Cuban RHP Yariel Rodríguez Could Become MLB Free Agent Soon
The Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan have released Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodríguez from his contract, Francys Romero reported. The next step for Rodríguez is to apply for free agency in Major League
Rodríguez, a 6-foot-1 right-hander, will turn 27 a few weeks before Opening Day 2024. He last pitched for the Dragons in 2022 and had a lot of success. In 56 appearances, all out of the bullpen, Rodríguez threw 54 2/3 innings with a 1.15 ERA, 0.915 WHIP, 60 strikeouts and 18 walks. He also did not give up a home run all season.
Yariel Rodriguez, Photo by YUHKI OHBOSHI/TWITTER
He has been training in the Dominican Republic since March, Romero said.
Rodríguez also pitched for Team Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he was used as a starter. He made two starts, throwing 7 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. He topped out at 98.4 mph on his fastball during the WBC and featured a slider averaging over 2900 rpms.
Cuban Yariel Rodríguez granted release by Chunichi Dragons per @francysromeroFR. Next is applying for MLB free agency.
Rodríguez was great last year in Japan as reliever (1.15 ERA) & started in WBC.
High spin fastball up to 98 & slider over 2900 rpms
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) October 5, 2023
He was previously used as a starting pitcher in Cuba, and only transitioned to the bullpen full-time in 2022. He had some success, even throwing as many as 133 1/3 innings in 2018 with a 3.44 ERA.
Romero reported that several scouts say Rodríguez could get a contract in the range of five years, $50-70 million.
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