Credit: USA Today
Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated reports that the New York Mets have shown early interest in free agent starter Carlos Rodón as they look to add rotation help. The Mets had interest in Rodón last offseason as well before he signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Rodón, 29, declined his $22.5 million player option for the 2023 season earlier this week. The talented lefty is coming off a great season in which he was second among major league starters with a 6.2 fWAR and led all starters with his 33.4 strikeout percentage and 2.25 FIP. He allowed only 131 hits, 52 walks, and 12 home runs in 178 innings this year. It was the second straight season that he held hitters to an average under .200.
The former first-rounder also set a career-high with 178 innings and 31 starts for the Giants on his way to being named an All-Star for the second straight season. Prior to his 178 innings this year and 132 in 2021, Rodón pitched just 42 innings combined between the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Chicago White Sox. For a more detailed writeup about how Carlos did in 2022 check out our free agent profile piece.
The Mets will need to add multiple starting pitchers this offseason with Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, and Chris Bassitt all free agents leaving Max Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco atop the depth chart with the likes of David Peterson, Tylor Megill, and Joey Lucchesi. The Mets trio of free agent starters made a combined 70 starts for the Mets in 2022.
It was also reported on Thursday night that the Mets have interest in another lefty starter, Andrew Heaney, according to Tim Healey of Newsday. Heaney had a 3.10 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings for the Dodgers this year over 14 starts and two relief appearances.
Another rumor of note is that the Red Sox have interest in reliever Seth Lugo per Chris Cotillo of Masslive.
It will be a long offseason of pitcher rumors connected to the Mets as they look to fill multiple rotation spots and have to replace most of their bullpen.
