The Orioles were greeted by a former prospect on Tuesday night when Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez took the mound against them.
Rodriguez was traded to Boston last season for reliever Andrew Miller, who gave the bullpen a boost during the O’s playoff run.
The Red Sox called up Rodriguez on May 28, and the left-hander pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rangers. He only gave up one run in seven innings against the Twins on his next start and then pitched six scoreless innings against the Orioles.
A lot of Baltimore fans are seeing Rodriguez’s success and wondering why the front office would give him up in a deal when he might have future ace potential. Fans are especially mad after Miller wasn’t re-signed and the Yankees snatched him. People want to know what was going through Dan Duquette’s head when he made the trade.
It’s actually pretty simple though and the trade can be summed in one phrase: win now.
The Orioles were keeping control of the AL East and the team needed a little help in the bullpen. The Red Sox were having a rough season and were looking to sell, especially with Miller being in the final year of his contract.
Boston played hard ball with Baltimore’s front office and Duquette finally caved, giving up Rodriguez for Miller. Rodriguez was one of Baltimore’s top prospects at the time but Miller made a name for himself as one of the top lefties in the bullpen that season.
Miller didn’t disappoint for the Orioles, as he struck out 34 batters in 20 innings and had a 1.35 ERA. He continued his strong performance in the playoffs with 7 1/3 scoreless innings. The left-hander was dominant for the Orioles and was a key contributor during the team’s playoff run.
However, certain fans still don’t see why the team would a trade away a top prospect for a rental player. The problem with that thought process is that Rodriguez was slowly sliding down the rankings as one of the Orioles’ top prospects.
Rodriguez started his minor league career with Baltimore at just 17-years-old and posted solid numbers at Rookie Level and Single-A. However, the left-hander struggled when he made the jump to Double-A and posted a 4.22 ERA at Bowie in 2013. He then posted a 4.79 ERA at Bowie the next season before being traded.
Rodriguez had plateaued in the Orioles’ minor league system and whether it was the team’s fault for failing to develop him or not, it was time for both sides to move on. Duquette saw a chance to improve the bullpen and saw a top prospect that was closing to losing his trade value.
The Red Sox found a way to get Rodriguez back on track and he posted 0.96 ERA in Double-A Portland. He cruised through Triple-A Pawtucket this season, which prompted the team to call him up and he hasn’t disappointed yet.
It may be tough for some fans to see Rodriguez have success for the Red Sox but fans wanted the Orioles to make trades, like the one for Miller, for years. They’ve wanted to see the team trade for players in order to be competitive instead of constantly rebuilding and that’s exactly what the Miller trade was for.
Miller did his part for the Orioles and could have helped the team win a World Series if they didn’t run into a hot Royals’ team.
It was right to move Rodriguez at the time because it looked as though he would have never developed with Baltimore. Duquette found the right time to sell on the left-hander and received one of the best left-handers in the game.
The Red Sox might be looking well in the trade right now, but it was a move that helped the Orioles almost win a World Series. Those are the type of moves you make in order to win, which is why the trade, even in retrospect, was the right move to make.
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