Chicago Cubs: 5 Pitchers to Target in Free Agency – #5: Carlos Rodon
Let’s start this list with someone the Cubs are now very familiar with. At the time of writing, the Cubs just faced Carlos Rodon this weekend. Rodon, who is having an extremely resurgent year, just pitched five shutout innings while striking out 11. He now owns a 2.38 ERA in 109 2/3 innings of work.
Rodon has been a key part of the Chicago White Sox’s success thus far. The best part, he is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Cubs will need to strike while the iron is hot because multiple teams looking to contend will be in on his services. He currently only earns $3 million due to seeing average, at best, numbers throughout his career. 2021 has truly been a breakout season for him.
In 2021, Rodon earned an All-Star nod for the first time in his career. He sports a K/9 of nearly 13 to go with a miniscule 2.4 base on balls per nine innings. It has been noted how much the Cubs need a southpaw in their rotation and if Rodon continue his dominance into next season, he can be a legitimate ace on any ballclub.