The Arizona Diamondbacks and star pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez have agreed to terms on a 4-year $80 million contract. It was hotly debated for some time where the veteran left-hander would be signing this off-season. For a while, it seemed that the pitcher would be leaving for the greener pastures of a big market club such as the Dodgers, Mets or Yankees. However, on December 8th, we would find out that the young and scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks would be signing the highly touted Rodriguez. Coming off of what was easily the veteran's best season to date, the Venezuelan was poised to sign with a contender. The lefty finished the 2023 season with an ERA of 3.30 while striking out 143 batters, going 13-9 in the process.  

For the defending NL champions, this is a steal of a contract for a pitcher of E-Rod’s caliber. He will be joining a rotation featuring young, established pitcher Zac Gallen and fellow veteran Merrill Kelly. Unsurprisingly, the left-hander will be one of the older players on an Arizona roster that averages 27.8 years in age. The pitching for this young and talented squad was relatively effective in 2023, despite injuries to key arms throughout the season. The lefty will only improve the quality of the Diamondback rotation, as they look to make another deep playoff push in 2023. 

With the surprising 2023 World Series run in the rear-view, the D-backs will be looking to show the league that their run that ended so close to glory was no fluke. The talented young core of Corbin Caroll and Geraldo Perdomo, complemented by a rotation that includes a 2023 Cy Young finalist and a veteran coming off of his best year yet, should make this team a force again in 2023. It is my belief that Eduardo Rodriguez will slot in very nicely as Arizona’s No.2 and produce yet another stellar season on the bump. With this intelligent and relatively cheap signing, it would be no surprise to me if the “Answerbacks” found themselves in the midst of the World Series favorites for the 2024 season.