March 14: Rodon’s opt-out clause is contingent on him pitching at least 110 innings this season, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. If Rodon does not throw at least 110 innings in 2022, he will not be able to opt out of the contract’s second season.
March 11, 3:21pm: Rodon will earn $21.5MM in 2022 and $22.5MM in 2023, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
3:07pm: The Giants have reached a two-year, $44MM deal with left-hander Carlos Rodon, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Rodon, a client of the Boras Corporation, can opt out of the contract after the first year of the deal. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported shortly beforehand that Rodon was “very much in play” for the Giants.
The 29-year-old Rodon is arguably the top starter on the market at this point after a breakout 2021 season. The former No. 3 overall pick returned from a series of injury-marred seasons to turn in the finest performance of his career, dominating the American League for much of the season. Through late July, Rodon was one of the favorites for the Cy Young Award, having pitched to a sparkling 2.14 ERA with a sensational 36.6% strikeout rate against a 6.8% walk rate.
Rodon overwhelmed the Astros on July 18, pitching seven innings of scoreless, one-hit ball and racking up 10 punchouts. That, however, would be the last time the southpaw pitched more than five innings in an outing. Rodon lasted just four frames and allowed four runs in each of his next two starts. He rebounded to dominate a stripped-down Cubs team that had traded away most of its lineup, tossing five shutout innings with 11 strikeouts on Aug. 7.
Rodon then hit the injured list with shoulder fatigue, returned on Aug. 26, and went on to make only five starts over the regular season’s final 39 days. He reached 80 pitches in just one of those five appearances, and his fastball sat at a greatly diminished 93.2 mph in that time. Rodon was still effective in that time (2.35 ERA in 23 innings), but his strikeout rate was down to 27.2% — still strong, but not quite elite.
Heading into the postseason, Rodon’s status was a question mark, though he was ultimately included on the ALDS roster and deemed good to go for a Game 4 appearance. Rodon came back out slinging his fastball in the upper 90s, but he lasted just 2 2/3 innings in a game that would eventually result in Chicago being bounced from the playoffs.
On the whole, Rodon finished out the regular season with a 2.37 ERA, a 34.6% strikeout rate and a 6.7% walk rate in 132 2/3 innings. He ranked among the league leaders in terms of swinging-strike rate, opponents’ chase and overall strikeout rate. Statcast generally felt that Rodon’s breakout ERA was legitimate, pegging him for an “expected” 2.68 ERA in addition to a .189 expected opponents’ batting average and .316 expected slugging percentage.
As if the late-season shoulder woes weren’t troublesome enough, though, further questions surrounding Rodon’s health emerged after the White Sox opted against issuing him an $18.4MM qualifying offer. The fact that the team that knew Rodon best wasn’t comfortable with a one-year deal even after a season of that caliber cast serious doubt on the status of his shoulder. Earlier this morning, however, SNY’s Andy Martino tweeted that the medicals on Rodon were “actually very good,” citing multiple teams who’d looked into the southpaw. Clearly the Giants agree to an extent, as they saw fit to promise Rodon more than double what he’d have received upon signing a qualifying offer. Because Rodon did not receive the QO, the Giants won’t have to surrender any draft picks to sign him — and the White Sox won’t receive any compensation for his departure.
Rodon’s contract may have two guaranteed years, but it’s essentially a more modern version of the oft-seen one-year “pillow” contract. If he remains healthy and pitches well, Rodon will be a lock to opt out of the contract in search of a nine-figure guarantee heading into what would be his age-30 season in 2023. (And, depending on whether MLB and the MLBPA agree to an international draft by July 25, he may not have to face a qualifying offer next winter.) If not, he’ll still have the safety net of a weighty salary for the 2023 season — after which he’d have another bite at the free-agent apple.
The signing isn’t without its risk for the Giants. Beyond Rodon’s late-season shoulder troubles, the left-hander had simply never performed anywhere near this level prior to the 2021 season. This is the type of performance that both the White Sox and their fanbase hoped for when Rodon was drafted No. 3 overall and immediately ranked as one of the sport’s best pitching prospects. However, Rodon was more of a third or fourth starter for the bulk of his career in Chicago, pitching to a 4.01 ERA through 494 1/3 innings from 2015-18. Along the way, he dealt with a litany of injury troubles, ranging from minor issues like a wrist strain to more severe problems in his shoulder (which required surgery in September of 2017) and in his elbow (which required Tommy John surgery in May of 2019).
