What It Means:

Rodriguez is steadily working himself into the spring training groove, having thrown two bullpen sessions and one live batting practice session to this point. The veteran is expected to close for the Tigers in 2016. He indicated he'll likely need five or six game appearances this spring before he's ready for Opening Day. Last season, he went 38 of 40 in save chances with the Milwaukee Brewers while holding down a strong 2.21 ERA across 57 innings.

Rodriguez posted a 2.63 xFIP last season, which ranked 12th best among qualified relievers, and his 28.7 strikeout percentage was well above the league average of 20.4 percent. We project an increase in his ERA in 2016 (3.48) and just a slight decrease in his strikeout percentage (27.3), forecasting him to record 32 saves.