2 Detroit Tigers trade rumors we hope come true, 1 we hope doesn't happen

Trading Eduardo Rodriguez to the Dodgers would likely be disappointing for Detroit

Eduardo Rodriguez has been mentioned as a trade candidate for some time now thanks to his performance in the first half of the season where he was one of the better pitchers in baseball. While some of the shine has come off of him after his finger injury and subsequent struggles, he remains a top trade deadline target for a number of teams looking to upgrade their rotations.

One team that seems to have Rodriguez near the top of their wish list is the Los Angeles Dodgers. On the surface, the Dodgers being a motivated contender interested in Eduardo should be great news. However, a deeper look suggests that a trade with LA could end up being disappointing.

The problem here is Rodriguez's contract and what it could mean for his trade value. Rodriguez's ability to opt out after this season has many teams treating him like he is a rental on the market and that means a big dip in his trade value. For the Dodgers specifically, they would likely want to get Rodriguez at a lower rate because they would probably PREFER him to opt out given their obvious intention to go after Ohtani this offseason and wanting to save some money for that pursuit.

In the end, any trade involving Rodriguez is going to be weird unless the Tiger's trade partner could get some assurance that Eduardo would/would not opt in to his deal after the season. There is a chance that Rodriguez could agree to opt-in early and Detroit could then price in that team control with his trade value. If not, it could be tough to get teams on board with a trade that the Tigers would be happy with.