Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Sign Carlos Rodón to Six-Year Deal in Free Agency

New York adds Carlos Rodón to a starting rotation that already includes Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas.

Max Goodman

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The Yankees had one of the best pitching rotations in all of baseball last season, a starting staff that featured multiple ace-caliber arms.

On Thursday night in free agency, they added another, strengthening that unit in emphatic fashion. 

New York signed left-hander Carlos Rodón to a six-year, $162 million contract, sealing the deal with the best starting pitcher remaining on the open market. 

Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report Rodón's deal with New York. 

The Yankees have been linked to Rodón for quite some time, an interest that dates back to last offseason when the southpaw signed with the Giants. The lefty proceeded to make the All-Star Game for the second season in a row, posting a 2.88 ERA while leading the league with a 12 strikeout-per-nine ratio. He set a new career-high with 178 innings pitched in 2022 as well.

Rodón joins a rotation that already includes Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas. Rather than filling the spot that opened up when Jameson Taillon departed in free agency with an internal option—choosing from Clarke Schmidt or Domingo Germán—New York invested in another horse, a perfect fit to complement the other dynamic arms in pinstripes. 

This is the fourth move New York has made in free agency this winter. New York also re-signed both outfielder Aaron Judge (to a record-setting $360 million contract) and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, while bringing reliever Tommy Kahnle back on a two-year pact. 

There is more work to do for this club as well if they want to get over the hump and make it back to the World Series. New York still has a vacancy in left field and a logjam of infielders with prospects knocking on the door, a situation that could be resolved with a trade later this offseason. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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