John Tomase of WEEI.com says as much in a recent article, regarding Rodriguez’s love for his native country of Venezuela and his club career in Boston. After a 10-6 record with a 3.85 ERA in 21 starts in 2015, Rodriguez had the sophomore struggles in 2016, posting a 3-7 record and a ballooning 4.71 ERA in 20 starts.
He almost didn’t even have the chance to stumble, as Rodriguez’s knee gave out to start the season and could not find the form that impressed so many of Red Sox Nation the season before. With that issue in mind, Tomase believes that it “should mean a winter of workouts with one goal in mind – returning Rodriguez to the form that basically made him untouchable last winter.