Rod was brought in to headline the rotation prior to Harris' hire, and the failure to trade him prior to his player opt out this offseason could be seen as a failure from the new front office executive.
Harris reportedly agreed to trade Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Dodgers before 6 p.m. ET, but Rodriguez enacted his no-trade clause to avoid a deal to the west coast. That's well within Rodriguez's right, whether Tigers fans like it or not. It's written in his contract, handed out by Al Avila.
Harris and Detroit's front office played the waiting game, holding out for the best prospect package and assuming they would receive the offer they wanted. When Rodriguez decided he did not want to join the Dodgers, it threw them for a loop with little time to spare.
Tigers: Scott Harris has no excuse for his Eduardo Rodriguez blunder
There are two ways the Tigers can make up for failing to trade Rodriguez, and neither is likely. First, Detroit could make the playoffs this season. They are just 6.5 games out of first in the AL Central, though a postseason run likely isn't in the cards. Second, they could re-sign Rodriguez to a new contract. However, that goes against the grain for E-Rod, who can likely make more money in the free-agent market this offseason.
Thus, failing to trade Rodriguez puts Harris between a rock and a hard place. A media savant, he'll likely say all the right things. However, this was undoubtedly a rookie mistake from an executive Chris Ilitch put in charge of his baseball operations, and something he must answer for.
As Harris pivots, the next few months will be vital in telling if he's actually the right man to lead this Tigers rebuild.
