Because the White Sox non-tendered Carlos Rodón in November before bringing him back into the organization on Saturday, this is the first time he can officially be called outside help.
However, this would be far from the first time he'd be regarded as an offseason or in-season addition for the White Sox, rather than a holdover.
Here's NBC Sports Chicago discussing Rodón's possibilities after Tommy John surgery during the original spring training of 2020:
Rodón can throw pretty darn hard, something that intrigues those wanting to stick him in the ‘pen and call on him to get a few batters out rather than soldier through six or seven innings. But White Sox fans are plenty familiar with what he can be when he’s healthy and at his best, the kind of starter who can mow down opposing lineups.
Either role would be a valuable midseason addition for a team in the playoff hunt. You’d have to figure that this is a bridge the White Sox will cross when they come to it, meaning that Rodon will likely be deployed in whatever area he’s needed.
Here's Rick Hahn talking about heightened expectations for 2019 after Rodón threw 120 innings post-shoulder surgery the year before:
"So it was always projected that it was going to be let’s get him back out there, let’s get him performing regularly and ideally have no issues which we were fortunate to do. Now the next full year is the year where you hope to see that Carlos Rodón fulfilling that potential he has.”
Here's the Chicago Sun-Times as Rodón returned from biceps bursitis in 2017:
The trade deadline is a month away, but the White Sox might get their best acquisition this week. That is when coveted left-hander Carlos Rodon, beset by injuries in spring, is expected to return to the rotation.
Yet Rodón has struggled to deliver meaningful results no matter the timetable. He came the closest in 2018, when he posted a 3.22 ERA over 18 starts and 117 innings before two end-of-season disasters blew up his ERA by nearly a full run to close it out. Even then, his walk-to-strikeout numbers (55 to 90 over 120⅔ innings) only looked good in comparison to his walk-and-HBP-to-strikeout numbers (67 to 90). Likewise, an encouraging start to his 2019 ended after a month due to Tommy John surgery, and his attempt to return in 2020 stalled after two abbreviated starts.
Now he's back on a $3 million deal, and James Fegan says "multiple sources indicate Rodón is being brought back for rotation depth." That's fine on its face, because the White Sox's credible pitching depth was previously:
- Reynaldo López as the fifth starter.
- Michael Kopech as the sixth starter
- I dunno, Bernardo Flores Jr.?
In a season where the top four pitchers are guaranteed to make 30 starts, there'd be no harm having Rodón in the mix for the fifth spot. But with Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel being acquainted with the injured list over the last couple years, López having a shoulder issue and stuff problems before and after, and Kopech going two years without pitching, additional depth is required. And it's hard to argue that Rodón is that depth, because he has seldom been at full capacity when it would actually matter.
One could make the case that the Sox could use the 50-60 innings he might provide. Let's say the White Sox want 900 innings from their starters. If you could draw it up like this ...
- Lance Lynn: 200
- Lucas Giolito: 180
- Dallas Keuchel: 170
- Dylan Cease: 160
- Michael Kopech: 90
- Reynaldo López: 50
- Carlos Rodón: 50
... that'd be fine. The problem is that Rodón's not a great bet to be available to pitch those open innings. You can't store him in a glass case to break open during an emergency, because Rodón's condition is usually the emergency. And based on his comments before the 2020 season, the Hector Santiago life is not for him.
“In my heart, I think I’m a starter,” Rodón said. “I’m not a bullpen arm. Yeah, I could throw 100 mph, but I’m not a bullpen arm. I know I can be a starter. I’ve shown it in the past. Yes, I haven’t been as durable as I can be, but people have seen me eat eight, nine innings. [...]
“You have to look at the stress. You need to be more durable as a reliever. You are throwing 75 appearances. You are throwing back-to-back days. Those guys get up and they throw, and those throws aren’t even accounted for. Those are still stress, though. They are still throwing 95 mph before they go in the game. Then you tell them to sit down and then 'hey, let’s get back up and throw again.'”
Some might read those comments as arrogant, but I read them as aware (and maybe a little arrogant). Relief work is not always the answer for an injury-prone pitcher. Rodón hasn't looked comfortable coming out of the bullpen in the handful of opportunities we've seen, as he's issued six walks and an HBP over 8⅓ innings. This wasn't the first winter where I suggested a non-tender for Rodón, because we'd experienced the same lifecycle with the relief-only Nate Jones. Injuries tend to beget injuries.
Familiarity may breed contempt with Rodón, who only made seven starts for the White Sox in 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, and might be lucky to make seven appearances for the White Sox in 2020 due to his health luck and the White Sox’ struggles with that particular procedure. I’m guessing the White Sox will tender him a contract and treat it as if they’re spending that money on a trade deadline acquisition, but I can see a Nate Jones-like situation occurring where he never meets even lowered expectations for availability. Parting ways with Rodón would definitely signal a new level of determination.
Sure enough, Rodón only made five appearances last year. The pandemic played a part, but it didn't act alone.
The good news is that Rodón's velocity returned to 96 mph after he returned for shoulder soreness, even if it failed to reflect rejuvenated stuff. Adding up his three appearances against the Indians (bad), Cubs (good) and A's (bad), Rodón threw 60 pitches and racked up two (2) swinging strikes.
The optimist says that a Rodón with power at least has the foundation to rediscover an arsenal nearer to its peak, and the strange 2020 season was not conducive to an oft-injured pitcher attempting to manage layers of rehab. The pessimist says that any old season hasn't been conducive to Rodón's durability, so what would be different about this one?
Maybe Tony La Russa and Ethan Katz. At the end of his tenure, Rick Renteria's management of Rodón resembled a sarcastic "Thanks For The Upgrade" card to the front office. As I mentioned in the breaking news post, I assumed Rodón was gone because Renteria was staying, and it looks like the joke's on me. We still have the baggage, but the guys now overseeing his season don't. There could be some benefit to having two sets of fresh eyes.
But I also wouldn't want to saddle Rodón's new bosses with the expectation of solving a problem that could be impossible. Resources are limited, be they dollars or attention, and the burden of proof is on corpus Carlos to show that it's worth both. At this point, it'd bold to even use a pencil to write Rodón's name in any plans. Sure, La Russa's former subjects have praised his ability to put his players in a position to succeed, but Rick Hahn's not supposed to take that as a challenge.
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Speaking of blank expectations, I mentioned in my post about the imaginary SoxFest that I'd hold off on putting an innings number on Kopech until he was fully present and active, mostly because he's lived three lives' worth over the last three years. Case in point: this Google News alert I received on my phone Saturday night:
The story doesn't tell you anything you don't know from a White Sox news point of view, but this phrasing struck me:
Michael did not comment on Vanessa's pregnancy and has retreated from public life for much of the year. He also opted out of the 2020 MLB season, however, he is expected to return to the Chicago White Sox this year.
To baseball outlets, Kopech's opting out of the 2020 season is a standalone baseball decision, making him little different from David Price and Ryan Zimmerman. To gossip mags, it's treated as a secondary item of a greater escape from the public eye. His life doesn't have a whole lot of comps at the moment, much less his career.
(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)
