You can finally put the interest tweets to rest, the Yankees have got their guy. Per Jeff Passan, LHP Carlos Rodón and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a 6 year $162 million deal. With a full no-trade clause, this means the Yankees are on the hook for $27 million a year over these next 6 years, but for the talent their getting it’s well worth it. Joining one of the best rotations in the sport, the Yankees now easily have the best rotation in baseball. The 2021 and 2022 All-Star will join a rotation with three other former all-stars in Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, and Nestor Cortes, with Frankie Montas slotting in at the 5.
One of the Best Pitchers in Baseball
Carlos Rodón is one of the best strikeout artists in the sport, and he does so with strong command as well. With a 26.8% K-BB% since 2021, he’s 4th in all of baseball, and the Yankees need that level of firepower for their rotation. He’s also great at preventing the longball, as his 0.72 HR/9 is the 7th lowest mark among all pitchers since 2021 with at least 200 IP. In ERA, FIP, SIERA, and WAR he’s been a top 5 pitcher in baseball over the last 2 seasons, and now he’s going to be paired with Gerrit Cole atop the Yankees’ star-studded rotation
Rodon does this with a power fastball that averages over 95 MPH and has the best Run Value and the most swings and misses among any four-seam fastball in MLB since 2021. His slider is elite as well, generating a 39% Whiff% and .217 wOBA against in 2022, due to it’s sharp dropping and sweeping action. He features a curveball and changeup, though he barely uses either pitch. He may be a two-pitch mix guy, but his two pitches are some of the best in the entire sport.
Giving Long Term Security To the Rotation
Frankie Montas and Luis Severino both hit free agency after 2023, so by securing Rodón the Yankees now have their top 3 in Cole, Rodón, and Cortes locked up for the next 3 seasons at minimum. They’ll have less heavily lifting to do this time next year to revamp the rotation, and that definitely matters. They also secured Rodón by just spending money; and asset the Yankees have plenty of. This is a much better path to take than trading top prospects (especially since the Yankees are going to need cost-controlled talent) to get pitching that is definitely worse than Rodón.
Today is a good day to be a fan of the Yankees; they secured the best rotation in the sport and can now fully concentrate on LF and how they’ll move the contracts of Aaron Hicks and Josh Donaldson. They roster what is probably the best team in the American League East and in competition for the best team in the American League, and they’re officially a better team than they were entering the 2022 season. They added someone who’s going to give them a chance to beat anyone’s opposing starter in a Game 2 situation, and that’s a huge advantage
The Yankees most likely will suit up a rotation for 2023 of:
- Gerrit Cole
- Carlos Rodón
- Nestor Cortes
- Luis Severino
- Frankie Montas
Which gives them 5 elite strikeout arms and also balances the rotation by bringing in another left-handed pitcher to give them two LHPs and three RHPs. It should be noted that Rodón does own a 1.55 ERA in his 7 career starts against the Astros, which should bode well if we are to run into them in a postseason series once again. The Yankees got better; and they put their financial might on display for the whole world to see. With over $500 million spent this offseason, they’re still not finished.
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