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Joc Pederson Accepts Qualifying Offer

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Outfielder Joc Pederson has accepted the $19.65MM qualifying offer he received from the Giants, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Pederson was drafted by the Dodgers and spent seven seasons there, largely serving as a productive member of the lineup. He had an ill-timed down year in 2020, just as he was about to reach free agency. That led to him settling for a one-year, $7MM deal to join the Cubs for 2021. He bounced back slightly that year but was still below average at the plate overall, leading to another one-year deal for 2022, this time getting $6MM from the Giants.

He was able to get back on track in a huge way this year, having the best offensive season of his career. His .274/.353/.521 slash line included career highs in both batting average and on-base percentage. The resulting wRC+ of 144 means he was 44% above league average, and that was 16 points beyond anything he’d done previously in his career.

Despite that huge showing with the bat, it was somewhat surprising to see him extended the QO, given his recent struggles and poor defensive metrics. Nonetheless, the Giants felt good enough about his output to make a $19.65MM bet that he could have another strong performance in 2023. They would have received draft pick compensation if Pederson had declined the offer and signed elsewhere, but that’s a moot point now as he’ll return to the Giants next year, earning a salary almost three times as high as his previous best.

For the Giants, it’s possible that this is the first of many moves for them, with rumors swirling that they are going to be very active this winter. For now, Pederson will join an outfield/designated hitter mix that includes Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Luis Gonzalez and Austin Slater, though the club tends to favor players with defensive versatility and have several infielders that could move to the grass.

With Pederson’s $19.65MM added to the ledger, the 2023 payroll is now sitting at $134MM, in the estimation of Roster Resource. They began last year with an Opening Day mark of $155MM and have been above $200MM in the recent past, according to figures from Cot’s Baseball Contracts. If they are willing to get back up to those levels, they should have plenty to work with. Rumors have connected them to the top free agent shortstops as well as Bay Area native Aaron Judge, making for a very interesting offseason ahead. But for now, they’ve brought back a very productive hitter for another season in black and orange.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Giants Interested In Kodai Senga

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With the Giants looking for rotation help, it isn’t surprising that the club has joined the increasingly lengthy list of teams considering Kodai Senga.  President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi discussed and praised Senga with reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle) earlier this week, noting that the Japanese right-hander is “very physically talented” and “we’ve heard great things about” Senga on a personal level.

“For all pitchers, we look not just at the performance but their pitching style and what adjustments they might have to make coming to Major League Baseball….It’s about evaluating and understanding where his market is going to be and also for us to think about how we can help him, if there’s interest, be as good as he can be in the major leagues,” Zaidi said.

There was also an intriguing visual hint of the Giants’ interest on Saturday, as reporter Marc Delucchi (Twitter link) noticed that a mock-up image of Senga in a Giants uniform was briefly posted on Oracle Park’s scoreboard.  That would seem to hint at some kind of recruiting video or perhaps even an in-person visit was taking place as part of San Francisco’s courtship of the 29-year-old hurler.

The Angels, Red Sox, Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres have all been linked to Senga’s market, and it’s probably fair to assume that every contender with a rotation need will make a call to Senga’s agent Joel Wolfe.  As per Wolfe’s recent comments to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago, Senga is “very open minded” about his move to North America, but “would like to play in a big market with a team that wants to try and win right now.  He has a great deal of interest in being in a big market.”

That criteria would seem to give the Giants an edge, as the team has the Bay Area market behind it, and is only a season removed from a 107-55 record.  While the Giants were only a .500 team in 2022, they are expected to be aggressive in reloading the roster for another run, and the team has plenty of available payroll room to add premium talent.

During Zaidi’s tenure, San Francisco has been relatively conservative when it comes to larger contracts, so some kind of splurge will be necessary to land Senga.  MLBTR projects Senga for a five-year, $75MM deal as he makes the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball, with that contract figure reflecting Senga’s age, ability, and what might be required to outbid his many suitors.

Signing Senga would be an immediate way of replacing Carlos Rodon in the Giants’ rotation, though Zaidi has said that the team is also still hoping to bring Rodon back in free agency.  Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, and Jakob Junis comprise the current starting five, yet Wood is coming off a shaky season, DeSclafani an injury-marred season, and the Giants prefer Junis as a long reliever and swingman rather than as a clear-cut starting pitcher.

