With Major League Baseball embroiled in a lockout since Dec. 2, left-handed pitcher and MLB Pack Pro Carlos Rodón remains among several free agents still available on the market. Although no free agents can sign new deals until the league and the MLB Players Association reach an agreement, the hot stove surrounding Rodón and other stars still simmers in the offseason.
Rodón’s breakout 2021 season makes him one of the top arms on the market. The 29-year-old finally lived up to his pro potential last season, earning his first All-Star appearance and finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting seven years after the Chicago White Sox selected him with the third overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft. Still, with his extensive injury history, teams may look elsewhere to bolster their rotations for the 2022 season.
One obvious alternative to Rodón is left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The lifelong Los Angeles Dodger hit the free-agent market for the first time since re-signing with the Dodgers in 2014, and every team in the league would benefit from reeling in the perennial Cy Young contender. Although Kershaw has a lot of arm mileage with over 2400 IP at the major league level, his consistently dominant year-to-year production solidifies him as the more proven commodity compared to the relatively high-risk, low-sample size Rodón.
In terms of dollars and cents, it’s likely that Rodón will rake in plenty of dough despite having only one All-Star season to his name. 29-year-old right-hander Noah Syndergaard inked a one-year, $21 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels despite pitching only two innings since 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. Right-hander Alex Cobb struck a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Francisco Giants after a comeback season with the Angels. With Rodón the top lefty remaining on the market not named Kershaw, the southpaw stands to secure several sacks worth of cash in his next contract.
A few factors play against the Pack Pro’s favor, however. With a long history of injuries to his pitching arm and only one solid season to show for it, front offices may be skeptical of Rodón’s ability to repeat his 2021 numbers. After all, even last year saw the lefty withered out towards season’s end. With such a shaky track record, few teams, if any, will be itching to offer him the multi-year contract he wants.
Still, the longer the lockout lasts, the more likely it is to cut into spring training or even the regular season. With less time to prepare their squads, teams will be more willing to negotiate in order to strengthen their rosters with high-end talent like Rodón. With this much negotiating power over time-pressed general managers scrambling to solidify their starting rotations for 2022, Rodón will likely have his pick of the litter when it comes to contract offers he gets. With several teams competing for his services, Rodón could also leverage this situation into a higher salary and/or longer contract as teams look to outbid each other.
A lot of factors in when and how the MLB lockout will end are still up in the air at the moment. But once the dust settles, the free agency market will more or less turn into a mad scramble for the remaining available players. With Rodón in the mix as one of the most sought-after arms left unsigned, he has the opportunity to impose his will on contract negotiations that will heavily affect his career trajectory going forward.
