3 former SF Giants failing miserably with their new teams in 2023

3 former SF Giants failing miserably with their new teams in 2023

3. Carlos Rodón

Whew, talk about dodging a bullet with this one.

Rodón had been a promising arm on the White Sox for parts of seven seasons, showing immense potential at times but being plagued with inconsistency and a whole slew of injuries along the way. After a breakout season in 2021, he became a free agent and was brought aboard by the Giants.

Last year, the southpaw was every bit as good on the mound. In 31 starts (the most he's ever made in a season), he went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 2.25 FIP and a 138 ERA+. He finally showed the world what he can do when he's at 100 percent full health. After two consecutive All-Star Game selections and top six finishes in Cy Young voting, he exercised an opt-out clause in his deal and once again hit free agency. This time around, he secured a massive payday from the New York Yankees.

Here we are, just about two months into the 2023 season and Rodón has yet to throw a single pitch for his new club. There is truly no better way to describe it other than, the Giants dodged a bullet big time. At first, it was a forearm strain that sidelined him for a chunk of time, and the latest injury updates are now that he healed from the strain but is dealing with a back injury that's keeping him off the field.

It's tragic that such a powerful arm has to sit on the shelf for a large portion of the season, but injuries have played a large part in his career and, in the early going, the Giants' front office looks like the made the right call in not re-signing the left-handed hurler.