Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez

34-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  Foreign
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Richard Rodriguez in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year, minor-league contract with the Marlins in February of 2023. Elected free agency in November of 2023.
Signs NRI deal with Miami
PMiami Marlins  F
February 28, 2023
Rodriguez signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Rodriguez did not appear at the MLB level in 2022 after getting hit with an 80-game PED suspension in April. He did eventually latch on with the Yankees in July and posted a 3.86 ERA and 24:7 K:BB across 23.1 innings at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 32-year-old former Pirates closer will now look to resuscitate his career with Miami.
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Pitching Stats
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2020
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Richard Rodriguez See More
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
April 3, 2022
Jan Levine kicks off the column for the season and dives right into all the NL positional battles.
The Z Files: Saving the Best for Last
January 20, 2022
Todd Zola examines recent draft trends when it comes to closers and weighs the pros and cons of spending an early pick on the likes of Emmanuel Clase.
Playoff Primer: The Rankings
October 5, 2021
Todd Zola ranks players by position for fantasy playoff leagues. Chicago's Jose Abreu is tough to beat at first base.
The Z Files: My Top 250 Rest-of-Season Pitchers
August 16, 2021
Todd Zola offers his projected pitcher rankings for the stretch run as two National League teams split the top four spots between them.
Mound Musings: Checking in on Some Unsettled Bullpens
August 12, 2021
Brad Johnson checks in with some in-flux bullpen situations, like in Kansas City, where Josh Staumont had a shaky June but has rebounded of late.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
Rodriguez had an impressive start to 2021 with a 23-game scoreless streak that extended from last August into early May. He earned 14 saves in 17 chances for Pittsburgh witih only five walks and two home runs allowed in 38.1 innings. With arbitration approaching, the cost-conscious Pirates traded Rodriguez to the Braves at the deadline. The right-hander was not as effective in a setup role for Atlanta and closed out the year with a 5.25 ERA and five home runs allowed over the final month. Rodriguez simply lost Atlanta's trust and failed to make their roster throughout the playoffs. While his season ended poorly, he still finished with the sixth-best walk rate (1.4 BB/9) among qualified relievers. Rodriguez has an excellent slider that produced a 40.4% Whiff%, but he may need to throw it more (13.9% Pitch%) and become less predictable with his fastball (86.1%) to re-enter the high-leverage picture in 2022.
The Pirates had a total of six saves as a team in 2020 and Rodriguez earned four of them. He was not the first choice -- first-year manager Derek Shelton tried Nick Burdi while waiting for Keone Kela, who ended up making just three appearances for the club. Rodriguez picked up his first save of the season Aug. 23 and converted all but one of his chances after stepping into the ninth-inning role, with a stellar 16:2 K:BB over 9.2 scoreless innings in September. The right-hander is not a flamethrower by any means, averaging just 93 mph with his four-seam fastball, but he gets good spin on the pitch, and his slider is a major weapon later in counts. While Rodriguez is already entering his age-30 season, he is still under team control for several seasons. Expect Pittsburgh to trade Rodriguez before he gets too pricey in arbitration; it may or may not be this year. In the meantime, he should get saves.
Rodriguez took a step back last season after a breakthrough 2018 campaign, experiencing across-the-board regression in nearly every standard and advanced pitching metric. Most distressing was a dramatic drop in his strikeout rate from 31.5% in 2018 to 22.1% last season. There's little to explain the sudden decline as both his velocity and pitch usage remained relatively constant. Rodriguez did show some improvement following a demotion to the minors in mid-May, but the strikeout numbers never quite returned even during a dominant stretch in June and July in which he gave up only one earned run in 24.2 innings. Despite the disappointing season, Rodriguez led Pittsburgh in appearances (72) and holds (16) and figures to play a prominent role in the team's plans this season. He may have some fantasy value in holds leagues, but only if he's able to rediscover the form that first put him on the radar in 2018.
Rodriguez is one of the best kept secrets in the major leagues. A career minor-leaguer before getting a cup of coffee with Baltimore in 2017, Rodriguez broke out last season with Pittsburgh, boasting a sparkling 2.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 88 strikeouts in 69.1 innings, accruing 15 holds. Considering he didn't record his first hold until June 6, Rodriguez has a chance to post well over 20 this season. Curiously, eight of the 19 runs Rodriguez allowed came in a three-week stretch a little after the All-Star break. Rodriguez throws a 93-mph fastball three quarters of the time, spotting it effectively, generating a 14.9 SwStr%. He complements his heater with an 81-mph slider, inducing a 16.4 SwStr%. Rodriguez will battle Keona Kela for eighth-inning duties, both setting up Felipe Vazquez.
More Fantasy News
Links up with Yankees
PNew York Yankees  F
July 7, 2022
Rodriguez (suspension) signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on June 21.
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Suspended for 80 games
PFree Agent  F
Suspension
April 4, 2022
Rodriguez was suspended 80 games Monday after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
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Cut loose by Atlanta
PFree Agent  F
November 30, 2021
Rodriguez was non-tendered by Atlanta on Tuesday.
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Won't pitch in NLDS
PAtlanta Braves  F
October 8, 2021
Rodriguez is not on Atlanta's roster for the NLDS against Milwaukee, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
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Activated by Atlanta
PAtlanta Braves  F
July 31, 2021
Rodriguez was added to Atlanta's 26-man roster ahead of Saturday's game against the Brewers.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Talks heating up
PPittsburgh Pirates  F
July 27, 2021
Trade talks surrounding Rodriguez have accelerated, with the Blue Jays and Phillies among the lefty's leading suitors, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
Rodriguez has 14 saves and a 2.82 ERA this season, so he looks on the surface like a pitcher who could really help a contender. However, his strikeout rate has plummeted from 36.6 percent last year to 22.8 percent this year, while his groundball rate sits at a very low 29.2 percent, which could cause problems for teams with small ballparks like the Phillies. Additionally, Rodriguez has experienced a notable drop in spin rate since the league started cracking down on foreign substances and has allowed six runs in his last eight innings of work.
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