Rangers Making 'Hard Push' For Carlos Rodón

The San Francisco pitcher is coming off back-to-back All-Stars seasons and could be an answer for the Texas Rangers rotation.

Add San Francisco pitcher Carlos Rodón to the list of starters the Texas Rangers may have interest in this offseason.

The Athletic reported that the Rangers intend to make a “hard push” for the left-hander.

Rodón, 29, is an eight-year MLB veteran who went 14-8 for the Giants last season, setting a career high for victories. But before you go looking for a tie to new Rangers manager Bruce Bochy — who managed the Giants for more than a decade — there isn’t one. Rodón played his first seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, so Rangers scouts are more familiar with him than Bochy.

Rodón has a career record of 56-46 with a 3.60 ERA. He’s been an All-Star each of the past two seasons.

Giants Baseball Insider reported that the Giants and Rodón haven’t ruled out a long-term deal, either. Rodón signed a two-year, $44 million deal before last season. But his deal came with a player opt-out, which was triggered after he threw 110 innings. He threw 178 innings in 2022, which was also a career-high. The Giants told the local media they fully expect him to opt out of the second year.

The Rangers are in need of front-line pitching. Their best starter in 2022, Martín Pérez, is also a free agent. Pérez and the Rangers started meeting after the season ended on a long-term deal. The only other veteran starter is Jon Gray, who went 7-7 and missed two months of the season due to injuries.

Rangers owner Ray Davis said the team intends to be “competitive” in free agency and that starting pitching is at the top of the list. The Rangers, though, are also being linked in free agency to New York Yankees star Aaron Judge.

“It's interesting to note that the two highest payroll teams in baseball didn't play this weekend,” Davis said. “So it's just not about the money. It's partially that, but I've made a commitment to (Rangers general manager Chris Young) that we're going to spend the money that it takes to put a competitive team on the field. And it's not just for one year. We're looking to put a competitive team on the field for multiple years. So to answer your question, I don't know where the payroll is gonna end up. But we'll be competitive.”

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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