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Atlanta Braves: Top 7 Potential Starting Pitcher Trade Targets

By Seth Carter

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 24: A glove and the rosin bag sit on the mound before the interleague game between the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park on June 23, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 24: A glove and the rosin bag sit on the mound before the interleague game between the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park on June 23, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images) /
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Eduardo Rodriguez (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

4. The Boston Hot Rod

Eduardo Rodriguez has two years left on his contract and the Red Sox are teetering on re-build mode… or at least a financial draw-down.  They seem to have accepted the fact that they will lose Mookie Betts as they have been actively shopping one of the game’s premier players.

David Price‘s giant contract seems to be attached to rumors involving Betts, complicating the situation.

If the Red Sox are really in re-build mode then the rumors regarding the shopping around of Eduardo Rodriguez could be a reality. He has two years remaining on his contract and made 34 starts for the Sox, pitching in 203.1 innings last season.

Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off of two consecutive seasons in which his ERA dipped below 4.00. Over the past two seasons, he’s been worth 9.0 rWAR.

He’s been durable as he’s pitched 333 innings over the previous two years. He’s entering his age-27 season so it’s likely the best is yet to come for the lefty.

During his past two seasons, he’s posted a 3.81 ERA with 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. His 3.2 walks per nine over that timespan is pretty reasonable.

Entering his age-27 season and having two years left on his deal, he may cost a little more than Robbie Ray but shouldn’t be anywhere near the asking price for hitters like Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado.

This is the type of pitcher that could end up being a co-number one with Soroka. Or in a best-case scenario, he becomes a co-number one with Soroka, Fried, Foltynewicz, and Cole Hamels! One thing is for sure, adding a guy like Rodriguez for the next two years allows the Braves to have patience with Anderson and other prospects coming down the pipeline.

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