Updated Post – Dec 6. at 11:15 pm

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, free agent pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It contains a vesting option for a fifth year that can take the total amount earned to $99 million. The deal is pending physical.

The Mets were thought to be in the mix for the left-hander, but their eyes have always been set on Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Original Post – Dec 6. at 3:09 pm

With Major League Baseball’s offseason heating up at the Winter Meetings, free agents are deciding where they will play in 2024. Many are waiting on the decisions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the two most significant and most prized free agents on the market. The New York Mets have been in the market for some of these players even as they currently focus on depth pieces. It was reported on Wednesday that owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns recently flew to Japan to meet with Yamamoto. Yamamoto is scheduled to meet with the New York Yankees on Monday. Ohtani is expected to have a decision by the weekend. As the baseball world waits, other players, like free agent left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, will likely have a home by the end of Thursday. 

Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network and the New York Post, Rodriguez is down to two teams and is expected to decide Thursday. Our own Mike Mayer of Metsmerized has reported that the Mets are interested in the 30-year old left hander. SNY’s Andy Martino has also noted that the Mets have said in meetings that they would go after a pitcher like Rodriguez as a plan B if they lost out on Yamamoto. 

Rodriguez is coming off a solid 2023 season with the Detroit Tigers, going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 152 2/3 innings pitched with 143 strikeouts and a 1.153 WHIP. He also notched a 3.5 WAR. 2023 was his best year after spending most of his career with the Boston Red Sox before coming to Detroit in 2022. He is looking to capitalize on his best season with a nice contract. As for the Mets and their reported interest, with his decision coming Thursday, and the Mets still in pursuit of the Yamamoto, plus the Mets seeming to be in a battle with their crosstown rivals for his services, it appears that Rodriguez’s new team won’t be in Queens next season.