Diamondbacks Need More From this Veteran Pitcher

The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2025 season was certainly one that did not go according to plan. Bad injury luck, poor defense and general underperformance plagued a club with lofty expectations.

And — perhaps most frustrating of all — the 80-win D-backs did not miss the playoffs as a result of a lack of investment. Owner Ken Kendrick shelled out for a franchise-record payroll.

One chunk of that large payroll investment is left-handed veteran starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, heading in to year three of a four-year, $80 million contract signed in the 2023 offseason.

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A recent article by Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller took note of that deal as a potential "nightmare" contract for Arizona.

Diamondbacks' Rodriguez Contract Yet to Yield Returns

"With an honorable mention to Corbin Burnes' six-year, $210 million contract that could be a colossal burden if he's not the same pitcher after returning from Tommy John surgery, Rodriguez has already given the D-Backs back-to-back seasons with both an ERA north of 5.00 and a WHIP of at least 1.50," Miller wrote.

The difference between Rodriguez and Burnes is not insignificant when examining these deals.

While there does lie a possibility that Burnes never returns to Cy Young form, the fact is he's proven himself to be a true ace year after year. It's hard to argue that contract was ill-advised, even if the ultimate returns are poor.

Rodriguez, however, was not quite the same caliber of pitcher prior to his deal. He was stable, with a history of general success, but not to the same level as Burnes.

While $80 million is certainly less than $210 million, it's undeniable that high dollar amount has not paid off in on-field results.

Arizona Diamondbacks Need More From Eduardo Rodriguez

Rodriguez suffered a shoulder injury that claimed most of his first year in Arizona. When he came back, he did not pitch well, but those results could be overlooked, given the circumstances.

But in 2025, the veteran lefty had a strange season. He posted an ERA above 5.00 again, and looked to be generally struggling with similar issues — leaving hittable pitches over the heart of the plate.

But what was so baffling about Rodriguez's season was how frequently he showed flashes of dominance. Within the 5.02 ERA and 4.57 FIP, the southpaw put together some impressive streaks.

He pitched to a 1.98 ERA over 27.1 innings in the month of June — and then posted a 7.40 in July. He allowed six runs over five starts from August 30-September 21, with five of those runs coming in one contest, but ended his season on a five-run blowup.

What he lacked was simply consistency. Arizona isn't expecting him to pitch like an ace, but going from dominant to extremely poor so quickly continued to inflate his numbers.

The Diamondbacks need the steadiness they invested in from Rodriguez. Somewhat ironically, that was the résumé he came with — relatively consistent, if not mind-blowing results.

Investing in quality starting pitching can often prove fruitless. Such is the harsh reality of free agency. But with two lucrative years left on Rodriguez's contract, Arizona needs him to return to his more-reliable form. The ability is clearly still in there.

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