Red flags aside, this type of short-term, high-annual value structure is one with which Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is quite comfortable. Zaidi, the former Dodgers general manager, pursued arrangements of this type often in Los Angeles, and since moving to the Giants he’s had a clear preference to avoid long-term contracts — even if it means paying a higher annual premium. Under Zaidi, the Giants haven’t given out a contact of more than three years in length to any free agent, and it was reported early in the offseason that the team was disinclined to pursue players expected to command nine-figure deals.
Notably, Rodon’s $22MM annual rate of pay is a match with that of now-former Giants righty Kevin Gausman in Toronto, but Gausman commanded a five-year pact. Gausman has a greater track record of durability, of course, but Rodon certainly has the ability to match or even exceed Gausman’s production, provided he can remain on the mound.
Rodon becomes the fourth and presumably final rotation addition for the Giants this winter. Four of San Francisco’s five starters — Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto — reached free agency at season’s end, leaving only budding ace Logan Webb as a lock for the ’22 rotation. The Giants have since re-signed both DeSclafani (three years, $36MM) and Wood (two years, $25MM) while also adding veteran righty Alex Cobb (two years, $20MM).
Some additional depth could always be brought in behind that quintet, as there’s little in the way of experience behind them. Out-of-options right-hander Tyler Beede is likely ticketed for a long relief role and is the sixth man up on the depth chart, but the other names on the Giants’ 40-man roster (e.g. Sammy Long, Sean Hjelle, Kervin Castro) are either light on experience or haven’t pitched in the Majors at all. San Francisco has Corey Oswalt in camp on a minor league deal, but the front office hasn’t exactly loaded up on depth options to cover rotation innings in the event of an injury. Given that each of Rodon, Wood and Cobb have extremely lengthy injury histories, some additional veteran stability would be prudent.
That said, with Webb and Rodon now forming a formidable one-two punch and a trio of strong mid-rotation options behind them, the Giants have the potential for one of the better staffs in the National League. The Giants still have work to do and seem likely to find some punch to add to the lineup in the coming days/weeks, but the rotation is in good shape and, unlike last season’s unit, can potentially remain in place for at least one year beyond the upcoming campaign.
GIVE ME THE MOVES
And why didn’t the White Sox offer this guy $18.4 million? They just didn’t want free draft picks? Between this and trading Madrigal for Kimbrel I am really beginning to question the White Sox judgement.
You’re just now beginning to question them?
You’re right. I’ve been questioning them for awhile.
In fairness, the White Sox brigade around here doesn’t like anything short of slobbering at the mention of Rick Hahn’s name around here.
So it’s fair that some took a little bit to feel bold enough to speak of how bad Rick Hahn has been the past 2 offseasons.
Wow Steve, that was a quick thumbs up……?
“Wow Steve, that was a quick thumbs up……?”
–
@ Curly Was The Smart Stooge;
He always does that with his multiple ID’s.
First day back and he’s in midseason form!
LOL
I think Reinsdorf hit his payroll limit choosing Kimbrel over Rodon.
Rodon wasn’t going to accept the QO either way. His agent said that before they even declined to offer it. Offering the QO wouldn’t have cost the White Sox any money at all. It would have only given them draft compensation.
His agent said so. As in Boras. Yeah Boras doesn’t lie.
Reinsdorf will never spend enough to take this team over the hump. It’s just not going to happen.
2005 says hello. 6 Bulls championships would also like to check in.
Sox have the #5 payroll at present. And have been savvy rewarding young players and locking up their core to mutually beneficial long term deals. Unlike, say another team in town that cited “biblical losses” in letting everyone but their catcher walk away. But hey, believe your own narrative. Sounds so convincing
Reinsdorf got lucky with the 2005 team as on paper they were actually slated to finish last. So no, Reinsdorf didn’t spend that year. They spent more in 2006.
Those Bulls championships were more about Michael Jordan than Reinsdorf spending money.
Yeah, if we don’t like someone’s accomplishments, they got lucky!
No one was going finish behind KC in 2005.
Money on Phil Jackson, Money on Dennis Rodman.
Again, it was about Michael Jordan. During the span that included the title years, 1990-91 through 97-98, they ranked, 22nd, 3rd, 4th, 12th, 12th, 15th,and finally reaching 1st in 96-97, and 97-98, Jordan’s last year. But that wasn’t because of either Jackson or Rodman.
Over the 6 years he coached Jackson made $9M. In Rodman’s 3 years, 95-96 throught 97-98, he made $16M. Over those same 3 years as Rodman’s Jordan made over $67M.
It was all about Jordan. Reinsdorf had no choice. He either paid Jordan, or Jordan wins titles for someone else. Jackson and Rodman are irrelevant.
Cool avatar Dock Elvis
@Steve Neb
I’m guessing his injury history. Since he settled for $22M per, I could see him taking the QO had the White Sox offered it.