Quick Hits: Astros, Blue Jays, Martin, Robertson, Suarez, Giants, Pirates

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The Astros are making a pair of in-house promotions, as FOX 26’s Mark Berman reports (via Twitter) that Charles Cook and Bill Firkus are each being promoted to assistant general manager.  Cook was the senior director of player evaluation and has been a member of the organization since 2016, while Firkus has been with the Astros since 2013, taking a unique path to the assistant GM role.  Firkus began with the team as a medical analyst and then worked as the Astros’ director of sports medicine and performance from 2015-19 before moving into his job as the senior director of baseball strategy.

Firkus and fellow assistant GM Andrew Ball are also now temporarily running Houston’s front office until a replacement for James Click can be found, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).  Under Click, the Astros had two AGMs in Ball and Scott Powers, though Powers was fired yesterday shortly after news broke that Click wouldn’t be returning as the general manager.  It is possible that the promotions of two long-time employees in Cook and Firkus might be a step towards also ousting Ball, who previously worked with Click in Tampa Bay and has only been with the Astros organization for less than a year.  Regardless, there will continue to be plenty of controversy surrounding the World Series champions’ front office until a new president of baseball operations or GM is officially hired. [UPDATE: Firkus is the Astros’ current point person for any free agent talks, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi]

More from around baseball…

  • The Blue Jays had interest in both Chris Martin and David Robertson prior to the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.  Both pitchers (then members of the Cubs) were shipped in separate trades to the Dodgers and Phillies, but Martin and Robertson are both free agents now and could possibly again be on Toronto’s radar.  The bullpen meltdown in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series made the bullpen a particular need for the Jays, and to that end, Nicholson-Smith also tweets that Toronto was “very serious” about pursuing Robert Suarez in free agency.  However, the Blue Jays didn’t get a chance to move on the righty, as the Padres retained Suarez on a five-year, $46MM deal before the free agent market officially opened for other teams’ negotiations.
  • Even with Joey Bart as the Giants’ starting catcher and a number of other options competing for the backup job, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic hears that San Francisco is still on the lookout for more depth behind the plate.  Dom Nunez and Meibrys Viloria were both recently added on waiver claims, putting them in line (for now) to compete with Austin Wynns in Spring Training.  Of course, the Giants have made a habit of cycling through players at the back end of their roster, and there isn’t any guarantee this catching mix will last even beyond the November 15 deadline to set 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 draft.
  • The Pirates are another team looking for catching help, though “in terms of resources, whether that’s financial resources or giving up talent, it’s probably not the top of our priority list,” GM Ben Cherington told The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel and other reporters.  This would also put the Bucs in line for depth options, with a new catcher or two competing with Tyler Heineman, Ali Sanchez, and Jason Delay in camp.  In the big picture, the Pirates are keeping the catching depth chart clear for top prospect Henry Davis, who made his Double-A debut last season.  Davis is expected to reach Triple-A in 2023 and might be in line to arrive in the majors before the season is out, if all goes well.

Giants Claim Meibrys Viloria, Drew Strotman

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The Giants announced Thursday that they’ve claimed catcher Meibrys Viloria and right-hander Drew Strotman off waivers from the Rangers. The team also reinstated Sam Delaplane, Anthony DeSclafani, Mauricio Llovera, Sam Long, Gregory Santos, Donovan Walton, Colton Welker and Alex Wood from the 60-day injured list. San Francisco’s 40-man roster is now at capacity.

Viloria, 25, appeared in 26 games with the Rangers in 2022 and, in 75 plate appearances, logged a .159/.280/.270 batting line. That’s similar to the output he managed across three seasons and mostly brief stints with the Royals from 2018-20. All in all, Viloria is a career .201/.270/.283 hitter in 276 Major League plate appearances.

That said, the lefty-swinging backstop has a far more appealing .257/.395/.412 slash in 108 Triple-A games. He’s also touted as a plus defensive backstop, boasting a 34% caught-stealing rate between the big leagues and the minors, and drawing plus reviews for his framing. He’ll give the Giants, who entered the offseason lacking in catching depth behind Joey Bart, another option on the 40-man roster, joining backup Austin Wynns and fellow recent waiver claim Dom Nunez.

