Jon Morosi says Rangers are going all in on free agent lefty Carlos Rodon

Carlos Rodon opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants, thus entering free agency. In a normal year, he'd be the top arm but since both Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander are available, he's not. Regardless, plenty of teams have interest in the southpaw.

According to Jon Morosi, the Texas Rangers are establishing themselves as one of the strongest suitors for the free agent.

Morosi tweeted:

"Rangers among the most serious suitors for free agent Carlos Rodon."

It's unclear what teams are also currently in on Rodon, though that list is likely pretty long since he's the best left-handed pitcher available right now.

The Rangers have shown a willingness to spend as last year they brought in both Marcus Semien and Corey Seager on massive contracts. Those didn't translate to the playoffs like they had hoped, but it's clear they're intent on trying again with this year's crop of free agents.

The lefty went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA and a 5.4 bWAR last season, so he had an excellent year. Texas will hope to see more of that in its home stadium next season.

---

Who will sign Carlos Rodon?

With both deGrom and Verlander, the price tag is going to be so high that a lot of teams won't get involved in the sweepstakes. For Rodon, the price will be more manageable.

San Francisco Giants v Atlanta Braves

Additionally, he doesn't have age or injury concerns like the other two do. That makes him a very desirable target.

Any team in need of pitching (which is just about every single team in Major League Baseball) should be interested.

The Rangers are obviously interested, but plenty of other contenders are going to be, too:

• New York Yankees
• Atlanta Braves
• Houston Astros
• New York Mets
• Toronto Blue Jays
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Baltimore Orioles
• Chicago White Sox
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres
• Los Angeles Angels
• St. Louis Cardinals
• Milwaukee Brewers

All these teams expect to contend for a playoff spot next year and every pitching staff would love to slot the lefty in somewhere. He can be an ace, but a deep rotation would have him as one of the best middle starters in the game.