Carlos Rodon

The New York Yankees bolstered their starting rotation Thursday by signing left-hander Carlos Rodón, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Rodón's new contract will reportedly earn him $162 million over six years and includes a full no-trade clause. USA Today's Bob Nightengale provided a contract breakdown, noting that Rodón will receive $22 million in 2023 as well as a $5 million signing bonus:

The addition of Rodón brings New York's projected total payroll to $247.2 million, per Spotrac.

The 30-year-old joins a star-studded rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas. With Rodón added to the mix, the Yankees' starting pitching staff has the chance to be among the best in the American League.

Rodón will likely be inserted as the No. 2 starter behind Cole, who led the majors and set a franchise record with 257 strikeouts last season. Rodón wasn't too far behind with 237 strikeouts, giving New York a lethal one-two combination.

An All-Star in each of the least two seasons, Rodón notched a 2.88 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 178 innings on his way to a 14-8 record in 2022. He appears to have fully recovered from his 2019 Tommy John surgery to become one of the most consistent pitchers in MLB.

The Yankees rotation was dominated by right-handers last season, with 2022 All-Star Cortes as the team's only southpaw. Rodón gives New York another lefty hurler, which will surely pay off come playoff time.

With multiple pitchers who have ace potential, the Yankees have increased their chances at making it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

The New York Yankees are going to have one of the best rotations in baseball in 2023.

The Yankees signed free-agent pitcher Carlos Rodón to a six-year, $162 million contract, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday. He joins a rotation that already included Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino.

Rodón, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Chicago White Sox, had a breakout campaign in 2021. He went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings across 24 starts en route to his first All-Star Game selection.

He signed with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2022 season and earned his second straight All-Star Game selection after going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings across 31 starts.

Rodón will be expected to replicate that success in Pinstripes in 2023 and beyond as the Yankees hope to win their first World Series title in more than a decade.

MLB Twitter is already hyped about the signing and the Yankees' "stacked" 2023 rotation:

The Yankees have been one of the best teams in baseball for a while now, but they have been lacking the extra piece to get them over the hump and into the World Series. Could Rodón be the missing piece to the puzzle?

Only time will tell.

Carlos Rodón is one of the top free-agent pitchers left on the market, but at least one team has been deterred from paying the hefty price tag for the veteran.

The St. Louis Cardinals are unlikely to "shell out the years and money" that Rodón is seeking on his next deal, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo.

Rodón is seeking a deal in the range of seven-plus years and worth at least $200 million, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Dec. 12. It's not surprising the Cardinals are hesitant to cough up that much cash.

St. Louis has never signed a player for that kind of money. While Nolan Arenado is the highest-paid player on the roster, he signed his eight-year, $260 million deal when he was still a member of the Colorado Rockies.

Paul Goldschmidt's $130 million extension signed in March 2019 is the largest the franchise has ever handed out. Adam Wainwright's $97.5 million extension signed in March 2013 is the largest the Cards have ever dished out to a pitcher.

Further, the Cardinals are set to have a 2023 rotation that includes Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery and Matthew Liberatore. While Rodón would undoubtedly improve the rotation, he's not a necessity.

Additionally, not many pitchers have earned $200 million or more on a single contract. Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke are the only arms to hit the $200 million mark in their careers.

Rodón has been impressive in each of the last two seasons, but he doesn't match up with some of those elite pitchers.

The 30-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He didn't break out until the 2021 campaign, when he went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings across 24 starts en route to his first All-Star Game selection.

Rodón went on to sign with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2022 campaign. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings across 31 starts, earning his second straight All-Star Game selection.

The lefty has also topped more than 170 innings in a season just once—2022—and has been limited by injuries for much of his career.

If Rodón's price drops, then the Cardinals would likely continue to express interest. For now, it seems like pursuing him has been put on the backburner.

If the New York Yankees want to sign Carlos Rodón, they are going to have to make significant changes to their initial contract proposal for the left-handed starting pitcher.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there is a "sizable gap" between what the Yankees offered and what Rodón is seeking in free agency.

It's unclear what New York's offer was, but Heyman noted Rodón is believed to be after a deal of at least seven years and $30 million per season.

Rodón is arguably the top remaining free agent after Carlos Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Certainly, Rodón is the best pitcher still on the market. Heyman noted the two-time All-Star remains the Yankees' top priority, and the two sides "are expected to work on potential compromises over the next few days."

