Rangers still in on Rodon, per report

Dec 6, 2022 - 3:42 PM

MLB Rumors: Carlos Rodon is the top pitching target of the New York Yankees, but the Texas Rangers are still pursuing Rodon even after landing free agent starter Jacob deGrom, according to Jon Heyman.

Rodon is being courted by a large number of teams, with Heyman mentioning the San Francisco Giants — who Rodon pitched for in 2022 — as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Minnesota Twins as teams that are after Rodon. The market for Rodon was expected to be more robust than the markets for deGrom and Justin Verlander due to Rodon’s younger age and lower expected annual average value on his contract.

Previously reports indicated that Scott Boras, the agent for Rodon, was seeking over $30 million per year on a multi-year deal for Rodon, though most projections have Rodon getting in the mid- to high-$20s on a deal of around five years. If Rodon were to go for a short-term deal, the AAV would be higher, of course, but at 5-6 years, I think it would be considered a mild upset if Rodon got $30 million plus.

The Rangers still being in on Rodon even after landing deGrom is not unexpected, as the indications have been that they were going to be aggressive in the starting pitching market, and as we saw last year with Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, landing one top free agent isn’t going to result in the Rangers tapping out on the rest of the top end of the market. And deGrom and Rodon would provide quite a salty 1-2 combo for the Rangers rotation, presuming both pitchers can stay healthy.

Still, I would anticipate Rodon signs elsewhere, and Texas looks to the trade market or the next tier down of the free agent class to fill out its 2023 rotation.