Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Has Perfect Response to Eduardo Rodriguez Situation

The last laugh is always best.

After a trade deadline saga that ultimately ended in him staying put in Detroit, Eduardo Rodriguez denied the Dodgers a chance to trade for his services in early August to shore up some rotational depth. 

Miffed by this exercised no-trade clause, LA moved on to other pieces and has soared up the divisional leaderboards at this point in the year, a development that Dave Roberts is ultimately thankful for even without the services of the still Tigers starter. 

“I think if a guy doesn’t want to be here for whatever reason, then

c’est la vie

, it’s all good,” Roberts said.

via Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic

Facing their would be teammate had he not denied the acquisition from happening, the Dodgers dominated Rodriguez in their series opener with Detroit on Monday night. 

J.D. Martinez, who was Rodriguez's teammate in Boston, must have taken missed calls and texts at this year's deadline personally, taking the Tigers starter deep twice for four RBI before the pitcher exited with an injury. 

Eduardo Rodriguez didn’t respond to J.D. Martinez’s texts on trade deadline day when the Dodgers tried to trade for him. Martinez clearly took that personally.

In two at-bats, Martinez has two home runs and four runs batted in. Dodgers now lead 5-0 against E-Rod and the Tigers.

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) September 19, 2023

Giving up five earned runs prior to his departure, LA teed off in both the batters box and in the stands as the starter was booed off the field by fans due to his refusal to join the team at the deadline. 

In a game where Chavez Ravine celebrated an 8-3 win, Lance Lynn's quality start added another to the long list of good ones for the Dodgers after he did join the team in early August. 

Not the first time that Rodriguez has been celebrated for his shortcomings, many fans still remember the iconic home run from Yasiel Puig in the 2018 World Series off of him while the lefty was still a Red Sox player. 

We're hoping Rodriguez can enjoy the cold Detroit winter as the Dodgers, NL West crown in tow, are eager to get the postseason started in just a few weeks.