Yankees adding Carlos Rodon on six-year, $162M deal, source confirms
San Francisco Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon reacts after striking out Philadelphia Phillies' Bryson Stott during the sixth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. Credit: AP/Jeff Chiu
All of a sudden, the Yankees have spent more money on free agents this offseason than anybody — including Steve Cohen’s Mets.
They agreed to a six-year, $162 million contract with lefthander Carlos Rodon, a person familiar with the deal said Thursday night, making their payroll the highest it has ever been and adding another high-end starting pitcher to a rotation that is positioned to be among the best in the American League in 2023.
Rodon, who received a full no-trade clause, is the Yankees’ first major external addition this offseason — but not, of course, their first major signing. They retained rightfielder Judge for nine years and $360 million in a deal that was agreed upon last week but has not been announced, in addition to keeping first baseman Anthony Rizzo for two years and $40 million.
This is different because Rodon is an upgrade for a team that won 99 games and the AL East title but lost to the Astros, again, in the ALCS. The Yankees will put him at or near the front of a rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino. Frankie Montas, Domingo German and other starters remain on the roster, too.
Rodon, 30, is both a former top prospect and a late bloomer. The White Sox selected him third overall in the draft in 2014, and he made it to the majors a year later. But injuries — left wrist, left biceps, left shoulder, left elbow, left shoulder again — and mediocrity stifled his production for more than a half-decade.
After breaking out with the White Sox in 2021, he inked a two-year deal with the Giants. That included an opt-out provision if he reached 110 innings in ’22 — a mark he easily surpassed — sending him back to free agency.
In awarding him a nine-figure deal, the Yankees believe they are getting the pitcher from the past two years: 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and nearly five strikeouts for every walk across 55 starts and 310 2/3 innings.
With Rodon in the fold, the Yankees’ offseason spending has zoomed to $573.5 million, most in the majors. The Mets, for reference, are at about $470 million.
This deal puts the Yankees’ payroll for next season right around the highest luxury-tax threshold of $293 million — the so-called Steve Cohen Tax, which the Mets have shot past (on the way to about $350 million.)
Another big item crossed off the to-do list, the Yankees still have plenty on the agenda for the next couple of months. They could use another bat (preferably a leftfielder) and figure out what to do at shortstop, though the latter could go unresolved into spring training.
For Scott Boras, Rodon’s agent, this is the fourth contract worth at least this much that he has negotiated this offseason alone. The others were for Carlos Correa (Giants, $350 million, 13 years), Xander Bogaerts (Padres, $280 million, 11 years) and Brandon Nimmo (Mets, $162 million, eight years). His total over the past month or so is more than $1 billion.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
