Right-handed pitcher has officially been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, reports Francys Romero ( ). He is now free to sign with an MLB team. Rodriguez became one of the more intriguing options on the pitching market when he was granted a release from his contract with NPBs Chunichi Dragons a month ago. He has been conducting showcases for MLB clubs in the few weeks since but was barred from officially signing with a major league team until today. Theres nothing Levi Stoudt Jersey to suggest hell sign imminently, of course, but this removes the procedural hurdle he still needed to clear. A native of Cuba, Rodriguez turns 27 in March. Thats atypically young for a free agent pitcher. He worked out of the bullpen over parts of three seasons with the Dragons. Rodriguez had a dominating showing in 2022, when he pitched to a 1.15 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate over 54 2/3 innings. He worked as a starter for his home country during the World Baseball Cla sic. Once that event concluded, Rodriguez decided not to report back to the Dragons. He sat out the remainder of the 2023 season the team placed him on the restricted list before his camp secured his release. MLB teams figure to have differing evaluations on Rodriguezs viability as a starter. Hes an intriguing arm with promising stuff and succe s at the second-highest level of profe sional baseball in the world. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported last month that the Rays were among 15 teams with scouts in attendance for one of Rodriguezs recent workouts in the Dominican Republic. This afternoon, Romero listed ( ) 10 clubs that had shown interest in the hurler: the Astros, Yankees, Rangers, Pirates, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Phillies, White Sox, Mets and Giants. Luke Raley Jersey