The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly agreed to terms with Clayton Kershaw, but they still need to add at least one more starting pitcher to their roster.
Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom are the top two options available, and the Dodgers will likely be interested in both to some degree. But Carlos Rodón is also a free agent, and he is going to be a coveted option as well after back-to-back fantastic seasons.
Rodón will require a longer-term, unlike Verlander and perhaps deGrom, and although it could come at a lower average annual value, that’s something the Dodgers have usually avoided.
Nevertheless, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Dodgers are among the teams interested in signing Rodón:
The Giants would like to bring back left-hander Carlos Rodon. The Dodgers, Rangers and Yankees are also in there. The Giants, Rays and Blue Jays are among many teams in on Brandon Nimmo, plus the Mets, of course.
Rodón spent last season pitching with the San Francisco Giants and earned his second consecutive All-Star Game selection. He has also finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Cy Young voting over the last two years, spending the 2021 season with the Chicago White Sox.
In 2022, he threw 178 innings, posting a 2.88 ERA, 2.25 FIP, 1.03 WHIP, 33.4% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. That followed his 2021 season where he posted a 2.37 ERA in 132.2 innings.
At 29 years old, FanGraphs projects Rodón to receive a five-year deal worth $120 to $135 million. It would be a first for the Dodgers under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to give out that kind of contract to a pitcher.
There’s also the factor of Julio Urías being set to reach free agency after the 2023 season, but Rodón has shown he has the elite talent to justify it.
Trea Turner tried to convince Carlos Rodón to sign with Dodgers
Trea Turner and Rodón were enemies as part of the rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants, but that couldn’t be further from the truth off the field.
The two are close friends, which dates back to their time playing collegiately at North Carolina State. They were even roommates before they were both selected in the 2014 MLB Draft, with Rodón going third overall to the White Sox and the San Diego Padres selecting Turner 13th overall before trading him to the Washington Nationals.
They have since developed into stars at their respective positions and now both are free agents. But last season while Turner was under contract, he tried to convince Rodón to join him in L.A.
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