With one single move last week, the Yankees thrust themselves from fringe World Series contender right into the mix.
Anyone trying to convince themselves that last year’s team could have won it all, as is, was sorely mistaken. Trying to outduel the Astros without any outside help would have been a foolish errand. While there are still some savvy moves to be made that could upgrade the Yankees’ offense, their pitching staff immediately became the best in the American League when they added Carlos Rodon for six years and $162 million. It was the exact type of signing to ward off complacency, officially kill any thoughts of running it back and try to make tangible strides beyond the ALCS.
But like any pitcher, especially one with an injury history as long as Rodon’s, the 30-year-old lefty is no sure thing. He essentially has two great years to his name, a solid rookie year in 2015, and five other seasons that were either cut short, severely interrupted or affected by injury in some way or another. The 2021 and 2022 seasons that both created his star power and got him paid were also the first time he’d ever kept his ERA under 3.75, something that talent evaluators likely thought could be a regular accomplishment for the former third overall pick in the draft. Rodon not only did that, he did so by over a full run, running a 2.67 ERA in 310.2 innings.
