15:21: Rodon will earn $21.5 million in 2022 and $22.5 million in 2023. tweets Bob Nightingale of USA Today.
15:07: The Giants signed a two-year, $44 million contract with the left-hander. Carlos Rodon, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Rodon, a client of Boras Corporation, may withdraw from the contract after the first year of the deal. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported shortly before that Rawdon was “very active” for the Giants.
Rodon, 29, is arguably the best starter on the market right now after a breakout 2021 season. The former No. 3 overall returned from a series of seasons marred by injury and had the best record of his career, dominating the American League for most of the season. At the end of July, Rodon was one of the favorites for the Cy Young Award, posting a brilliant 2.14 ERA with a sensational strikeout rate of 36.6% versus a walking rate of 6.8%.
On July 18, Rodon crushed the Astros by pitching seven no-point innings with one hit and landing 10 punches. However, this was the last time the left-hander played more than five innings in a game. Rodon only lasted four frames and allowed four runs in each of his next two starts. He rebounded to dominate a cut-down Cubs team that traded most of their roster, throwing five close innings with 11 strikeouts on August 7.
Rodon then went on the injured list with shoulder fatigue, returning on August 26 and making just five starts in the final 39 days of the regular season. He made 80 passes in just one of those five matches, and his fastball speed dropped significantly to 93.2 mph during that time. Rodon was still effective at the time (2.35 ERA in 23 innings), but his strikeout rate was down to 27.2% – still strong, but not quite elite.
Leading up to the postseason, Rawdon’s status was in question, although he was eventually named to the ALDS and deemed eligible for Game 4. Rawdon returned throwing his fastball in the early ’90s, but he only lasted 2 2/3 innings in a game that ultimately saw Chicago eliminated from the playoffs.
Overall, Rawdon finished the regular season with a 2.37 ERA, 34.6% strikeouts and 6.7% walks in 132 2/3 innings. He ranked among the league leaders in strikes, harassment and total strikeouts. Statcast generally believed that Rawdon’s breakout ERA was legitimate, tying him to an “expected” 2.68 ERA in addition to an expected .189 batting average and an expected .316 hitting percentage.
However, as if his late-season shoulder problems weren’t bad enough, additional questions related to Rawdon’s health arose after the White Sox refused to make him an $18.4 million qualifying offer. The fact that the team that knew Rodon best wasn’t happy with a one-year contract even after a season of this caliber casts doubt on the status of his shoulder. However, earlier this morning Andy Martino of SNY tweeted that the medics at Rawdon were “actually very good”, referring to several teams that studied the left-hander. The Giants apparently agree to some extent, as they saw fit to promise Rawdon more than double what he would have received by signing the qualifying offer. Because Rawdon didn’t get a QO, the Giants won’t have to give up draft picks to sign him, and the White Sox won’t get any compensation for his departure.
Rawdon’s contract may have two guaranteed years, but is essentially a more modern version of the commonly seen one-year “cushion” contract. If he stays healthy and pitches well, Rodon will be locked out to forfeit his contract in search of a nine-figure guarantee heading into his 30-year season in 2023. (And, depending on whether the MLB and MLBPA agree to an international draft by July 25, he may not have to face a qualifying offer next winter.) into the free agent’s apple.
The signing is not without risk for the giants. Aside from Rodon’s late-season shoulder issues, the southpaw simply never performed at that level until the 2021 season. This is the type of game that both the White Sox and their fans were hoping for when Rodon was selected 3rd overall and immediately recognized as one of the sport’s top prospects. However, Rodon was more of a third or fourth starter for most of his Chicago career, posting a 4.01 ERA in 494 1/3 innings during the 2015–18 season. Along the way, he has dealt with a range of injury issues ranging from minor issues such as a sprained wrist to more serious issues in his shoulder (which required surgery in September 2017) and elbow (which required surgery for Tommy John in May 2017). . 2019).
Warning flags aside, this type of short-term structure with high annual cost is quite handy for Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Zaidi, the former general manager of the Dodgers, often negotiated similar arrangements in Los Angeles, and since joining the Giants, he has clearly preferred to avoid long-term contracts, even if that means paying a higher annual bonus. Notably, Rawdon’s $22 million annual bet matches that of the now-right-hander Giants. Kevin Gausman in Toronto, but Gausman entered into a five-year contract. Gausman certainly has a greater track record of durability, but Rawdon certainly has the ability to match or even surpass Gausmann’s production, provided he can stay on the mound.
Not all.