He settled for $44 million over 2 years. He and Boras both said he was going to turn down the QO if it were offered.
“Settled” for $22M annually on a two-year deal? What did you expect with his medical issues? This is a good deal for the Giants and Rodon.
In Boras we trust?
Settled for $22 million wasn’t a good deal for anyone? This has gone too far
@Steve Neb
I’d love to see where Rodon and Boras said that. Come on dude, if they really said that publicly, even the dumbest GM in history would’ve slapped the QO on him immediately.
Amen, Curly.
“He and Boras both said he was going to turn down the QO if it were offered”
I don’t understand why they would have said that though, it doesn’t seem like it would have been in their interest to say that. ??
The risk of getting saddled with the QO for a pitcher who wasn’t effective and a candidate to break down didn’t justify a sandwich pick in their judgment. Carlos just wasnt the same in August-Sept. Rather have Kendall Graveman and an Oscar Colas for that investment. Given how savvy the front office has been in locking up their core, willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Curly — If you think some of the contracts given out are too high, I agree with you. But this is the state of MLB, and if the Giants just landed them a solid #2 starter, I think it’s worth it (not my money).
If Rodon stays healthy—and I know that’s a big IF—this will be a terrific signing, even if he departs in 2023.
Keep in mind that Scherzer ($43M) or Buehler could go down with injuries. Rosters ARE a gamble.
Settled? It’s a massive overpay. Can’t wait to look back on this in two years and look at how massively he underperformed it (most likely bc of injury)
What’s more, look what the Giants have done with Gausman (a major flop his entire career until he came to SF), what they’ve done with DeSclafani (mediocre till he came to SF) and Wood (keeping him healthy.) If any one knows how to rebuild a starter, it’s the Giants.
He was plenty effective once he got back from his injury. It was clearly a mistake not making the QO to him. Suggesting otherwise is laughable.
What makes the White Sox decision even more inexplicable is that at virtually the same time, they exercised Kimbrel’s $16 million option.
Many of us said at the time that if they didn’t want to spend the money for both, making a QO to Rodon seemed to be much more sensible.
Because he is a big risk and $18 million is a lot of money when you have 5 starters already. Glad to see him somewhere he can win though. We love the guy, but it was time for him to move on. The Madigral deal irks me a bit, but ifr Kimbrel would have earned his pay, the White Sox may have done something. That said, Nick will take 2-3 years to be great, and GROWING with the Cubs is where he needs to be because the game is too fast for him right now. The problem with both of them is injuries. Nick lost 2 seasons running the bases,while Rodon was ALWAYS hurt. Wishing everyone a great summer and baseball season.
But even if Rodon had accepted the QO (unlikely), the White Sox could have traded him – this deal and the other offers he got show that teams would have been willing to give up something for one year of Rodon at $18.4 million.
Indeed, the reported rationale for picking up Kimbrel’s $16 million option was his supposed trade value – which is less than Rodon’s.
Not making the QO was a bad decision for the White Sox.
As stated in the previous post (before all the contract terms were known), I’d hoped for two-year contract. And so it is. If he’s truly healthy—even at $21.5M in 2022—this is a fine move for the Giants.
This is a questionable move for the Giants IMO. If Rodon is good, the Giants get a good season from him but he opts out to be a freeagent. If he gets hurt or isn’t good, then he doesn’t opt out and the Giants are on the hook for $22M more. I actually like it much more if it didn’t have an opt out. With the opt out, the risk is all on the Giants.
Well that’s always true of opt outs, which are universally in the player’s favor. Presumably the Giants got a lower AAV in exchange for the opt out. And they have the payroll room to lock him up to a huge extension after this season if he’s good and healthy. I’m sure that’s the plan.
Not really. If he opts out then he has had a great year and you have recieved value. If he doesn’t perform, then you are on the hook for the second year, but you would still be on the hook without the opt out. The opt out doesn’t change the risk, just means you don’t automatically get a value second year.
” If Rodon is good, the Giants get a good season from him but he opts out to be a freeagent”
I’m not seeing how that’s a bad thing. If he pitches well and it turns out to be a one year deal so be it.
Not a bad thing. But it would be a better thing if he couldn’t opt out or chose not to.
If he does opt out it just gives Zaidi more payroll flexibility which he certainly likes having.
Yeah, it’s always a let down when a good thing isn’t a better thing. But you know, even if it was a better thing, that still wouldn’t make it an even better-er thing, so… 😉
If he opts out, he’ll get a QO…
If he’s healthy…anyways glad Carlos got paid and wish him a lot of luck. He was a good mentor to the Sox kids. Rather see that money go towards a Gio extension.
