SF Giants announce first spring start for top offseason acquisition
Carlos Rodón will start Thursday for the Giants against his former team, the Chicago White Sox.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants’ biggest offseason acquisition will make his debut in black and orange Thursday against his former team.
Left-hander Carlos Rodón will start their Cactus League game Thursday against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch, manager Gabe Kapler said Monday. Rodón was drafted third overall by the White Sox in 2014 and spent his first seven major-league seasons in Chicago before inking a two-year, $44 million deal this offseason to join the Giants.
He will have a different number on his back. After exclusively wearing No. 55 in Chicago, Rodón knew that number was off limits in San Francisco, opting instead for No. 16.
Rodón’s start will come a day after Logan Webb makes his second start of the spring on Wednesday, possibly providing the first look at the one-two punch at the top of San Francisco’s rotation. While Webb is the presumed Opening Day starter, Kapler said he would be ready to make that declaration after the rotation’s next round of spring starts.
On Wednesday, Webb will be followed by a contingent of arms expected to come out of San Francisco’s bullpen this season: Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers, Dominic Leone and John Brebbia, as well as minor leaguers Mauricio Llovera and Peter Tago.
Rodón threw two innings of live batting practice Saturday, highlighted by a high fastball that made Joc Pederson look silly. Although he struggled with some control issues while working on adding a curveball to his arsenal, only one batter managed to make strong enough contact to get the ball out of the cage.
#SFGiants new LHP Carlos Rodón is throwing live BP on backfield in Scottsdale. Rung up Joc Pederson on a rising fastball. pic.twitter.com/95NOAemq0u
— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) March 19, 2022
Giants lose pair of pitchers on waivers
The Giants hoped to sneak a pair of pitchers through waivers to clear space on the 40-man roster for their recent additions. But others have caught on to Farhan Zaidi’s eye for talent — and haven’t let a single player slip through yet.
Add left-hander Caleb Baragar and right-hander Hunter Harvey to the list, after the Giants lost catcher Jose Godoy on waivers last week. Arizona claimed Baragar, while Harvey was claimed by Washington. Because of new rules in the collective bargaining agreement, the Giants will not be able to lay claim on either player again until they are passed on by all 29 other teams, should either be waived again.
Baragar, who posted a 1.57 ERA in 25 appearances out of the Giants’ bullpen last season, was someone who had caught Kapler’s attention. After he was claimed Monday, Kapler said he sent him a congratulatory text.
“He’s a great guy. He deserves opportunities,” Kapler said. “He sort of got to the edge of our roster and we needed a roster spot. That was a challenge for us, but we’re excited he’s getting a new opportunity.”