Chaim Bloom reacts to Eduardo Rodriguez’s departure from Red Sox: ‘We were fighting our emotions on this one’

Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox certainly wanted Eduardo Rodriguez back, but only to a certain point.

In the end, the Red Sox just weren’t willing to go where the Detroit Tigers went as Rodriguez accepted a five-year contract worth at least $77 million. Boston extended a qualifying offer to Rodriguez of $18.4 million for 2022 and reportedly were willing to offer him more years beyond that, but it wasn’t nearly enough to sway the left-hander to returning to the only major league home he’s known.

But letting Rodriguez depart — effectively ending a six-year run in which the lefty was a key piece of their starting rotation and helped deliver a championship in 2018 — wasn’t easy, Bloom said on Monday.

“We were fighting our emotions on this one of what we thought was the right use of our resources and how far to extend,” Bloom said. “He means a lot to people here. I think he’s not just a great teammate and a really good pitcher who had some tremendous big game performances for this organization, but also a credit to a lot of people here who identified him when he was in the minor leagues, brought him over here and got the most out of him.

“There are deep roots here, and that made it harder to see him go. But ultimately it’s something where we’re happy for him and we have to be comfortable with how far we’re willing to extend.”

Rodriguez was introduced in Detroit on Monday on what he called “the best day of his life.” He explained that his new team’s history, their fans and his relationship with franchise legend Miguel Cabrera were all key factors in his decision to join an ascending club, but his new contract was certainly the most significant. Asked if he seriously considered the Red Sox’ qualifying offer, Rodriguez was honest.

“Do you prefer $18 (million) or $77 (million)?” Rodriguez said. “Just thinking about me and my family, my future, my two kids.”

Rodriguez briefly reflected on his career with the Red Sox, giving a mention to both of his former managers.

“I feel like I had a really good time with Boston,” Rodriguez said. “Really good every year I played there, winning the World Series which was special for me. Every playoff game, everything I did over there. My teammates, John Farrell, Alex Cora, the managers I had over there, everybody. But for me, I feel like now is the time to move on. Move on and go to the next part of my life, which is what I’m starting to do right now. Going with the Tigers and start (to) winning championships over here. That’s the way I see it and that’s the way I’d like to leave it for now.”

Rodriguez formed strong relationships with several of his now former Red Sox teammates, especially Xander Bogaerts and Christian Vazquez. He said it was hard to say goodbye to them, but expressed excitement to face them next season. The Red Sox and Tigers meet six times in 2022, from April 11-13 in Detroit and June 20-22 in Boston.

“They’re brothers that you never forget,” Rodriguez said. “And I can’t wait to go up there and face them next year, see what they can do. One of the funny things is we’re talking a lot together. Vazky just told me all the time, ‘I’m going to hit a homer, I’m going to hit a double,’ and Bogaerts, too. I told them, ‘Next year when I face you guys, I’m going to strike you out,’ so we’ll see how that goes next season.

“But I know I love them and I know they feel happy for me, they feel happy for what I accomplished now and I know they want the best for me and I want the best for them and they go out there and ball, and I strike them out every time I face them.”