Rodon reportedly coming back to Sox on one-year, $3 million contract
After non-tendering Carlos Rodon and Nomar Mazara on Dec. 2, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the same things most or all of his major-league counterparts say.
"A great deal of consideration and analysis goes into our decisions to forgo the arbitration process and instead engage with players and their representatives as free agents," Hahn said. "We plan to stay in contact with both Nomar and Carlos and evaluate their possible fit with our club as we move forward through the off-season."
It's very rare for non-tendered players to rejoin the club that cut them loose, but Rodon is an exception.
On Saturday, the Sox reportedly agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract to bring back the left-handed pitcher.
The White Sox are solid at the top of the starting rotation with Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel and newcomer Lance Lynn.
After that, it's Dylan Cease and Reynaldo Lopez, with Michael Kopech needing time after opting out last year and missing the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Garrett Crochet, the Sox's rocket-armed top draft pick in 2020, appears to be headed back to the bullpen for more seasoning before likely moving into a starting role down the road.
Rodon figures to get another chance to start, but the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft has to stay healthy.
After going 18-16 with a 3.90 ERA and striking out 307 in 304⅓ innings in his first two seasons (2015-16) with the Sox, Rodon has had shoulder and elbow surgeries the last four years.
In 2020, he had shoulder soreness early and was ineffective after returning just before the playoffs. In 4 games (2 starts), Rodon was 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA.
The lengthy list of health issues have weighed on the former North Carolina State star.
"I've gone through a few things, granted it's in the sports world," Rodon said last season. "People have gone through a lot more in the real world. Getting hurt is not a thing that anyone wants to do, any athlete. That's not our goal. That's the last thing you think about when you get drafted or you become a professional athlete. But sometimes it doesn't quite go your way."