44 million for a guy who’s pitched 170 innings the past 3 years combined. Seems a bit high :/
Seems about $43 million too high.
This. And he got babied down the stretch and still couldn’t get out of the 3rd in the ALDS.
@ Chad623;
This is why Scott Boras is not only the best agent currently working with MLB players…and not only the best agent working with players in MLB history….but Scott Boras is the BEST agent representing any professional athlete in history. Period.
When he retires it will be obvious. Hate him if you will, but this man is truly a living legend – in fact, there’s not a player or manager / coach /FO executive alive today in any professional sport that is even close to as good as Scott Boras is in doing what they do.
Samuel- you’re not wrong. Wish I had him negotiating my next salary
Guess the medicals weren’t as great as stated on Twitter. Thought he’d get more.
Giants will regret this when he undergoes season ending surgery in June.
no, the giants would regret doing nothing when there is a pretty large hole in the rotation. I would expect at least 1 or 2 more starters added
There is no longer a hole in the rotation. Maybe they need a little depth as in 7th, 8th starters.Rodon, Logan Webb, Cobb, Wood Desclafani with Sammy Long in reserve.
Cobb is incredibly mediocre (like, they’d be better off with whomever their #3 in AAA was last year). Dunno who Sammy Long is except he’s a soon to be 27 year old who rocked a 5.5 ERA last year. They really have four starters and two of them, Rodon and Wood, are fragile as glass.
@joe kerr
I honestly don’t think they’ll have all that much regret if it does go bad. They know it’s risky, risky as hell – they’re placing a short-term bet that they know they can afford to lose – it’s not exactly going to destroy their payroll over the next 2 seasons.
They’re in it to win it – now.
Yes, it looks like they are in it to win it. Do you think they have more big signings coming such as Seiya Suzuki?
Their sure as hell going to try. They won the Rodon bidding, but Suzuki may well have more suitors and will get a much larger guarantee than Rodon did, Suzuki is a very popular target. If they don’t get him, they’ll pivot.
He’s locking in $44MM with a strong chance for way more after he opts out after this season.
White Sox screwed up on getting a draft pick, as predicted.
He’s locking in $21.5M with the potential to get $44M if he isn’t good or gets hurt.
L99: I’m surprised the Yankees weren’t all over him for this. I fully expected him to try to try for four years, but this would’ve fit CashHal nicely.
Giants staying dangerous it’s them and the dodgers. Padres have a lot to do to catch up.
Posey is gonna be a massive loss, and so will Gausman, who was literally the best pitcher in baseball for much of 2021. I wouldn’t assume Logan Webb is gonna do THAT again, either. Everything went right last year, and everything went wrong for the Padres, who are way deeper and with better top level talent.
@ seamaholic 2;
Everything went right for the Giants last year because they understand pitching and know how to win. Everything went wrong for the Padres because they don’t understand pitching and don’t know how to win.
We’ll see how Melvin and Niebla work out. Give the Padres credit for addressing the issue.
seamaholic 2:
Gausman was good the first half, but over the entire season he wasn’t even the best pitcher on the Giants. Webb didn’t come out of nowhere. At only age 25, he’s entering his 4th season, 2 of the previous being full seasons.
If you followed the Giants, you’d know that he’s always had nasty stuff. and in 2021 learned how to use it. I fully expect Webb to not only repeat, but give him a good chance to exceed what he did last season.
That’s a really nice deal for him. If he’s bad still gets the guaranteed $44. If he’s good he’ll get a lot more
Finally some real action
$22 mil a year seems steep with Rodon’s health problems
Who knows where the market is post lock out though
Right but Rodon comes with a ton of risk. He’s proven to be good when healthy but also proven he has trouble staying healthy. This deal is about as big of a boom or bust situation you’ll find
Your right, it’s risk/reward, boom or bust, expensive but short-term. Importantly, it’s a risk they can definitely afford.
A ton of risk, but also a ton of upside.
Exactly, albeit the risk is a relatively short-term one.
it doesn’t matter to the giants front office – that is pretty much the CBT threshold raise so it doesn’t affect a lot in the financials
Mutual opt out after the first year. Not a longlasting risk if he gets hurt or doesn’t perform.
Nope. It’s a one-sided opt-out. Giants have no say in the matter.
No such thing as a “mutual” opt out…it’s the players call. If he is bad or hurt, he gets paid next year. If he’s good, he becomes a FA again.
There is such a thing as a mutual opt-out
He didn’t get the multi year he said he was looking for. I don’t think of two, when someone says they want a multi year deal.
