Mystery team emerging as potential suitor for former SF Giants lefty Carlos Rodón

In addition to the New York Yankees, a mystery team has emerged as a potential suitor for former SF Giants lefty Carlos Rodón. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, that mystery team is believed to be the St. Louis Cardinals, so i suppose they are not a mystery team after all.

Mystery team emerging as potential suitor for former SF Giants lefty Carlos Rodón

With every big free agent on the market, there are a handful of known suitors but there is at least one or two mystery teams as well. Remember when the Giants were one of the top bidders for star pitcher Zack Greinke after the 2015 season?

It seemed as if the Giants had a good chance of landing Greinke, but a mystery team swooped in at the last minute. That team, oddly enough, was the Arizona Diamondbacks, who signed him to a six-year, $206.5 million deal.

That could happen this offseason with Rodón, but it is hard to be a mystery team if that team is a known suitor. Heyman said that the Cardinals are "believed to be the mystery team," so there is some room for doubt.

That said, St. Louis could be a good fit for Rodón. Cardinals starters posted a 3.92 ERA in 2022, which ranked as the 15th-best mark in baseball. Veteran hurler José Quintana finished the season with them, but he has joined the New York Mets on a two-year, $26 million pact this winter.

The Cardinals have one of the best defenses in baseball with a lineup that features Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras. They have a lot of qualities of a team that could make some noise in the playoffs, but they need at least one top starter.

Rodón would check off that box as he posted a 2.88 ERA, 2.25 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, and a 4.56 S/W ratio in 31 starts for the Giants last year. He was selected to the All-Star team in consecutive seasons and finished in sixth place in the NL All-Star voting in 2022. He is an ace.

The 30-year-old hurler is represented by agent Scott Boras and they are in the market for a deal of at least five years. With how the market has gone, Rodón will likely receive more than that.

Of course, the Giants could also use an ace as well. The front office has been reluctant to hand out long-term deals and there is no word as to whether the veteran starter is an exception to that rule. San Francisco did issue Rodón a qualifying offer earlier this season, so they would receive a compensatory pick if he signs elsewhere.