The Red Sox are expected to be active players in the market for starting pitching this offseason, but according to one well-connected insider fans shouldn’t expect a reunion with old friend Eduardo Rodriguez.

Speaking on The Baseball Insiders podcast Monday, FanSided’s Robert Murray said he doesn’t believe Rodriguez is a likely target for the Red Sox this winter.

“At this point I don’t think E-Rod is a strong possibility there, things could change but I don’t think E-Rod is going to end up in Boston,” Murray said. “One phone call could change everything, but as of right now I don’t see that happening.”

Rodriguez, who spent his first seven years in the majors with the Red Sox before signing with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent ahead of the 2022 season, is on the open market again after opting out of his previous five-year, $77 million deal. Rodriguez had three years and $49 million remaining on that deal but can likely land an even bigger contract by testing the market again.

The 30-year-old left-hander endured a difficult debut with the Tigers, making only 17 starts in 2022 after spending several months away from the team for personal reasons, but enjoyed a strong bounce back season in 2023. Rodriguez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA over 152.2 innings, all of which ranked among the best totals of his career.

Now Rodriguez is among the top starters available in what remains one of the strongest free agent classes for starting pitchers in recent memory. Though the Hot Stove has remained relatively cool since the playoffs ended, we have seen a handful of deals break in recent days, most notably AL Cy Young Award finalist Sonny Gray’s three-year, $75 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Murray said behind the scenes the pitching market has been extremely active, and with the Winter Meetings set to begin in less than a week it could start to pick up even more in the coming days.