The Yankees are signing top shortstop Carlos Rodón, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post ( Twitter links ). According to Heyman, it’s a six-year, $162 million guarantee with a full no-trade clause.
New York gets the best starting pitcher available, combining it with their record deal for defending MVP Aaron Judge as part of a big offseason. The guarantee ties Brandon Nimmo’s for the sixth-largest deal of the offseason. Rodón will end up with the second-largest deal among free agent pitchers, trailing only the five-year, $180 million deal Jacob deGrom signed with the Rangers.
It’s the culmination of an incredible two-season hitting streak for Rodón. The left-hander broke into the professional ranks eight years ago, drafted by the White Sox with the third overall pick in 2014. Owning a mid-90s fastball and strikeout slider, he was considered a top potential. rotation starter who would quickly reach the big leagues. Rodón actually found himself on Chicago’s south side midway through the 2015 campaign and posted a 3.90 ERA in 304 1/3 innings through the end of the following season.
Unfortunately, the Miami native’s career was derailed by injuries. Rodón missed part of the 2017 campaign with biceps bursitis, then underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery that September. He did not make his debut until June of the following year, making 20 starts. Early in the following season, he was diagnosed with an elbow problem. He went under the knife again in May ’19, this time undergoing a Tommy John procedure. He missed the rest of that year, returning at the end of the 2020 campaign for four appearances.
Growing injury problems caused the White Sox to decline to offer him a contract through 2021. Chicago moved back toward the end of the offseason and brought him back to a $3 million free agent contract dollars This move was met with a fair amount of criticism, but turned out to be one of the best moves of GM Rick Hahn’s tenure.
Rodón was brilliant in 2021, earning his first All-Star nomination with a 2.31 ERA in 89 2/3 innings. He looked toward a Cy Young Award when he dealt with some shoulder fatigue in August. Rodón missed only a couple of weeks and continued to pitch well upon his return, though his velocity dipped toward the end of the season. The southpaw finished the year with a 2.37 ERA and a massive 34.6% strikeout percentage in 132 2/3 innings. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting.
However, the late-year shoulder issue and drop in speed seemed to spook Chicago’s front office. They made the right decision not to issue Rodón a qualifying offer, allowing him to hit the open market without draft compensation attached. He remained on the open market until after the lockout, when the Giants added him with a two-year, $44 million guarantee. The deal included an opt-out clause after the first year, contingent on Rodón reaching 110 innings pitched in 2022. It was a chance for the star pitcher to bet on himself, knowing a nine-figure deal could be on the cards if he maintained his 2021 form for a fully healthy season.
Rodón did just that, doubling down with perhaps the best season of his career. He stayed healthy all year, making 31 starts and recording a career-high 178 innings. Rodón worked with an ERA of 2.88 pounds. He earned a second All-Star nod and was one of the game’s best at bats. Rodón struck out 33.4% of opponents against a solid 7.3% walk rate. Among pitchers with more than 100 innings, only Braves rookie Spencer Strider topped that strikeout percentage. Strider, Shohei Ohtani, Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole were the only pitchers with a larger difference between their strikeout and walk rates.
Almost as important, Rodón’s arsenal showed no negative effects after the slump in 2021. His fastball averaged 95.5 MPH, making him one of the hardest left-handed pitchers in the game. He generated high-end whiff and spin rates on both his fastball and slider, and opposing hitters walked a whopping 14.1% of his total pitches. Rodón smothered hitters on both sides of the plate; he held lefties to a .179/.257/.260 line, while platoon advantage hitters mustered just a .207/.264/.319 mark.
A second season of elite performance, this one without any health scares, cemented the 30-year-old as one of the best pitchers in the sport. His career took a more winding path than expected when he was drafted, but Rodón has become a top-of-the-rotation starter. He will be compensated as such, joining Cole as a co-ace in the Bronx.
Now it looks like a potentially elite Yankee rotation. New York saw the departure of Jameson Taillon, but improves with the addition of Rodón. They will be backed by breakout pitcher Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas. The latter two pitchers have had some injury concerns in recent seasons, but are overqualified as fourth and fifth starters if healthy. Domingo Germán, Clarke Schmidt and prospect Randy Vasquez are available as depth options who could step in if any of the top five starters get injured.
More to come.