Red Sox Take a Chance on Joely Rodríguez With Incentive-Laden Deal

Joely Rodríguez signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox. He will earn a base salary of $1.5 million in 2023 and a chance to earn an additional $2.25 million. The contract has a team option for $4. 25 million and the maximum value is $8.3 million if exercised. He has played 50-plus games in both of the past two seasons but has yet to play more than 60 games.

Joely Rodríguez is being traded to the Red Sox. Rodriquez has a shoulder injury and is unproven in the big leagues. He has played for the Chunichi Dragons, Rangers and Japan. His last two seasons were disappointing, but he's a better pitcher than his stats suggest. He's getting a deal with incentives and options. Red Sox are betting on him to be better in 2023. The deal is worth $10 million. It's worth it because of his improved performance since 2021. Since 2021, Rodraiguez has 3.33 FIP and 3 xFIP.

Joely Rodríguez has a good record of limiting home runs. He has allowed only seven long balls over the past two years. His fly ball rate and hard-hit rate are better than league-average. Red Sox finished with the second-highest home run rate in the AL last season.

Joely Rodríguez is a left-handed pitcher who has a good ability to keep the ball in the yard. He's allowed just three hard-hit fly balls to lefties since the start of the 2021 season. Right-handers have managed to hit a few more flyballs against him, but not with much success. ZiPS projects him to give up just 3 home runs in 2023.

Red Sox signed Joely Rodríguez to a one-year, $2 million incentive-laden contract. Robert Suarez, another 31-years-old reliever, signed a five- years,$46 million contract with the Padres.