Strotman’s stint in the Rangers organization will prove brief. Texas claimed him off waivers from the Twins on Sept. 19 and tried to pass him through waivers themselves not two months later. The now-26-year-old Strotman went from Tampa Bay to Minnesota (alongside Joe Ryan) in the 2021 deadline deal that sent Nelson Cruz to the Rays.

Strotman had Tommy John surgery in 2018, and while his velocity has generally recovered, that surgery and the ongoing command issues created some some concerns that he may have to move from a starting role to the bullpen. The Twins tried that approach in 2022, surely hoping that Strotman’s fastball and cutter would play up in shorter stints. It didn’t out, however, as the 2017 fourth-rounder pitched to a grisly 6.44 ERA with a career-worst 13.8% walk rate in 50 1/3 innings of bullpen work with Triple-A St. Paul this season. Strotman’s 24.2% strikeout rate and 51.1% grounder rate were both solid but not strong enough to offset the persistent location issues.

Things didn’t get much better with the Rangers. Strotman tossed 2 1/3 innings with their Triple-A club over the final week-plus of the season, allowing just one run and recording five punchouts. Sharp as those numbers were in that small time, he also walked three of the 14 hitters he faced, bringing his total to 36 walks (plus six hit batters) through just 254 batters faced in 2022 (14.2% walk rate).

Strotman has a minor league option left and was at one point a prospect of some note, so the Giants will see if they can get him on track. They’ve had plenty of success in coaxing new levels of performance out of pitchers in recent seasons, but Strotman is little more than a project at this point and shouldn’t be seen as a lock to survive the winter on the 40-man roster (nor should Viloria, for that matter).

14 Players Receive Qualifying Offers

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14 players received qualifying offers this year, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). The list is as follows:

As a refresher, the qualifying offer is a one-year offer a team can make to impending free agents. Players who have previously received a QO in their careers and/or didn’t spend the entire preceding season with one team cannot receive a qualifying offer. The value of the offer is calculated by averaging the salaries of the 125 highest-paid players in MLB. For the 2022-23 offseason, it is set at $19.65MM.

If a player accepts the QO, he returns to his current team for next season on that salary. If he declines, the team would receive compensation if he were to sign elsewhere. The specific compensation depends on the team’s status as both a luxury tax payor and whether they receive revenue sharing payments. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk took a look at the compensation each team would receive for losing a qualified free agent last week.

Signing a player who refuses a QO from another team requires the signing team to forfeit draft picks and/or international signing bonus space. As with compensation for losing qualified free agents, the specific nature of the forfeiture is dependent on revenue sharing status and the competitive balance tax.

[Related: Which Picks Would Each Team Forfeit By Signing A Qualified Free Agent?]

The majority of players who receive qualifying offers decline them each offseason. Judge, Turner, Bogaerts, deGrom, Swanson, Rodón, Nimmo, Contreras and Bassitt were always virtual locks to receive a QO. They’ll assuredly turn them down and sign multi-year contracts, either with their incumbent teams or other clubs. Rejecting a qualifying offer, to be clear, does not affect a player’s ability to continue negotiating with his previous team.

Rizzo, Anderson and Pérez were all more borderline QO candidates, although reports in recent days had suggested each was likely to receive the offer. There’s a case for all three players in that group to accept, although their representatives will have five days to gauge the market before making that decision. Pérez has reportedly received a two-year offer from Texas. The sides have long expressed mutual interest in agreement, but they’ve yet to come to terms on a longer deal.

The final two qualified free agents come as more surprising developments. Eovaldi always looked like a borderline QO candidate. He recently wrapped up a four-year, $68MM contract with the Red Sox. The right-hander was generally effective over the life of that deal, but his 2022 campaign was more of a mixed bag. Shoulder and back injuries limited him to 20 starts and 109 1/3 innings. His 3.87 ERA over that stretch was right in line with his 2020-21 marks, but his strikeout rate dropped a few points to a league average 22.4%. Eovaldi’s fastball also dipped slightly from siting just under 97 MPH down to 95.7 MPH, but that’s still plenty impressive velocity. Paired with his elite strike-throwing ability and the Red Sox’s need for rotation help, they’d be content to bring the 32-year-old back for just under $20MM if he accepted the QO.

