The Yankees will enter the 2023 season with probably the best starting rotation in all of Major League Baseball after acquiring left-hander Carlos Rodon.
Rodon signed a six-year, $162 million contract to wear the pinstripes through his age-35 season, so it wasn’t cheap, but New York showed a willingness to invest in one of their biggest strengths and improve it.
Rodon is a natural fit for the Bronx Bombers, and he would have been a fantastic acquisition for any team this winter, so it’s simple to say. Because of this, the southpaw attracted the interest of a great number of competitors before New York was able to close the sale.
“The Yankees bringing in Rodon, that probably gives them an advantage in the starting rotation” – flash17yes
The Astros have recently been New York’s kryptonite, consistently halting their path to the World Series by defeating them in the ALCS.
Both managers were active this offseason to bolster their roster depth, but it seems that New York edged out their arch nemesis in the bullpen depth as they signed Rodon, and on the other hand, the Astros lost the services of a two-time Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander.
The Yankees look set for the 2023 season
New York’s winter has also been fruitful. When it appeared like the Giants were about to send Aaron Judge back home to northern California, Hal Steinbrenner deserved praise for stepping up the contract negotiations. Hal didn’t think twice about matching that offer and bringing their star outfielder back.
A few days later, the Yankees added an outstanding power left-hander to their already star-studded staff, hitting another grand slam. A significant accomplishment was signing Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162 million contract.
After Anthony Rizzo decided to opt out in order to maintain first-base strength, New York re-signed him for $40 million over two years. They also brought back Tommy Kahnle on a two-year, $11.5 million deal, adding a high-leverage bullpen arm. The opening of spring training is still seven weeks away, giving New York time to address left field through a trade or free-agent signing.
“As a whole I honestly feel pretty good about the Yankees roster. On paper the rotation is indisputably top 5 in MLB, we have like 6 arms in the pen that I feel good about, and although no improvements have been made to the lineup I think it probably still ranks top 10 in MLB” – YankeesFanEarl
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