The Yankees kept Aaron Judge in pinstripes by giving him one of the biggest contracts in MLB history. Another nine-figure deal will allow Hal Steinbrenner to bring the best pitcher left on the market to The Bronx.
Two-time All-Star Carlos Rodon will be joining the Yankees on a six-year, $162 million contract after going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA and leading the National League in strikeouts per nine innings (12) last season with the Giants. The 30-year-old southpaw spent 2021 with the White Sox, going 13-5 with a career-best 2.37 ERA.
Rodon provides another much-needed top-level starter to a rotation — which currently projects as Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas — looking to bring the Yankees their first title since 2009.
The Yankees are betting on Rodon’s back-to-back breakout seasons. A former No. 3 overall pick (2014), Rodon posted a combined 4.14 ERA in his first six seasons and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. From 2017-2020, he made just 41 total starts. Last season, he threw a career-high 178 innings and finished sixth in the NL Cy Young voting before opting out of his two-year, $44 million deal with the Giants.
