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The Yankees continue offseason spending by locking down a lefty arm to bolster their starting rotation.
Left-handed starter Carlos Rodon and the Yankees are in agreement on a six-year, $162 million contract, according to reports. The deal includes a full no-trade clause. The six-year deal takes the best remaining pitcher off the market after the Mets secured Justin Verlander and the Rangers splurged on Jacob deGrom for his services.
Rodon, who is represented by Scott Boras, joins a rotation that already includes Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino. During the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Boras gave his annual state of the union and said the Yankees are swimming in an “infinity pool” going after numerous elite players and said Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is no “shallow Hal.”
The metaphors now make much more sense as the Yankees guaranteed $522 million after signing Rodon and re-signing AL MVP Aaron Judge last week.
The Bronx Bombers are now in the conversation for having one of the best starting rotations in the major leagues. Last season, the Yankees ranked third in baseball with a 3.30 ERA. Signing a starter like Rodon, who went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA last season, surely strengthens the rotation and causes issues for opposing hitters.
Rodon is just two years removed from being non-tendered by the Chicago White Sox after a season filled with injuries. He was later re-signed by the club on a one-year deal and pitched to the potential that got him drafted third overall in the 2014 draft. In 2021, Rodon appeared in his first All-Star game and registered a career-low 2.37 ERA in 24 starts. The short-term deal allowed Rodon to quickly get a big payday and the lefty agreed to a two-year, $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Rodon was selected to the All-Star team for the second time and started 31 games for the Giants in 2022. He opted out after one season, forfeiting a $22.5 million salary and now cashes in with the Yankees to make $27 million annually.
The eight-year veteran is expected to slide into the No. 2 spot behind Cole and serves as a clear upgrade from Jameson Taillon — who signed a four-year, $68 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.
General manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees also brought back Anthony Rizzo on a two-year, $34 million contract last month. The recent spending isn’t surprising after the Bombers’ embarrassing ALCS loss to the Houston Astros. The sweep suffered against the eventual champions highlighted holes on the Yankees’ roster.
“We typically have teams on a yearly basis that enter the postseason with a chance to win,” Cashman said after the Bombers were eliminated. “This year’s particular squad, we got depleted going into the postseason, we had a lot of injuries. The record [down the stretch] doesn’t reflect the talent. It reflected a lot of havoc wreaked on the roster as we entered the second half as well as the postseason.”
The Yankees could continue spending and go after an outfielder before the start of the season. Andrew Benintendi’s time with the Yankees last season was cut short due to injuries but the Bombers could use his services in left field alongside Judge and Harrison Bader.
The issue of needing more pitching seems to be resolved with the signing of the newest Yankee and Cashman hopes to have his top two guys — Cole and Rodon — of the rotation produce in big games in the Bronx by the time both contracts are up in 2029.
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