Carlos Rodon Officially Opts Out of Giants Contract, Becomes MLB Free Agent

Rodón officially opts out, leaving Giants with hole in rotation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

SAN FRANCISCO -- There was nothing particularly interesting about the flyball that Justin Turner hit against the Giants in the fifth inning on July 21. It left the bat at just 75 mph, the result of an off-balance swing taken against a good curveball, and Luis González easily tracked it down to end the inning. 

But for Carlos Rodón, that out was a big one. 

Rodón reached 110 innings on that pitch, giving him the right to opt out of his two-year deal with the Giants. On Sunday, the first day of free agency, he officially did, leaving a huge but expected hole in the Giants' rotation and setting Rodón up for one of the biggest contracts of the offseason.

Rodón hits a market that also includes Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander at the high end, although they are 34 and 39 years old, respectively. At 29, Rodón is in line for the longest contract any starter receives this winter, and he should easily clear the $100 million mark after a spectacular walk year. 

Rodón had a 2.88 ERA and led the majors with a 2.25 FIP. He finished second in the National League with 237 strikeouts and hit double-digits 11 times, a franchise record. Rodón made a career-high 31 starts, putting aside the concerns about his shoulder that limited his market at this time a year ago.

The Giants knew Rodón would be an ace when healthy. Once he proved he could stay healthy, the opt-out became a given. 

"Obviously we expect Carlos to opt out and that'll create an opening in our rotation," president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said last month. 

Zaidi and former GM Scott Harris moved quickly after the lockout ended in March, contacting Rodón's side right away and getting creative with the structure of their offer. Rodón was guaranteed $21.5 million in the first year of the deal and $22.5 million in 2023, but he could opt out if he stayed healthy and reached 110 innings. 

It was the best of all worlds for Rodón, who made the All-Star team and now can chase the kind of deal that wasn't there last winter. The baseline was set by Robbie Ray ($115 million) and Kevin Gausman ($110 million) last offseason, and with Scott Boras as his agent and no lockout looming over discussions, Rodón should shoot past those figures.

Even getting involved in discussions would be a departure for a Giants front office that has given just one pitcher -- Anthony DeSclafani -- a guaranteed three-year deal and never made a serious attempt to bring Gausman back. 

Zaidi acknowledged that the Giants have stayed away from that end of the market in recent years, but he said he plans to be in contact with Boras and Rodón during an offseason in which the Giants have plenty of payroll flexibility and hope to go big. 

"He's going to have plenty of suitors," Zaidi said. "I'm sure we're going to be talking to Scott Boras about bringing him back and the feedback from Carlos and from Scott is that he enjoyed being here, he enjoyed pitching in our park, and I would say there's mutual interest and we'll just have to see how it plays out."