Huh, explain that? Two isn’t multi year?
Nice add. I like the short term deal for an oft-injured guy, while he still gets a good payday.
Open the free agent floodgates!
Great move by Zaidi! Let Gausman walk for 5 years in Toronto, and sign Rodon at the same salary but less commitment. low risk/high upside type of move
Low risk??? Have you seen his health history?
It’s low risk because it’s a short contract.
Low risk in that it’s not a 5yr contract…
High risk high upside and I’m a Giants fan. If he stays healthy though he’s a really good number two behind Webb. Webb/Rodon/Disco/Cobb/Wood has solid potential
Low risk – relative to Gausman’s 5 year/$110M guarantee.
Move could go either way due to health concerns. But what team doesn’t have that concern in their SP rotation? The potential reward is huge with Rodon.
I had Rodon to the Giants in the FA prediction contest. I thought he’d get more than 2/44.
LETS GO, great pick up! Now let’s get a bat!
Yes, now a bat: Castellanos!!!
Good deal, Low years not too much per.
If he gives them 280-300 innings combined it’s good value
I agree. He was expected to get 3-4 years pre-lockout. This is a win for the Giants, imo.
I’m guessing that will ultimately be about $1.2M per start. Good luck.
i think the Giants would be content with their investment if he made 36 starts for them.
Let the flood gates begin baby.
If he pitches well, he opts out. If he pitches badly, Giants are stuck with 44 million.
I have no idea how teams sign these contracts.
White Sox look so dumb for not QOing him now.
Why? He might not even make it through 50 innings. Huge risk.
Which doesn’t matter if he declines the QO. If he can get a better dollar figure than the QO for 2022 with a player option for 2023 there’s no way he’s accepting.
And he would certainly have declined the QO. Free draft pick.
He signed for $22M per yr and the QO was $18.4M. It’s not a slam dunk he would’ve declined it.
He signed for 44m guaranteed. That’s a lot more than 18m.
44M is the best current offer. If he’d accepted an 18M QO, and stayed healthy and put up solid numbers, he’d be in line for something in the neighborhood of a $125/5 yr deal
He very easily could have accepted the QO, given his own uncertainty about his health and the uncertainty going into the CBA negotiations. Despite Boras saying, oh yeah- we were always going to decline. Scouts honor. It would be called betting on yourself in a 1 yr deal to potentially lock in a top of the market 5 or 7 year deal. Now he’s locked into a 2 yr deal which pays him mid market moolah, hoping he’ll still be attractive when he turns 32
I would think risking $18m for 1 year isn’t a “huge risk” for any MLB team. Not even close
Unless it’s a player who has no business making more than a couple mil
Unfortunately, Carlos will be injured after a few starts. Been there; done that.
Sox didn’t want to take a risk that he would have accepted the QO.
That’s beside the point
White Sox don’t need any free B.S.
No team “needs” it. The applicable question is could they use it.
He was a 5 W.A.R pitcher last year with his injuries. Certainly worth the risk for the Giants.
What was he the year before. Oh that’s right. A non tendered FA!
He’s only 29. Pitching is a learned skill, and most pitchers don’t reach their prime until their late 20s. Randy Johnson had a 108 ERA+ over his first 6 seasons, through age 29. Over the next 10 years his ERA+ was 169.
There a many good pitchers/players that got released, and then became all stars Being a non-tendered FA is no guarantee that any guy is bad. Sometimes the team looks foolish in retrospect.
I think the owners and GM felt the QO was going away. It still might.
Not for players who are free agents this offseason it isn’t.
You sure about that? So if the players agree prior to the Draft that the QO is going away, the QO is still going to be out there?
I’ve looked and I can’t find anything that spells it out. And of course if the players agree to an international draft, they can put in any deadline they want.
So.. I’ll stick by my statement. “It still might’.
And I’ll stick by my statement. “It isn’t.”
Did you ever stop to think that maybe the White Sox wanted to show Carlos some goodwill given his tenure with the team? Not d**k him over in free agency by hanging the QO on him?
You really believe that about legendary Hall of Fame cheapskate Jerry Reinsdorf?
Yeah Jerry Reinsdorf is notoriously loyal to his players and staff: count the number of ex players who have been in employ as team ambassadors: AJ, Frank, Thome, Bo. Also extensions for vets.
But if he accepted the QO, the Sox could have looked dumb for throwing 18m away on an unreliable 4th starter who wouldn’t likely be in the playoff rotation to chase an illusory draft pick. Could totally envision a scenario where Rodon accepts the QO in the hope he’d bet on himself in order to pursue a a 25mil/125 type deal in 2023.
