NY Mets: 1 free agent that just shot up the charts as a match

The qualifying offers have been issued—or in some cases, not. We know the New York Mets did the right thing in offering it to Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard. The rest of the league had much tougher decisions to make. One was what the Chicago White Sox had to decide with pitcher Carlos Rodon.

Coming off a career year with the Southsiders in 2021, Rodon went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA. The 28-year-old lefty seemed to finally mature into the top-level starting pitcher they had wanted him to become for several seasons. Now his time with them could be over.

Rodon was not issued the qualifying offer which makes him a free agent with nothing to decide. For the Mets, he fits their modus operandi perfectly. They won’t have to give up the 14th overall pick to improve their rotation which is a defensive move I think they should keep heavily in mind.

Why we can expect the Mets to look at Carlos Rodon

Although the Mets have yet to figure out their front office situation, I don’t think their strategy will change a whole lot from last offseason. The team didn’t make the splashiest signings out there, instead aiming to acquire younger players whenever possible. Rodon is on the younger side of free agency, turning 29 in December of this year.

Maybe more importantly, he has logged only 669.1 big league innings. That’s not too much wear and tear on a shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

With his stock on the rise, age on his side, and the possible need for a lefty starter next year, we can expect the Mets to have interest.

For one final ingredient, the lack of a qualifying offer issued to him makes Rodon all that much more enticing to sign.

As interested as the Mets could be in him, Rodon isn’t the kind of guy you invest in too heavily. I view him as a Taijuan Walker-type. His track record isn’t too lengthy but his talent is quite obvious. I know Walker ran out of gas quickly in the second half and there could be some hesitation with Rodon. After all, this is a guy who has only ever topped 140 innings once in his career.

Nevertheless, I find it silly to not at least talk with Rodon’s people simply because one of your other players in a similar situation didn’t work out as well.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

From his injury history, the most important thing to note is he had Tommy John Surgery in 2019. He seems to have recovered from it fine. And perhaps, if the Mets are willing to roll the dice, they can see what he can do for them.