The most surprising qualifying offer recipient, however, is Pederson. San Francisco signed the outfielder to a one-year, $6MM deal last winter after an up-and-down 2021 campaign with the Cubs and Braves. The left-handed slugger responded with an excellent .274/.353/.521 showing, connecting on 23 home runs in 433 plate appearances. Pederson also posted elite batted ball marks, including a 93.2 MPH average exit velocity that’s around five MPH above league average. He also made hard contact (a batted ball hit 95 MPH or harder) on a career-best 52.1% of his balls in play.

That figured to give 30-year-old a strong shot at a multi-year offer, although it’s still surprising to see the Giants offer him nearly $20MM to return. Pederson played left field in Oracle Park, but he rated as 12 runs below average over 685 innings in the estimation of Defensive Runs Saved. He’s consistently posted subpar defensive marks and is limited to the corner outfield or designated hitter. The Giants also shielded him against southpaws, limping him to 57 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

Some notable players who were eligible for a qualifying offer but did not receive one include Jameson Taillon, Mitch Haniger, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Heaney and Michael Wacha. That group will all hit the open market unencumbered by draft pick compensation, which should be a boost to their free agent stocks.

Of the crop of QO recipients, Pederson looks likeliest to accept, although it’s possible that anyone in the group turns the offer down if their reps find interest over multi-year pacts. Players have until the evening of November 15 to determine whether to accept or turn down the QO.

Giants To Decline Evan Longoria’s Option

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The Giants have declined their $13MM club option on Evan Longoria, the third baseman tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). He’ll collect a $5MM buyout and head to free agency.

It’s hardly surprising news, as reports emerged last month the team was leaning towards buying Longoria out, although they could still revisit talks at a lower price point. The hefty buyout figure made this an $8MM call for San Francisco, but they’ve still deemed that too high after he’s appeared in just over half the team’s games over the past couple seasons. Within the past two years, the veteran infielder has had injured list stints for right hamstring, left oblique and left shoulder issues, in addition to surgery on his right hand.

Heading into his age-37 season with that recent injury history, Longoria may be a tough fit for a Giants club that is prioritizing youth and athleticism this winter, according to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. That’s particularly true with the team re-signing another right-handed hitting third base option, Wilmer Flores, to a two-year deal late in the year.

To his credit, Longoria has played well when healthy. He has a combined .252/.333/.466 line in 589 plate appearances going back to the start of the 2021 season. That includes an excellent .295/.379/.536 showing against left-handed pitching, making the three-time All-Star a particularly strong fit for teams seeking righty-hitting infield help. The Diamondbacks, Royals and Marlins could all fit that description, making them viable speculative possibilities.

Longoria has previously alluded to the possibility of retiring after an illustrious 15-year big league career. That’s at least theoretically possible, although he tells Slusser this afternoon he’s looking forward to seeing what free agency might offer. That at least suggests he’s open to opportunities to continue playing in 2023.

Zaidi: Giants In Contact With Free Agent Shortstops, Plan To Issue QO To Carlos Rodon

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The Giants are widely expected to be one of the league’s most active teams this offseason, with the front office reloading after an underwhelming 2022 season. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi met with reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle) this evening and confirmed the team could play near the top of the market.

Asked about the club’s free agent priorities, Zaidi told the media “from a financial standpoint, there would be nobody that would be out of our capability.” He went on to note they’ve already had discussions with representatives for free agent shortstops who’ve expressed a willingness to move to second base in deference to Brandon Crawford (via Jon Morosi of MLB.com). Teams technically aren’t allowed to negotiate contract terms with free agents from other teams until tomorrow evening, but they can discuss more general concepts like roster fit during the exclusive negotiation period.

