Evil Empire Returns as Yankees Strengthen Pitching Staff with Carlos Rodón Signing
Many baseball fans wondered what may come next for the New York Yankees after extending superstar Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360-million contract at the winter meetings last week.
Well, wonder no more, as general manager Brian Cashman has solidified his starting rotation with a two-time All-Star, landing left-hander Carlos Rodón in free agency Thursday night. The 30-year-old has reportedly signed a six-year deal worth $162 million, paying him $27 million per season through 2028.
The 6-foot-3 hurler was the top remaining starter available in free agency after Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers), Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga (New York Mets) signed elsewhere. And while he garnered plenty of interest across the majors, the Bronx Bombers ultimately won him over.
Once official, Rodón will join an already-stacked Yankees pitching staff headlined by ace Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas. That will provide them with one of the superior rotations in the sport, at least on paper.
There is risk involved with signing Rodón to a lucrative deal as his career is littered with injuries, including Tommy John surgery that limited him to 42.1 innings from 2019-20. He also experienced nagging shoulder inflammation in 2017 and ‘18, causing him to miss significant time as well.
The veteran lefty’s inability to stay healthy was largely responsible for his departure from the Chicago White Sox – who selected him third overall in 2014 – after the 2021 season. Though it was shocking back then, especially after he had been worth 4.9 fWAR over 132.2 innings, he landed on his feet rather quickly with the San Francisco Giants.
Rodón bet on himself this past season, just as Judge did, accepting a two-year deal worth $44 million that included an opt-out following the first season. And after posting a 2.88 ERA, a 2.25 FIP and a 6.2 fWAR across 178.0 innings, he did just that.
Along with proving he can stay on the field, the former White Sox reaffirmed his status as an elite pitcher, finishing first in FIP, second in fWAR and third in FIP- (60) among qualified major-league starters, according to FanGraphs.
The Miami, Fla., native also excelled at generating swings and misses, with his strikeout (33.4 percent) and whiff rates (31.2 percent) ranking in the 95th and 86th percentiles, respectively. His underlying metrics were just as impressive, as his xERA, xAVG, xSLG and xwOBA all placed in the 89th percentile or higher.
Thanks to his dominating showing, Rodón finished among the top 10 in Cy Young voting for a second straight season, placing sixth in NL voting last season and fifth in AL voting in 2021. And he’ll have an opportunity to extend that streak in 2023, assuming he stays healthy.
After securing their 20th AL East Division title in 2022, the Yankees are positioned to be favourites next season as the franchise seeks its first World Series championship since 2009. The team isn’t shying away from flexing its financial muscles, either, as they currently sit second in the majors in projected 2023 payrolls.
Source: FanGraphs’ Roster Resource
As seen in the chart above, owners Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner are competing to see which New York franchise can spend the most money this winter, with the Mets currently leading by a wide margin.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are still in a great position heading into the holiday season. They re-signed Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Tommy Kahnle while replacing Jameson Taillon with Rodón. The only areas left to address are the bullpen, left field and a few reserve positions.
It could be worth further exploring a potential Gleyber Torres or Josh Donaldson trade as well – which the team has reportedly flirted with this off-season – with youngsters Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera appearing ready to take the next step. But that’ll likely have to wait until the new year.
Now the question becomes, how will the other four AL East teams respond to New York’s latest acquisition? Do any of them have a significant move up their sleeve? If so, now’s probably the time to execute it.
That’s especially true for the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays, who’ll likely serve as the Yankees’ top competition for the division title in 2023. Though, an argument can be about whether either club features an improved roster from the ones they finished with last season.
Toronto opted not to re-up Ross Stripling – who signed with the Giants earlier this week – but landed a more than suitable replacement in Chris Bassitt. The front office has improved its outfield defence by signing Kevin Kiermaier, however, the loss of Teoscar Hernández’s offensive production remains.
Trading Hernández did strengthen the club’s bullpen, adding Erik Swanson to a talented group of relievers that includes closer Jordan Romano, Anthony Bass and Yimi Garcia. But they still need to acquire another outfielder, plus an arm or two.
The Rays have been relatively quiet thus far, with Zach Eflin as their most significant acquisition, replacing free agent Corey Kluber. With Mike Zunino signing in Cleveland and Ji-Man Choi traded to Pittsburgh, there are still some holes to fill throughout the roster.
Then there’s the Boston Red Sox, who, by all accounts, are enduring one of the worst off-seasons in franchise history. Xander Bogaerts left for San Diego, J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill all remain free agents, and there’s still plenty of concern surrounding Chris Sale’s health.
Oh, and if that weren’t enough, the team designated Jeter Downs – one of the key pieces in the Mookie Betts blockbuster – for assignment on Thursday. But wait, it gets even worse for Red Sox fans.
Rafael Devers is entering his final year of arbitration and can become a free agent after next season. Boston’s front office remains confident about extending the 26-year-old third baseman, but considering how negotiations played out with Bogaerts, the fan base isn’t holding its breath.
Of course, it hasn’t been all bad news for the Red Sox, as their bullpen has drastically improved following the additions of Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Joely Rodríguez. They also signed Japanese slugger Masataka Yoshida, inserting another impact hitter into their lineup.
Unless similar improvements occur involving the starting rotation, though, along with locating Bogaerts’ replacement, the Red Sox could be in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
Don’t forget about the Baltimore Orioles, who surprisingly finished three games back of the final wild-card seed in 2022 and are hoping to take another positive step forward next season. But, aside from agreeing to one-year deals with Adam Frazier and Kyle Gibson, their off-season has been pretty uneventful.
And with slim pickings on the free-agent market – except for Dansby Swanson – management is running out of options to transform this team into a playoff contender.
Spring training will open in just over two months, meaning there’s still plenty of time for the remainder of this off-season to unfold. The current landscape of the AL East could remain unchanged between now and then, though, barring a dramatic shift from either Toronto or Tampa Bay.
Winning the off-season doesn’t necessarily translate into success during the regular season – just ask the 2022 Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers – but in this case, the Yankees have plenty of pieces in place to return as one of the premier threats in baseball next season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.