Yankees Re-Sign Joely Rodríguez to One-Year Deal

New York recently declined Rodriguez's club option, sending the left-hander into free agency.

Max Goodman | Nov 10, 2021

The Yankees re-signed left-handed reliever Joely Rodríguez to a one-year deal on Wednesday, the team announced.

This comes a few days after New York declined Rodríguez's club option, sending the southpaw into free agency.

By choosing not to pick up Rodríguez's option—worth $3 million—New York was able to save some money. The reliever's one-year pact is a $2 million deal, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Rodríguez was acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Joey Gallo trade. The lefty proceeded to quietly pitched well for the rest of the regular season. In 21 appearances, and over 19 innings, Rodríguez posted a 2.84 ERA, striking out 17 while walking just six batters.

He's particularly effective against left-handed hitters. Over the entirety of the 2021 season, including 31 appearances with the Rangers, lefty opponents hit just .203 (12-for-59) against Rodríguez. He recorded 20 strikeouts against left-handed hitters in a total of 67 plate appearances.

There was a 17-game stretch after the #Yankees acquired Joely Rodríguez where the lefty posted a 1.35 ERA (2 ER in 13.1 IP) out of the bullpen.

Again, his numbers aren't great against righties, but he's very effective against left-handed hitters.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) November 11, 2021

Meanwhile, Rodríguez struggled mightily against those that occupy the opposite batter's box. Righties hit .339 (41-for-121) against him. With baseball's three-batter rule in effect, it makes it tougher to use Rodríguez in high-leverage spots whenever big bats on the right side are looming.

Nonetheless, Rodríguez certainly flexed his potential in pinstripes this year and he'll be able to find a role out of New York's bullpen in 2022.

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Published Nov 10, 2021

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.