NEW YORK – What had been a very good Yankees rotation entering this offseason now ranks among MLB’s best.
That’s the impact of Thursday night’s agreement with lefty starter Carlos Rodon on a six-year, $162 million free agent contract.
Rodon, 30, slots behind ace Gerrit Cole, followed by lefty Nestor Cortes and right-handers Luis Severino and Frankie Montas.
Plus, the Yanks have the added depth of Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt as insurance against injury, trade chips or multi-inning relief options.
Here’s a look at the Yankees’ newest addition:
Cuban roots
Rodon’s family history resembles Cortes’ story.
Of Cuban heritage, both grew up in South Florida, although Rodon’s family moved to North Carolina when he was eight years old.
At his mother’s urging, Rodon added an accent to the second ‘O’ in his surname “because that’s the proper way to spell it,” he told La Vida Baseball in 2018. “So, I did that for her.”
Born in Miami, Rodon first visited Cuba in 2012, pitching for USA Baseball’s collegiate national team.
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First-round roommates
At North Carolina State University, Rodon became close friends with teammate Trea Turner.
The two roommates were both first-round picks in the 2014 MLB Draft; Rodon was the No. 3 overall selection, by the Chicago White Sox, and the San Diego Padres took Turner at No. 13.
Earlier this month, Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
At NC State, Rodon became the first ACC freshman to win the conference’s pitcher of the year award.
Non-tendered by Chicago
Following reconstructive Tommy John elbow surgery in May 2019, and bouts of shoulder fatigue, Rodon was briefly cut loose by the White Sox.
Chicago non-tendered Rodon in December 2020, only to re-sign him two months later at $3 million for one year.
Rodon had an All-Star season in 2021 and signed a two-year, $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants before the 2022 season.
That contract allowed Rodon to opt out if he reached an innings threshold, which he met during another All-Star season – putting him back in the free agent market.
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Fastball-slider dominant
This time, Rodon had the leverage of consecutive All-Star years, with a combined 2.67 ERA in 55 starts.
In that span, Rodon had 422 strikeouts in 310.2 innings and an outstanding 0.998 WHIP (walks plus hits to innings pitched ratio).
Sporting a sharp fastball-slider mix, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound lefty averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2022.
According to MLB.com’s Baseball Savant, Rodon used his fastball 61.2 percent of the time in 2022, and his wipeout slider (85.4 mph average) at 31.1 percent. He also has a curveball and a change-up.
Authored a no-hitter
On April 14, 2021, at Chicago, Rodon tossed a no-hitter for the White Sox against Cleveland.
Rodon took a perfect game into the ninth inning, but with one out he plunked Roberto Perez with a back foot slider.
It was just Rodon’s second start of the season, and his postgame comments reflected his journey back after shoulder and elbow surgeries.
“They (the White Sox) knew I had something to prove,” Rodon told ESPN.com. “I was non-tendered. A lot of people were out on me.”