SAN DIEGO — The market for Carlos Rodón could become the next proof of free agency inflation. Rodón is another version of Robbie Ray last year. Both were coming off age-29 platform seasons with nearly identical numbers in innings (Ray had more, 191.1-178), ERA (Ray was slightly lower, 2.84 to 2.88), ERA+ (Edge to Ray, 157-140) and WHIP (Rodón by a smidgen, 1.03-1.04).
Ray won the AL Cy Young Award. Rodón finished sixth in voting for the NL award. Both lefthanders reinvented themselves with mechanical changes. Ray signed with Seattle for $115 million over five years. Rodón is aiming higher, and in this super-charged market and with the Yankees and Dodgers having interest, the question now is how much higher do the numbers go?