Way too much $$$
Players are ‘betting on themselves’ a lot more lately
Not a bad deal really. He might be slightly overpaid but that’s fine when they are able to keep the years to only two with such an injury prone pitcher.
That’s exactly my reaction. Initially I thought it was way too much, but at two years it seems like a worthwhile roll of the dice. As for Rodon, it gives him a good guarantee, some options for down the road, and the chance to really cash in again if he can stay healthy.
And boom goes the dynamite.
Pretty big gamble on the Giants’ part, IMHO, but they have a ton of money, and space to spend it. And ya gotta believe, based on past performance, they know what they’re doing. Makes the Rangers signing of Jon Gray look pretty good; at least ya know what you’re getting with Gray, and he might be better than the numbers showed.
“but they have a ton of money, and space to spend it.”
Bingo!
The Mets have missed out on Carlos Rodon, who has signed a 2-year deal with the Giants. Oh well, looks like the Mets are going to trade Dominic Smith and pitching prospects Junior Santos and Jordany Ventura to the Padres for Blake Snell and prospect Joshua Mears.
Smart deal by Rodon. Good deal for the Giants. Bad move by the White Sox.
Not a bad move if the Sox had inside information on his injury status and didn’t project him as one of their top 3. At this point, the Sox are in the position to consider how the lineup and rotation shakes down for October. He was great early on but unreliable after August. If they brought him back, he’d likely be battling it out with a Reynaldo Lopez battling for the #4 and possibly even falling behind Garret Crochet.
I thought that the new policy was that all teams which lose a free agent would receive a draft pick.
We’re still operating under the prior CBA for compensation since this dates back to the 2021 season.
Yankees wtf are you doing?
Yeah, this seems like it would’ve been nicely designed for what they want in term of years/money/incentives. I hope CashHal isn’t asleep at the wheel again, still looking at the CBT on a big chart.
Maybe they see/know something that made them turn away from him with his injury history? Although, again, that seems like exactly what they look for ….
It seems theoretically possible to me, that the Yankees (and others) might very well have made similar/slightly better offer(s), but Rodon, on a pillow contract like this, actually preferred the Giants (stadium/coaching staff..? – or whatever reasons).
Solid move by him and Giants. Risky, but not too many SPs are sure things. Gotta keep up with the Dodgers and that’s the cost of doing business. Next up, Kershaw?
Apparently Kershaw is highly likely to return to LAD.
He’ll be as helpful to the Giants as Bauer was to the Dodgers. Guess that’s keeping up with them!
Hoo…boy, that’s a bad comp – on a couple of different levels.
Reinsdorf sucks. He will single-handedly kill this team’s competitive window by refusing to spend—if he hasn’t killed it already.
In fairness, he has spent. They are going to be back to back years with their highest payroll ever.
Number 5 payroll at present, core signed through the next 4-5 years through forward thinking deals, and still need to spend more to extend Gio and Jose. But hey, keep up the banter Mohoney, I mean Dogbone. Guess you’ve gotta keep reinventing screen names since everyone’s got ya on mute.
Next, announce a Seiya Suzuki deal and let’s go!
Wow that’s a lot of skrill for someone who isn’t a number 2. Maybe a 3. Maybe. The market begins
He was a bonafide ace last year until he got hurt.
He pitched 140 Good innings. Not ace. He was a 2 at best and before last year was pretty mediocre to hot garbage. Still walks a lot and is injured all the time. I wish him the best. I do. I wanted him on the Mets but not at that price
You just said he wasn’t a 2 maybe a 3. He was probably the front runner for the Cy young before his injury.
Doesn’t mean he’s a number 2 NOW. Overall for his career he’s not. Last year, he was a 2 at best. If he dominates on the giants and stays quasi healthy, I’ll change my mind
You don’t pay for past performance. Well unless you’re the Orioles. Paying him a #1/2 salary doesn’t make sense just because he was the Cy young frontrunner before injury. Post injury, he’s at best a #4 behind Gio, Cease and Kopech and likely passed by Garret Crochet eventually. So he’s in the same boat maybe as Reynaldo Lopez, another guy with tantalizing upside who finally figured it out under Ethan Katz.
He was never an ace!
Yep. 183 era +, whip under 1, 2.37 era, 12.6 k/9, 2.65 fip. He was more a swingman
@CJML As good as he was, he never went more than 5 innings after July, and even with two weeks rest prior to his start in the playoffs vs the Astros, could barely go 2 innings. Has not lasted a full season in 7 years, and was pretty mediocre from 2017-2020 also. I highly doubt he will be doing anything for the Giants in October no matter what he does for parts of the regular season. As a Sox fan, I am very glad they did not take the risk of bringing him back, not for 22M. I wish him well though.
