Carlos Rodón signs elsewhere this time, landing with Giants

The Carlos Rodón Era could've ended with a non-tendering. Instead, it'll end on a high note, even if there are bittersweet tones.

Fresh off a fifth-place finish in Cy Young voting in his final year with the White Sox, Rodón signed the first major contract after the lockout by landing with the Giants for a deal that's worth up to $44 million over two years. The first year is for $21.5 million, the second year $22.5 million, with an opt-out clause in between.

In the end, Scott Boras was correct to say the White Sox did Rodón a favor by not extending him the $18.4 million qualifying offer in the days after the conclusion of the World Series. The counterpoint is that if Rodón could only get two years at an AAV slightly higher than the qualifying offer, then he might've been lucky to get a deal any better than the qualifying offer with compensation attached.

San Francisco is a great landing spot for Rodón, especially since it isn't Minnesota. It's been pitcher-friendly in general, and the Giants have a system that's generated a number of triumphs over previous seasons, including three other free agents this winter (Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood). If Rodón garnered more Cy Young support, nobody would be surprised. The question is whether the issues that prevented Rodón from pitching on regular rest for all of the last two months will follow him going forward. Rick Hahn didn't sound that confident in a stable rebound when he had to explain his decision in November, and Rodón's 2022 innings total will go most of the way in finishing this debate.

Either way, I think the White Sox are at peace. It would've been a different story had they cut him loose entirely after non-tendering him the previous year, then watched him put it all together under somebody who wasn't Don Cooper. Fortunately, the Sox hired their own version of "not Don Cooper" in Ethan Katz, and felt confident that hoping for different results wasn't merely the insanity talking.

Rodón finally was able to capitalize on his immense potential before closing his chapter with the White Sox, and while it might've left fans wanting more, they certainly could've seen less. Imagine the reaction if he threw his no-hitter in his first month on another team.

Rodón will be on my list of the most fascinating White Sox-adjacent players to follow in 2022, and the White Sox might get to face him for the first time when they travel to the Bay Area to open July. Outside of that weekend, Sox fans should be free to wish him the best.