MLB pitcher Carlos Rodon is about to become a very rich man.
Most of the top starters on the market are gone at this point: Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga signed with the New York Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays got Chris Bassitt, the Chicago Cubs secured the services of Jameson Taillon, the Texas Rangers inked Jacob deGrom to a multi-year pact, and the Philadelphia Phillies got Taijuan Walker.
Rodon, however, remains unattached, and lots of teams are looking to make a splash and need an impact arm.
That gives him leverage: the New York Yankees want him, the San Francisco Giants would love to retain him, and several other teams could use a top left-hander like him.
The difference between Rodon and the rest of the field is shocking when it comes to starters.
“Best free agent starting pitchers still out there (based on projected 2023 WAR): Carlos Rodón, 4.7 Nathan Eovaldi, 2.4 Corey Kluber, 1.7 Ross Stripling, 1.5 Michael Wacha, 1.5 Noah Syndergaard, 1.4 Drew Smyly, 1.3,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Best free agent starting pitchers still out there
(based on projected 2023 WAR):Carlos Rodón, 4.7 👀
Nathan Eovaldi, 2.4
Corey Kluber, 1.7
Ross Stripling, 1.5
Michael Wacha, 1.5
Noah Syndergaard, 1.4
Drew Smyly, 1.3— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) December 13, 2022
The Difference Between Rodon And The Other Free Agents Is Huge
Whoever doesn’t land Rodon will have to look for Plan B, C, or D, and those aren’t looking particularly exciting.
It’s not that Eovaldi, Kluber, Wacha and company are bad pitchers: that’s far from the case.
It’s just that the difference between having Rodon and one of them in a team’s rotation is considerable.
Rodon had a 2.88 ERA in 2022, with 237 strikeouts in 178 frames.
Armed with a huge fastball and some impressive secondaries, Rodon can dominate wherever he lands.
He is 30, and he has waited long enough for his long-term contract.
He is reportedly asking for somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million, and certainly deserves every penny in a market like this one.
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