Two months after signing a lucrative deal with the Yankees, Carlos Rodón provided an update on the whereabouts of funds he received from fans during the offseason as part of an outlandish recruiting ploy to lure him to New York.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Rodón, who signed a six-year, $162 million deal in free agency, shared a story about sending the money to a struggling family in Indiana whose house burned down. Back in December, Rodón’s Venmo account was flooded with donations from hordes of Yankees fans hoping to see the two-time All-Star pitcher eventually don the iconic pinstripes.
Rodón explained that he and his cousin drive in a “really rural, remote area” near the Indiana/Illinois border to hunt and, during their travels a couple years ago, noticed a little boy getting off a bus and going into a “little wooden shack.” This past holiday season, Rodón said they discovered the house had been destroyed by a fire, prompting them to give the Venmo funds to the now 15-year-old boy and his family.
“We got all that money from Venmo, we took that money and we did something nice for that kid over there,” he said. “I should do something nice for the people of New York, but they did something nice for me and some kid in the middle of nowhere in Illinois no one knows about. So we did a nice Christmas for him, and my cousin did a few other things for the family.
“So thank you to the fans of New York. You helped some 15-year-old in Illinois that doesn’t really have much and whose house burnt down.”
While the Venmo saga may have been an unusual precursor to Rodón’s eventual decision, it’s nice to see the 30-year-old make the most out of the situation.
After spending his first seven seasons with the White Sox, Rodón will soon take the mound for a third team in three years following a one-year stint with the Giants last season.
