Carlos Rodón Signs with the Yankees (2022)

The Yankees didn't wait around. Barely a week after agreeing to terms with Aaron Judge on the richest contract in free agent history, they turned around and wrote a six-year, $162 million check to a left-hander who'd spent seven up-and-down years with the Chicago White Sox, building an injury history longer than his highlight reel (the medical file alone could fill a spring training physical binder). On December 15, 2022, the Yankees agreed to terms with Carlos Rodón. The deal became official on December 21, and the Bombers had their No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole.

The Best Arm Left on the Board

Here's the thing about that offseason -- it moved fast, and it moved early. Jacob deGrom signed with Texas for five years and $185 million before Rodon even hit the market in earnest. Justin Verlander landed with the Mets on a short, record-setting deal. By the time the dust settled, Rodon was the best starting pitcher still standing, and the Yankees knew it.

They had reason to know it well. Rodon had just authored a career year with the Giants -- 14-8, a 2.88 ERA, 237 strikeouts in 178 innings, and a sixth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting behind Sandy Alcantara, Max Fried, Julio Urías, Aaron Nola, and Zac Gallen. He led all of baseball in strikeouts per nine (11.98) and racked up double-digit strikeout games at a rate nobody else could match. That wasn't a lucky bounce-back season. That was a guy who'd figured something out, and the Yankees were about to pay a freakin' fortune to bet he'd keep it that way.

Betting on the Health, Not Just the Talent

The talent was never the question with Rodon. The White Sox took him third overall in 2014 and watched seven years of "what if" unfold -- flashes of a wipeout slider buried under shoulder and biceps trouble. San Francisco took a two-year, $44 million flier on him in 2022, built in an opt-out if he reached 110 innings. He blew past that number by more than 60 innings and cashed out in November, a walk year that worked exactly as designed. (Boras clients have a way of doing that.)

So the Yankees weren't paying for upside. They were paying for a guy who'd finally proven the upside was real, at least for one full, healthy season. Six years at $27 million a year -- a $5 million signing bonus, $22 million in year one, $27 million annually from 2024 through 2028, full no-trade clause attached. At signing, it ranked as the second-largest total-value pitching contract of that specific offseason, behind only deGrom's, and the fourth-largest active pitcher deal in the sport, trailing Cole's $324 million, Stephen Strasburg's $245 million, and deGrom's $185 million. Within the organization, only Cole's deal topped it.

There's a fittingly absurd detail buried in how it closed. Scott Boras finished the Rodon-Yankees agreement while he was standing at Fenway Park (of all places), there to introduce his other client Masataka Yoshida to the Red Sox. Boston's own agent closed a deal sending a $162 million arm to its biggest rival, from inside Boston's own ballpark. You couldn't make that up if you tried.

I've always enjoyed pitching at Yankee Stadium. It seems like I have good numbers here. Just putting on these pinstripes is something special.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did Carlos Rodón sign for with the Yankees?

Rodon signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees, agreed on December 15, 2022, and made official on December 21. The deal carries a $27 million average annual value, a $5 million signing bonus, and a full no-trade clause.

Why did the Yankees sign Carlos Rodón after already signing Aaron Judge?

Judge's 9-year, $360 million deal addressed the middle of the lineup, but the Yankees still needed a proven arm behind Gerrit Cole. Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander were already off the board by mid-December, which left Rodon as the best remaining starting pitcher in free agency.

What did Carlos Rodón do in 2022 before signing with the Yankees?

Pitching for the Giants on a two-year, $44 million deal, Rodon went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings, leading the majors in strikeouts per nine innings. He finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting and opted out of his Giants contract in November 2022 to become a free agent.

Did Carlos Rodón's Giants contract have an opt-out?

Yes. The two-year, $44 million deal he signed with San Francisco in March 2022 included an opt-out after year one, contingent on Rodon reaching 110 innings pitched that season. He threw 178, cleared the threshold easily, and exercised the opt-out to re-enter free agency.

The Bet

Rodon's Yankees tenure hasn't gone the way that press conference promised -- injuries have chewed into multiple seasons since -- but that's a different story for a different page. What matters here is the calculation the front office made in December 2022: pair a proven ace with a pitcher who'd just shown, for one full year, exactly what his ceiling looked like. Brian Cashman didn't get a guarantee. He got a bet, backed by $162 million and the freshest data point Rodon had ever produced.

Whether that bet pays off is a question that gets answered start by start, year by year. In December 2022, all anyone knew was that the Yankees had spent two straight weeks writing the two biggest checks in franchise history, and they weren't done being aggressive.