Eduardo Rodriguez agrees to $80 million deal with NL champion Diamondbacks

Free agent pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, cashing in after opting out of his contract with the Detroit Tigers.

The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale on the condition of anonymity because the signing wasn't yet official.

The left-hander joins the National League champions' rotation that already features Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, forming a formidable front three in Phoenix.

The Tigers had signed Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million deal before the 2022 season, the same winter that Detroit added shortstop Javier Baez for $140 million. He pitched quite well for the Tigers (3.58 ERA in 43 starts), but missed half of his first season in Detroit.

Rodriguez debuted for the Red Sox as a 22-year-old in 2015 and spent years with the club, compiling a 4.16 ERA in 159 games. Rodriguez helped Boston win the World Seres in 2018, making seven appearances in the postseason.

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He sat out the shortened 2020 season, getting diagnosed with myocarditis following a COVID-19 positive.

Behind Gallen, Kelly and now Rodriguez, right-hander Brandon Pfaadt is expected to be a regular in the rotation after impressing (3.27 ERA in five starts) as a rookie during Arizona's run to the World Series.