Zaidi didn’t specify the players involved, although it’s not hard to infer he’s speaking about the top shortstops on the market. Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson are going to be priority targets for a number of the game’s biggest-spending teams. It’s notable that Zaidi spoke of potentially moving an external pickup to the other side of the bag while keeping Crawford at shortstop, although it’s not clear if that’s an absolute requirement for any player under consideration. Scott Boras, who represents both Correa and Bogaerts, told reporters he hasn’t heard from teams looking to push either player off the position (link via Bob Nightengale of USA Today).

While adding a top shortstop is plausible for a San Francisco club looking to get younger and more athletic this winter, Zaidi and his group are sure to cast a wide net. The mention of the financial wherewithal to pursue any player available will lead to further speculation about the market’s top free agent. The Giants are sure to be linked to Aaron Judge throughout the winter, as they’re indeed among the clubs most well-positioned for that kind of expenditure. San Francisco has roughly $72.5MM in guaranteed commitments on the books, pending a call on Evan Longoria’s option. Even with a fairly heavy arbitration class, the Giants have plenty of room before approaching this year’s $155MM Opening Day mark, and they’re nowhere near the franchise-record heights that pushed $200MM.

Of course, San Francisco is facing a few potential key departures. Ace Carlos Rodón opted out of the second year of his deal and is back on the open market. Zaidi confirmed the club’s obvious decision to tag him with a $19.65MM qualifying offer (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area), which Rodón is a lock to reject in pursuit of a deal north of nine figures. That’d entitle the Giants to a compensatory draft choice between Competitive Balance Round B and the third round (roughly 75th overall) in next year’s draft if the star southpaw departs.

San Francisco also sees corner outfielder Joc Pederson hit the open market, and while he certainly won’t receive a QO, Zaidi reiterated the team would like to keep him around (Shea link). The lefty-hitting outfielder posted a .274/.353/.521 line after signing a $6MM guarantee last offseason, and the club has discussed a potential extension as far back as September. Pederson is sure to beat $6MM this time around and looks to have a good shot at a multi-year contract after his quality platform year.

Giants Claim Dom Nunez, Select Isan Diaz

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The Giants announced they’ve claimed catcher Dom Nuñez off waivers from the Rockies. San Francisco also selected infielder Isan Díaz onto their 40-man roster. The Giants announced that infielders Ford Proctor and Taylor Jones, outfielders Bryce Johnson and Austin Dean, and right-hander Zack Littell all went unclaimed on waivers.

Nuñez changes organizations for the first time in his career. The left-handed hitting backstop entered pro ball as a sixth-round draftee of Colorado back in 2013. Nuñez made his MLB debut in 2019 and has appeared in three of the last four seasons, mostly as a depth player. He has appeared in 111 big league games, tallying 347 plate appearances of .180/.280/.373 hitting. Nuñez has walked in an excellent 12.4% of his plate appearances but struck out at an untenable 34% rate in the majors.

The 27-year-old has one minor league option year remaining. If he holds his spot on the Giants 40-man roster all winter, they can freely bounce him between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento next season. An Elk Grove native, Nuñez has a .240/.336/.400 line in parts of eight minor league seasons. He joins Joey Bart and Austin Wynns as catchers on the 40-man roster.

Díaz is a former top prospect who went to the Marlins in the Christian Yelich trade. He hit only .185/.275/.287 over 500 trips to the plate from 2019-21. Miami outrighted the switch-hitting second baseman off the 40-man roster in March, and he cleared waivers at the time. The Giants acquired him for cash not long after and assigned him to Sacramento for the 2022 campaign.

The 26-year-old connected on 23 longballs in 83 Triple-A games this year. He posted an excellent .275/.377/.574 line with a 13% walk rate to put himself back on the radar. San Francisco didn’t call up Díaz at any point during the season, but they’ll devote him a 40-man roster spot for now to keep him from hitting minor league free agency. He still has a minor league option remaining, so he can bounce between San Francisco and Sacramento if he holds the 40-man spot over the winter.

San Francisco acquired Proctor from the Rays in August. He made his big league debut late in the season, appearing in seven games. Jones came over from the Astros on waivers in September, while Dean was claimed last offseason. Johnson is a former sixth-rounder who made his MLB debut in September, getting into 11 games.