After getting Aaron Judge to agree to a nine-year, $360 million to remain in the Bronx, starting pitching seemed like it should be a priority for the team. They lost Jameson Taillon, who ranked second on the team with 177.1 innings in 2022, to the Chicago Cubs in free agency.

Nestor Cortes Jr. had a breakout season with a 2.44 ERA, but he threw nearly as many innings in 2022 (158.1) as he did in the previous four seasons combined (172).

Luis Severino pitched well last season with a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 19 starts, but it was also the first time he broke the 100-inning barrier since 2018.

Rodón is a player who also comes with significant risk. He only made 11 appearances total in two seasons from 2019-20 and had a 5.74 ERA during that span.

Since the start of 2021, however, Rodón ranks third among all pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched in FanGraphs wins above replacement (11.1) and fourth in ERA (2.67). He has made the All-Star team and finished in the top six in Cy Young voting in both seasons.

A rotation led by Rodón and Gerrit Cole would be very formidable in the regular season and postseason. The Yankees are all-in to win right now after paying to bring back Judge and Anthony Rizzo.

If there's any way for the Yankees to close the gap with Rodón, they need to make it work because he would fill a huge need for them as they chase a World Series appearance in 2023.

Free-agent starting pitcher Carlos Rodón prefers to sign with the New York Yankees, but the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals were "believed to be seriously in play" Tuesday afternoon.

Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reported the news on the 30-year-old left-hander, who went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA for the San Francisco Giants last season. He struck out 237 batters in 178 innings en route to his second straight All-Star Game selection.

The interest between the Yankees and Rodón is mutual, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Monday that a formal offer from New York was expected to be sent to the eight-year veteran Monday or Tuesday.

Heyman also reported that the Yankees' "main focus" was Rodón and that New York seemed "very serious and hopeful about this pursuit."

The Yankees, however, have competition. Heyman reported Sunday that the Cardinals were in the mix.

St. Louis has already made one major free-agent acquisition in catcher Willson Contreras to replace franchise legend Yadier Molina, and Rodón could be the team's ace.

Rodón is searching for at least a seven-year deal, per Heyman and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Heyman added that the Yanks appeared "reluctant" to give Rodón such a contract.

Rodón would help complete a tremendous rotation in the Bronx led by All-Stars Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes. He'd likely slot in between the two as the Yankees seek their first World Series appearance since 2009.

For now, Rodón has options as the top free-agent pitcher on the market. He is coming off a tremendous two-year stretch wherein he went 27-13 with a 2.67 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

The former North Carolina State star began his MLB career in 2015 with the Chicago White Sox. He signed as a free agent with the Giants in March and opted out of the second and final year of the deal in November.

The New York Yankees already made the offseason's biggest move when they re-signed Aaron Judge, but they reportedly could bolster their pitching rotation with a major addition as well.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the American League East team is expected to make "a formal offer" for pitcher Carlos Rodón on Monday or Tuesday.

"The initial indication is that Rodón seeks seven-plus years at $200 million plus, and while the Yankees seem reluctant to go to that length, they also seem very serious and hopeful about this pursuit," Heyman wrote.

With Jacob deGrom joining the Texas Rangers and Justin Verlander taking his place on the New York Mets, Rodón is likely the top remaining starting pitcher on the market.

He timed his breakthrough perfectly ahead of free agency and was an All-Star in each of the last two seasons for the Chicago White Sox and then the San Francisco Giants. The southpaw posted a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings last year.

That it came after he finished the 2021 season with a 2.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings in Chicago suggested that effort was not a fluke and should provide confidence for the Yankees if and when they do sign him.

After all, Rodón looked nothing like an All-Star pitcher before the 2021 campaign, recording five straight seasons of an ERA above 4.00 and dealing with several injuries.

Now theoretically still in his prime at 30 years old and coming off back-to-back strong efforts, he seems primed to land a major contract with a New York team that will be in World-Series-or-bust mode after keeping Judge this offseason.

The Yankees could have a strong rotation next season with Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas and Domingo German all candidates to pitch plenty of innings. However, adding a front-line starter like Rodón would take some of the pressure off the other options and provide much-needed depth.