He was 2 different pitchers last season. Came back and his velocity slipped from 98 to low 90s. He tried to get guys out on guile and the Sox purposely rested him in August/Sept. While he was able to get by against lower tier teams, he got tattooed by the Astros in the critical game 4. Would love to see him thrive for the Giants but really fear his stats were inflated by a lights out couple of months—kind of the way the All star game rewards guys for 10 weeks of over performance
Another wrong pick for the FA predictions contest.. Just happy to be able to finish that list lol.
Dumb contract! Almost 30 and had a career high of 130+ Innings just last year, which is pathetic and he is always injured smh
If they get the same quality 130 innings as he pitched last year, it’s pretty damn near worth the entire $42m.
130 innings is not worth 40 million plus. And that 130 something innings of quality work is not the norm for him.
5 WAR, 8ish m per WAR…
In a fantasy league maybe.
Zonedeads:
Almost 30! OMG, he’s ancient!
Actually, this is his age 29 season coming up and he won’t be 30 until December, next off-season.
I’m not comparing Rodon to Gerrit Cole, just their ages, but the NYYs gave Cole $324M for 9 years when Cole was just 3 months younger than Rodon is now.
How many FA pitchers do you think are out there that aren’t at least 30? Dumb comment.
I was a big Rodon fan when the Sox drafted him 3rd and he had been a disappointment due to multiple injuries and the TJ. Was great when he came back and had his moment of glory- Nono and All star game. But he’s nowhere near the likes of Cole. Have a sick feeling that somethings not right- seeing his velo crater after the injury given his history is a huge red flag. Hope we’re wrong. Giants fans- you’re getting a great guy. Worse case, maybe he becomes your pitching coach one day a la another prospect who flamed out: Mark Prior.
Cole is proven and isn’t injured every year. Rodon is average and is always injured. Also cole doesn’t have a career high of 130 something innings at 29 like Rodon. So it would seem your comment is dumb
Reading comprehension please. Did you not see where I said I was not comparing Rodon to Cole. I was comparing their ages because the post was responding to said, incorrectly, that Rodon was almost 30.
Yes, Cole is a much better pitcher, but he also will make $35M for 9 years. That’s miles away from $44M for 2.
Seems like a lot of money give the risk involved. The Giants are a good fit in terms of their ability to rehab players but I still wouldn’t at all be surprised if this was money tossed down the drain in the end.
To me, this is a bad deal for the Giants. They are taking on all the risk with Rodon since, if he breaks down, they are on the hook for another $22M. If he does great, then he’s an UFA next year. Without an opt out, it wouldn’t be a bad deal for either.
Pitching is a premium…. Great spot for lefties to pitch…. Top notch move.
It’s a souped-up qualifying offer. If he plays well enough to opt out he was probably worth double his contract.
This.
Seems risky but i do trust that the Giants can get the most value out of him. And a great park
My favorite park. LOVE the Coca Cola sign and the baseball glove.
It IS risky! And it’s exactly a type of risk that the Giants can afford to take and are willing to take.
He’s going to enjoy AT&t Park Great move
It’s not AT&T any more. It’s Oracle Park now.
I like the 2-year deal for this guy but that is a lot of money. He should do fairly well in the home ballpark.
Good for him but why do teams ignore past performance prior to the prior season? You can’t ignore his first 6 seasons, even last year he was great WHEN he pitched.
Seven seasons and still less than 700 innings in his career and until last season good but not great strikeout pitcher. This is worth $20+ million?
An average player’s goal is to have one good season, sign a big contract for a lifetime of financial security and then retire, Often times they never produce the numbers that got them the contract. Good for the players, bad for MLB teams.
I actually saw an interview on ESPN many years ago with a player stating this. He added at the end that once they get signed, they don’t even have to try anymore. Nice attitude.
I hope Rodon will fulfill his obligation, but only one good year in his life indicates he probably can’t.
@stark you are right. Exceedingly unlikely to be worth 22M, not for any team that wants someone to help them in October. If a team wanted to do something original with him, they could rest him until July or August. What is a guy who only pitches only 2 or 3 months of the season worth, if he is Cy Young lights out in October?
Stark:
A big reason is he’s only 29, when a lot of pitchers figure things out. Injury prone players are just that until they aren’t. Plenty of guys are durable until they aren’t. Every FA signing, regardless of history is a gamble.
In today’s market, $22M for the kind of upside Rodon has, is an easy risk to take for a wealthy team with a ton of salary space.
It’s a $44M! risk – and still worth it for the Giants, I think.
