David Price has been traded to the Dodgers. Chris Sale has been lost for the 2020 season due to Tommy John surgery. That means the new ace for the Boston Red Sox is lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Rodriguez’s 2020 MLB season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Eduardo Rodriguez MLB Awards Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Most wins of any pitcher: Rodriguez is +2200
- AL Cy Young Award: Rodriguez is +4500 long shot
Of course, the Boston Red Sox want to play this season because every franchise would lose millions of dollars if there isn’t one in 2020. However, it might not be the worst thing for the Red Sox if 2020 is canceled as is possible because the team was essentially punting on this season following the trade of former AL MVP Mookie Betts and ex-AL Cy Young David Price to the Dodgers.
Then, the Red Sox learned that ace lefty Chris Sale had to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery that likely means Sale will not even be ready to pitch in the majors again until summer 2021. Sale, 30, is entering the first year of a five-year contract worth $145 million he signed last spring. He was shut down with elbow soreness last August after the worst season of his career, during which he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts. Following an offseason of rest, Sale returned to the mound during spring training but again experienced elbow issues March 1 and was sidelined again.
Sale had the surgery on March 30. Sale acknowledged that Tommy John surgery was always a possibility during his career, and he said he avoided going under the knife until he felt all other options had been explored. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom previously said the team expects Sale’s recovery to last around 14 to 15 months, a typical recovery timeline. Sale was out of his arm cast on Thursday to begin his rehab process.
With those two gone the 2020 ace is another lefty, Eduardo Rodriguez. He went 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA (86 ER/203.1 IP) in 2019. Rodriguez ranked third in MLB with those career-high 19 wins, also setting career bests in starts (34), IP (203.1), and SO (213). His 34 starts were tied for the most in MLB (7 others).
The Red Sox were 26-8 (.765) in his starts. The only other pitcher to start as many as 25 team wins in 2019 was Houston’s Gerrit Cole as the Astros were 26-7 in his starts. Rodriguez was 1 of 15 pitchers to throw 200.0+ IP, and 1 of only 5 lefties. His 13 starts of at least six innings pitched 1 or 0 runs allowed trailed only Cole and Justin Verlander for the most in the AL (both 15). Boston went 18-3 when Rodriguez threw at least six innings, including 12-0 from 4/12-7/22, allowing 1 or 0 runs in 13 of those games.
Rodriguez put up those numbers while earning just $4.3 million in his second year of arbitration, fractions less than fellow starters Sale, Price, Rick Porcello (now with Mets) and Nathan Eovaldi. With 32 wins since the beginning of 2018 — fourth-most in MLB behind Verlander, Cole and Zack Greinke — Rodriguez has cost the Red Sox just $208,594 per win, by far the lowest among that quartet. Rodriguez still is on his rookie deal making $8.3 million this season and won’t hit unrestricted free agency until 2022.
Rodriguez carried over his 2019 success to this spring as he led all spring training pitchers with 20 strikeouts before MLB shut everything down. Rodriguez was the most dominant hurler in either the Grapefruit League or the Cactus League. He had a 20:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings pitched over three games. Rodriguez was set to be the Red Sox’s starter on Opening Day.
