Report: Rangers plan to pursue SF Giants ace Carlos Rodón in free agency

According to a recent report, SF Giants ace Carlos Rodón is going to be one of the Texas Rangers top targets in free agency.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 25, 2022

Report: Rangers plan to pursue SF Giants ace Carlos Rodón in free agency /

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SF Giants ace Carlos Rodón will be one of the best free agent starting pitchers this offseason. While there is mutual interest between the Giants and Rodón in a potential reunion, there will be plenty of other suitors for Rodón this offseason. According to a report by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the Texas Rangers are one of the teams eyeing Rodón.

SF Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon throws a pitch. (2022) — SF Giants ace Carlos Rodón throws a pitch / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

"I’ve heard from a source familiar with the club’s thinking that they expect to make a hard push for left-hander Carlos Rodón," Baggarly wrote about the Rangers following the hiring of former Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Rodón had a record-setting season in 2022 with the Giants, his first with the franchise. Prior to this season, Rodón had spent his entire career with the Chicago White Sox as a solid mid-rotation starter before bouncing back from injuries with an excellent 2021.

Last offseason, the Giants signed Rodón to a two-year, $44 million contract that gave the lefty an opt-out after the 2022 season. Given how dominant he was this season, he is ready to hit the open market and cash in. He compares favorably to several recent free agents who have signed contracts worth more than $100 million.

Rodón recorded 237 strikeouts and a 2.88 ERA across 178 innings pitched this season. He was selected to participate in the All-Star Game for the second time in his career and will likely finish in the top five of National League Cy Young Award voting.

The Giants have yet to sign any pitcher to a contract spanning more than three years or worth more than $50 million under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. With that said, Zaidi has insisted that he is not opposed to giving out a large contract to a pitcher.

The Rangers have been one of the most aggressive teams in free agency under general manager Chris Young. Texas signed Corey Seager to a 10-year, $325 million contract, Marcus Semien to a seven-year, $175 million deal, and Jon Gray to a four-year, $56 million contract last offseason.

Despite their spending spree last winter, though, the Rangers still only have $101 million currently on the books for 2023, leaving them plenty of room to spend once again.

If the SF Giants want to re-sign Carlos Rodón, they will have to beat out several other teams preparing to make significant offers this offseason. It appears the Texas Rangers will be one of those top competitors for the southpaw's services.

Published Oct 25, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).