Stove is heatin’ up!!!
Knowing the Giants, I foresee this paying off for them.
They must be high to pay that much for Rodan. I just do not understand.
It doesn’t require much brainpower to see the logic in this. You may not agree, and that’s fine, but it was never in any doubt that he would get this kind of money
Angels should’ve been in on this guy.
I have a feeling they stand pat with SP for now, roll the dice with rotation as is, and “maybe” if they are in playoff contention add a vet starter at the deadline.
I still have zero clue why any team would offer opt out clauses unless it was mutual… Like options. If you have to beg and take on extra risk and play with monopoly money, just toss some extra scratch the players way and be done with it
Because it allows them to sign the player for less guaranteed money. It’s not like the Giants could have gotten Rodon for 2/$44m with no opt-out.
I was kind of upset Twins didn’t sign him until I saw the amount! No way! Yikes!
Giants fan here; thank you twins! We’ll risk it.
Glad to see my boy going somewhere and still have a chance to win, but $22 million? Hope he makes at least most of his starts. Good luck SF and Rodon. We will miss you and cheer you on WHEN you are not playing us. LOL
Damn as a WSox fan sad to see him go, Wsox should have matched that offer… even if he isn’t fully healthy for the next 2 years I think the giants can get him to pitch around 160+ innings both years and he’s only gonna benefit pitching in that ballpark.
I guess this guy was too good of a pitcher for the Angels to be interested.
Fabulous Move
I think it came down to whose health do you trust more Rodon or Kimbrel? The answer is Kimbrel and Kimbrel can still be lights out as set up. Lots of power arms in Chicago, keep the future Hall of Famer. They should of did a QO on Rodon, he wouldn’t of signed he was something North of 20 mil.
Anyone that thinks Rodon could be signed for less than $22M a year without an opt-out is delusional. MLBTR predicted 1/$25M.
It’s surprising how many people posting here are so clueless about the marketplace for pitchers, especially those questioning his age. I mean Max Scherzer, at age 37, signed a 3 year/$130M deal. Verlander, at age 39 got 2/$50M.
Comparing Rodon to cole, verlanader or sherzer is stupid. What a dumb comment
I hadn’t followed Rodon’s career except I knew he was the 3rd pick in that bizarre 2014 draft (picks 1 & 2 never made it to the majors). What I didn’t realize is he is another North Carolina country boy.
The Giants have a thing for starting pitchers from North Carolina.
I imagine Rodon was/is a big Madbum fan.
I just listened to an interview with Rodon. He was born and raised in North Carolina and has a nice North Carolinian drawl. Giants fans love Madbum probably as much or more than Posey or Lincecum. I think Carlos will be right at home in San Francisco.
Yeah but unlike Madbum, Rodons not a redneck. Pretty cerebral. 3 years at NC state and Team USA experience probably the difference as opposed to the irascible unflappable Madbum, who was drafted straight out of Hickory, NC.
Giant fans will love him and his family though. Carlos’ wife Ashley posted a long emotional note on Twitter thanking White Sox fans for supporting him through his rehabs and how she teared up when the Sox fans stood up starting in the 7th to cheer him on during his no hitter.
Assuming relatively good health, this could work out really well.
I’m surprised he got this much for two years.
Have been critical of Farhan Zaidi’s lack of going after marquee players. Zaidi signing Rodon, provided he is healthy, has the potential to be a good acquisition especially for the starting rotation. Hopefully Rodon is just the first of more players to come.
So, this means the Giants will be using him as an Opener for a few innings so they can have that second year.
Giants quietly building probably another dominant pitching staff. That front office is great, and sign all these guys on very fair to solid deals.
So if he doesn’t manage to pitch 110 innings , due to health or poor performance, he’s stuck with the 22.5 for 2023.
Nice
As a CWS I wish him the best. I think he will always have some dead arm issues and needs to be managed correctly, pitch count and lifted before the third time through a order. I’m glad he got his money and if all goes well he’ll get another big contract two years from now.
He has got the right manager then. Kapler gets them out of there. 80 is the new 100 at the Giants.
Don’t understand this contract provision at all… if he doesn’t hit 110 innings, he’s not opting out anyway, no?
18-4 2.46
I doubt whether he would have USED the opt-out if he failed to pitch 110 innings.
Damn it was really hoping the tigers would sign him but no big deal we got some really nice pitchers coming up/already up but now if only we can get Nick castellanos back somehow or Trevor story Detroit will be back in the playoffs for sure finally
But that latest bit of news is kind of counter-intuitive for SF because you would want him to opt out if he doesn’t pitch that many innings because that would mean he’s either hurt ir ineffective (or both).