Littell has the most experience of the group of outrighted players. The right-hander has pitched in parts of five big league seasons with the Twins and Giants. Littell was a high-leverage arm in 2021, pitching to a 2.92 ERA across 61 2/3 frames. He only managed a 5.08 ERA through 44 1/3 innings this year. Rather than tender him an arbitration contract in the $900K range, San Francisco ran him through waivers.

Proctor and Johnson will remain in the organization and try to play their way onto the 40-man roster. Littell, Dean and Jones will have the ability to qualify for minor league free agency.

Phillies Claim Luis Ortiz, Andrew Vasquez From Giants

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The Phillies announced that they have claimed two relievers off waivers from the Giants. Right-hander Luis Ortiz and left-hander Andrew Vasquez will jump to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Phillies also outrighted five players: right-handers Mark Appel and Hans Crouse, lefties Kent Emanuel and Damon Jones, along with infielder Yairo Munoz.

Ortiz, 27, spent a few years with the Orioles but signed a minor league deal with the Giants for 2022. A highly-touted prospect from his time with the O’s, he’s dealt with some injuries and been pushed from starting to relieving as time has gone on. He spent most of 2022 in Triple-A, throwing 67 1/3 innings with a 4.54 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His peripherals were quite strong, as he struck out 25.4% of batters faced, walking just 4.6% of them and getting grounders on 42.4% of balls in play. He also got 8 2/3 innings of MLB action, with a 1.04 ERA in that small sample. He still has options remaining, meaning the Phillies will have the ability to keep him in the minors as a depth arm.

Vasquez set a career high with 10 MLB games this year, splitting that time between the Blue Jays and Giants. He allowed six runs in 8 2/3 innings but he posted a 2.23 ERA over 32 1/3 Triple-A innings. The southpaw struck out almost 35% of opponents at the minors’ highest level, making him of appeal to a number of teams on the waiver wire.

Appel made his big league debut almost a decade after being selected first overall in the 2013 draft. He worked 10 1/3 innings over six relief appearances but ended the year on the injured list with elbow inflammation. Crouse was a former highly-regarded pitching prospect who came over from the Rangers in the Kyle Gibson/Spencer Howard trade. He debuted with two appearances last year but only pitched five times in Triple-A in 2022.

Jones is a former 18th-rounder who has five appearances in the last two years. Emanuel joined the organization off waivers from the Astros last winter but never pitched with Philadelphia. Munoz played in 29 games this year, hitting .221/.250/.404.

Munoz, Emanuel and Appel can become minor league free agents. Crouse and Jones will remain in the system without occupying a 40-man roster spot.

Carlos Rodon Opts Out Of Contract

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Giants starter Carlos Rodon has opted out of his contract and entered free agency, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. Rodon had a player option for $22.5MM in 2023, but given his exceptional performance this year, it’s no surprise he’s chosen to enter the open market.

Rodon turned in 178 innings of 2.88 ERA ball in 2022, proving the decision to take a shorter deal last winter and bet on himself was the correct one. He’ll now enter free agency as one of the top players available, and should cash in with a long term deal. After an injury-plagued career, Rodon was strong for the White Sox in 2021, throwing 132 2/3 innings of 2.37 ERA ball. Given he’d only been able to make 41 starts in the previous four seasons, there was still some hesitancy of his durability, and he inked a short term deal with the Giants. That deal guaranteed him $21.5MM in 2022 and $22.5MM in 2023, with the ability to opt-out included if he pitched 110 innings in ’22. He passed that mark with ease, and it seemed inevitable he’d exercise the opt-out and test free agency, as he did today.

The 2014 third overall pick was utterly dominant in 2022. He struck out batters 33.4% of the time, walked just 7.3% of batters, and posted the best home run rate of his career, giving up just 12 all year. Durability was one of the biggest concerns over Rodon, but he only hit the injured list once all season, and that was due to an illness that forced him to miss his final start of the campaign, and the Giants only placed him on the IL to free up an active roster spot.

He’ll enter the market as one of the most sought-after arms available. The Giants will assuredly issue him a qualifying offer in the coming days which he’ll certainly decline. The Giants could well be one of the teams pushing to sign him, but should they lose him, they’ll at least receive some draft pick compensation.

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