Left-hander is returning to free agency, as the New York Posts Jon Heyman ( ) reports that Rodriguez has opted out of the last three years and $49MM on his contract with the Tigers. Today was the deadline for E-Rod to enact his opt-out clause, and it has long seemed like the southpaw would indeed take the opportunity to again test the market. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said that the club was first waiting on Rodriguezs opt-out decision before discu sing an extension, yet MLB Networks Jon Morosi yesterday that the two sides were having some level of talks about potentially restructuring his contract . The nature of these discu sions might not be known now that Rodriguez has opted out, though the Tigers still hold exclusive negotiating rights with the lefty until Monday. It would seem like a longshot if a new deal did come together with Rodriguez so close to Matthew Dellavedova Jersey being able to speak with other teams, yet he did expre s his love of playing in Detroit in August after E-Rod used his 10-team no-trade clause a proposed deal to the Dodgers. Rodriguez signed a five-year, $77MM deal during the 2021-22 offseason, as the Tigers splurged on both E-Rod and as a way of signalling that the team was ready to contend after a rebuilding period. Instead, the Tigers stumbled to a 66-96 record in 2022, due to a punchle s offense and a multitude of pitching injuries. Rodriguez was hit by the injury bug in the form of a ribcage sprain, but his extended absence during the middle of the 2022 campaign was due to a family-related personal matter. The Tigers put Rodriguez on the restricted list for most of that absence, and he ended up to sing only 91 innings (with a 4.05 ERA). A pulley rupture in his left index finger put E-Rod on the injured list for a little over five weeks this season, but by and large, 2023 was a more normal year for the left-hander. Rodriguez posted a 3.30 ERA over 152 2/3 innings, with a le s-flattering 4.26 SIERA and a set of that generally landed either slightly above or slightly below league averages. It makes for an interesting comparison to Rodriguezs last foray into free agency, when he landed that $77MM deal on the strength of some good underlying metrics, even though he had a 4.74 ERA over 157 2/3 frames for the Red Sox in 2021. Without a qualifying offer impacting his market this time around, Rodriguez shouldnt have much i sue topping three years and $49MM, and another five-year pact seems very plausible since he doesnt turn 31 until April. However, geography might be a bit of a limiting factor for Rodriguez. Staying close to his family on the East Coast was a reason E-Rod vetoed the trade to the Dodgers, so if he wasnt willing to head west for just the remainder of the 2023 season, its probably not too likely that hed join a team in the western U.S. for a longer term. These feelings could potentially change once Rodriguez and his representatives fully gauge the market, yet for now, it would appear as though clubs in the east or more central (like Detroit) parts of the baseball world might have an advantage. LeBron James Jersey