The San Francisco Giants have agreed to a two-year, $44 million deal with All-Star left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodón, confirms Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the first year, per Jeff Passan of ESPN, who was first on the news.
The deal is pending a physical before an official announcement will be made by the Giants. Here's what Sportsline says about Rodón's potential impact on the Giants:
| Wins | Division% | Postseason% | World Series% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Without Rodón | 90.7 | 56.0% | 71.6% | 4.5% |
With Rodón | 92.7 | 57.2% | 78.8% | 6.8% |
Change | +2.0 | +1.2% | +7.2% | +2.3% |
Rodón, 29, was drafted third overall by the White Sox out of North Carolina State in the 2014 draft. He debuted in the majors less than a year later on April 21. 2015. He never really put everything together -- injuries and inconsistency were issues for years -- until the 2021 season.
He actually had hit free agency after the 2020 season and had to settled on a minor-league deal with the only professional team he'd known, signing with the White Sox in February of 2021.
Rodón went out and won his first start and then threw a no-hitter in his second. It was the start of a career year. He'd make the All-Star team and finish fifth in AL Cy Young voting. On the year, he was 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA (183 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts against 35 unintentional walks in 132 2/3 innings.
Rodón did deal with left shoulder fatigue down the stretch, however, which limited him to just 24 starts. He made his first career playoff start and looked great in the first inning in Game 4 of the ALDS, but after that he got knocked around a bit and it was clear he wasn't 100 percent.
This deal reflects his immense upside along with all the question marks attached.
As things stand, Rodón likely slots as the number two starter for the Giants behind 2021 breakout Logan Webb with Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Alex Cobb likely rounding out the opening-day rotation.
