Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez was claimed on waivers Tuesday by the Colorado Rockies, meaning Houston has until Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET to complete a possible trade with the Rockies, whom they are currently playing in a three-game series.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the story after it was widely speculated the Washington Nationals had placed a claim.
Ultimately, Rosenthal confirmed the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Nationals -- all believed to have had interest in Rodriguez leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline -- were not the claiming teams.
Rodriguez, 32, will get the starting nod in Wednesday's finale against right-hander Aaron Cook and the Rockies at Coors Field.
Houston sits in the driver's seat regarding Rodriguez's fate.
Astros general manager Ed Wade has three potential options: dump the left-hander's lucrative contract on the Rockies for nothing in return, negotiate a trade with Colorado general manager Dan O'Dowd or simply pull Rodriguez back and retain him.
Wade accompanied the Astros on their road trip to Colorado, and is believed to be negotiating a potential trade with the Rockies.
The Astros and Rockies collaborated last offseason on two trades -- the first regarding Felipe Paulino in exchange for Clint Barmes on Nov. 10, followed by Matt Lindstrom getting traded for minor league pitchers Jonnathan Aristil and Wes Musick.
Rodriguez will earn $1.38 million for the remainder of 2011, but is scheduled to make $36 million over the next three seasons, if he exercises a player option for 2014 -- which kicks in -- if traded.
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Rockies have made Houston an offer, but want the Astros to pick up some of the southpaw's salary.
An MLB source told Examiner.com Tuesday afternoon that it's not a top priority for Wade to trade Rodriguez, especially with the Astros expected to be well under their reported $60 million payroll for 2012 -- even with Rodriguez still a member of the active roster.
The source also stated that Wade won't give up Rodriguez for nothing in return, noting he'll seek a solid trade package for the lefty.
If the Rockies' offer isn't appealing, Houston can always pull Rodriguez back and explore the possibility of trading him this offseason.
Rodriguez has posted a 9-9 record with a 3.31 ERA and 125 strikeouts over 147 innings in 23 starts for the Astros this season.
He's arguably one of the top left-handed starting pitchers in the National League dating back to his breakout 2009 regular season.
With Rodriguez set to take the mound Wednesday afternoon, a strong performance could play a significant role in how the process unfolds.
Rodriguez admits he was caught by surprise regarding the entire situation and found himself unpleased with the overall timing.
"It's a problem for me, especially since I'm pitching tomorrow," Rodriguez said. "I don't know if I'm going to another team or staying here. That's a negotiation. If I need to go, I'll go, but if I stay, I need to pitch tomorrow and throw good each time I pitch."
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