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3 teams that will regret not trading for SF Giants pitcher Carlos Rodón

By Jeff Young |
Arizona Diamondbacks v San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks v San Francisco Giants / Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages
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There is no beating around the bush. SF Giants left-handed hurler Carlos Rodón has been fantastic in 2022. Prior to the trade deadline, there was some level of interest in the lefty and it feels like passing on him will be a regret for many teams.

3 teams that will regret not trading for SF Giants pitcher Carlos Rodón

The Giants signed Rodón to a two-year, $44 million pact before the 2022 season. This is a deal that has paid dividends for both team and player. Given how the 29-year-old pitcher has performed this year, it will continue to pay dividends for him in the years to come as he will likely opt-out and become a free agent.

The eight-year veteran has registered a 3.03 ERA, 2.41 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 11.4 K/9, and a 4.24 SO/W ratio in 26 starts with San Francisco. He earned a National League All-Star nod and will likely finish the season with a handful of Cy Young votes as well.

If the season were to end today, then his 11.4 K/9 would set a Giants franchise-record that was previously set by Kevin Gausman (10.6 K/9) in 2021. There is no doubt that the addition of Rodón could have easily helped just about every playoff-caliber team.

1. The St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had a quieter trade deadline than many teams but they made a couple of shrewd additions. They added veteran southpaw José Quintana in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and swung a last-minute deal for Jordan Montgomery from the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader.

Both moves have paid off nicely. Quintana has posted a 3.28 ERA in five starts with the Cardinals, whereas Montgomery has registered a 1.76 ERA since the trade deadline. There is no denying whether these are good moves. The question is, was it enough?

Postseason success typically hinges on the success and performance of the starting rotation. Prior to the deadline, the Cardinals had a trio of reliable starters including Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, and Andre Pallante.

The Cardinals' starting rotation has posted a 3.91 ERA in 2022, which ranks as the 14th-best mark in baseball. That is a strong mark, but is it enough to compete against rotations like the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.68 ERA), New York Mets (3.52), or the Atlanta Braves (3.73 ERA)? That remains to be seen but adding a player of Rodón's caliber would have really changed the dynamic of the rotation.

On the plus side, the Cardinals feature two of the best players in baseball in third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The NL MVP will almost certainly come from St. Louis, but can they carry the Cardinals through the playoffs? They can but the rotation will need to help.

San Diego Padres v San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres v San Francisco Giants / Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages

3 teams that will regret not trading for SF Giants pitcher Carlos Rodón

2. The San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres won the trade deadline with the high-profile moves that they made. They acquired a bunch of stars including Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals, Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers, and Brandon Drury from the Cincinnati Reds.

Padres fans were feeling good about their chances and then star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was slapped with an 80-game suspension after a failed PED test. Similar to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Padres are in a position of pondering whether their trade deadline frenzy was enough.

They have had a very nice season with a 73-59 record on the heels of finishing off a sweep against Carlos Rodón and the Giants. However, they currently sit 18.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West.

Perhaps, comparing the Padres to a historically-great Dodgers team is not a fair assessment. However, the best-case scenario is that they finish in the second or third Wild Card spot, so there is clearly a performance gap between them and some of the better teams in the NL.

Plus, the Padres' rotation could have used the help. They have posted a 3.84 ERA this season, which ranks as the 12th-best mark in baseball. They have a frontline start in Joe Musgrove, who has recorded a 2.96 ERA in 23 starts in 2022. Besides him, they have a trio of mid-rotation arms including Yu Darvish (3.41 ERA), Blake Snell (3.87 ERA), and Mike Clevinger (3.59 ERA).

These are good pitchers, but adding a pitcher like Rodón would have given them another frontline starter to go with Musgrove. You can count on Musgrove to show up in an elimination game, but Padres fans might be in a position where they have to rely on one of Darvish, Snell, or Clevinger to dominate an elimination game. This is an uneasy position to be in.

New York Yankees v Los Angeles Angels
New York Yankees v Los Angeles Angels / Michael Owens/GettyImages

3 teams that will regret not trading for SF Giants pitcher Carlos Rodón

3. The New York Yankees

The New York Yankees did a lot of maneuvering at the trade deadline including acquiring Andrew Benitendi from the Kansas City Royals, Frankie Montas from the Oakland A's, and Harrison Bader from the St. Louis Cardinals while shipping off Joey Gallo to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Controllability was a key buzzword at the trade deadline and one of the many reasons why Montas appealed to the Yankees. He is under team control through 2023, so the Yankees did not acquire a rental in that trade. The same is true for Bader, who has yet to appear for the Yankees.

That last detail might be a bitter pill to swallow for Yankees fans given that they traded a pitcher in Jordan Montgomery for Bader. Montgomery posted a 3.69 ERA in 21 starts for the Yankees and a 1.76 ERA in five starts with the Cardinals.

Of course, this is compounded by Montas' struggles. The 29-year-old pitcher has struggled to the tune of a 7.01 ERA in five starts in a Yankees uniform. There is still time for him to turn it around but the early returns are not promising.

Of course, they could have connected with the Giants on a trade for Carlos Rodón. The Yankees' rotation has produced a 3.53 ERA in 2022, so they have done just fine despite Montas' struggles. They have plenty of good pitchers including Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes.

However, a pitcher like Rodón would have given them another workhorse to go with those two. The Yankees have arguably the best roster in the AL, so adding Rodón would have made a great team even better.

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