A 13-year World Series drought may not be long for most teams, but it is an eternity by the Yankees' standards.

They are surely looking to take the next step with an aggressive offseason, and Rodón may be the next addition.

The San Francisco Giants have yet to shut the door on a reunion with starting pitcher Carlos Rodón, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser.

The Giants sealed an agreement with Sean Manaea on a two-year, $25 million deal Sunday, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman. However, Slusser reported that deal doesn't preclude the team from continuing to pursue Rodón.

NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reported on Nov. 30 the Giants "do not expect Rodón to return" because the cost to sign him figures to be so high.

Heyman reported Rodón was looking to get at least $30 million annually over six years, while Slusser reported he's "seeking a minimum of seven years on a $100 million-plus deal."

Given how this offseason has unfolded, the fanbase might feel even more pessimistic about the two-time All-Star coming back to the Bay Area.

While San Francisco was a finalist for American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge, it looks like the franchise was little more than a stalking horse.

The Giants also showed some interest in Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga, only to watch him reportedly agree to a five-year, $75 million pact with the New York Mets. Mike Puma of the New York Post reported they made a formal offer to Brandon Nimmo as well before he re-signed with the Mets.

It's impossible to ignore the narrative that's taking shape.

Although Manaea feels like a replacement for Rodón, the need to sign another starter is still there with Anthony DeSclafani tentatively penciled in for the starting rotation. DeSclafani was limited to five starts in 2022, allowing 14 earned runs over 19 innings, before undergoing season-ending ankle surgery in June.

Getting a contract done with Rodón would also go a long way toward countering the current perception of San Francisco. That might require him to significantly lower his demands, though.

The longer the offseason goes, the less leverage the southpaw will have. For now, he and his agent, Scott Boras, probably aren't panicking about the lack of a new deal.

The New York Yankees entered the offseason with one goal in mind beyond re-signing Aaron Judge and keeping him in pinstripes forever: bolster a bullpen that was obliterated by the Houston Astros in the ALCS.

They appear poised to do that in the form of an offer to San Francisco Giants lefty Carlos Rodón, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

It would mark the second time the Yankees have been in a battle with the Giants over a free agent, the first being the aforementioned Judge. Is it worth getting into a front-office battle with the across-country team over a lefty with just two distinct pitches?

The short answer: is yes, but the Yankees should know that Rodón is not the solution to the problem.

Pitching Depth, Injury History

The Yankees bullpen gave up a combined ERA of 3.97 per game, 30 hits and 18 runs, 15 of which were earned. Yankees pitchers were roughed up by Houston's offense en route to a nine-run differential across the four-game series.

Rodon had a very good 2022, going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA while striking out 237 hitters and establishing a 1.03 WHIP. All while leaning on the fastball and slider, proving variance in pitching is not necessary if you can do two things very well.

In a marketplace set by the monstrous deals for Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom, he is going to do very well financially, perhaps even with the Yankees. But it will not be the solution to New York's problems.

The team ranked fourth in innings pitch in 2022, according to MLB.com, with 79.2. Gerritt Cole (200.2), Nestor Cortes (158.1) and Jameson Taillon (177.1) were well north of 150 innings themselves.

Rodón is already 30 years old and has an injury history. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and even before that, had a history of arm fatigue earlier in his career. As late as 2021, there were very real questions about his future in the Majors.

Add that to an already exhausted bullpen with an innings and strikeouts deficiency to boot, and a $30 million AAV and there is reason to be cautious on the Yankees part. Especially considering they rank second in overall payroll and will be subject to a Competitive Balance Tax.

There are other pitchers, such as Chris Bassitt, Nathan Eovaldi and Noah Syndergaard, available who could be acquired to do the same thing for a more sensible financial burden. Bassitt turned down a $19 million option to remain with the Mets, but the Yankees would be able to acquire him for far less than the AAV Rodón is expected to demand.

Ditto Syndergaard, who can likely be acquired on a shorter, more cost prohibitive deal if his 2022 deal with the Angels is any indication.

The Yankees are not so far into the offseason and free agency that it cannot acquire multiple pieces to help strengthen its rotation rather than riskily overspending for Rodón without a guarantee of a World Series berth.

This is one instance where playing the waiting game and not jumping at the first big-name free agent at a position of need should benefit the Yankees in the long run.