Last night, we finally had confirmation of what the baseball world had been suspecting for a few days: Carlos Rodon will spend the next few years of his career in a Yankees uniform.
The gunner signed a six-year, $162 million contract and is expected to be a #2 luxury pitcher for the Bombardiers in 2023.
Rodon, who has been downright one of the best pitchers in the league for two years, seems tailor-made for the Bronx. He has not digested the fact that the Astros guys were not suspended following the signal theft scandal, and on the mound, he has dog.
I have a feeling he’ll quickly be a crowd favorite if his left shoulder doesn’t start bothering him again.
And clearly, for the Yankees, that means that we can bet on a rotation of very high quality next season. After all, Gerrit Cole is one of the best pitchers in the sport, and guys like Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes Jr., who will be behind the duo, could be in the top-2 of a major league baseball rotation.
Frankie Montas, snapped up at the last trade deadline to be the team’s second starter, will be the team’s fifth in 2023. Does anyone still miss Jordan Montgomery (who reported Harrison Bader) in the Bronx?
In recent years, we feel that the Yankees do not spend as much as they did in the past. This year, that said, we took out the checkbook to acquire Rodon, but also to keep Aaron Judge. I don’t know if it’s down to Judge’s demands or the team’s lack of playoff success in recent years, but clearly the status quo is no longer an option in the Bronx..
The bullpen is also solid. Clay Holmes, Michael King, Jonathan Loaisiga and Wandy Peralta make a big foursome and guys like Ron Marinaccio, Lou Trivino and returnee Tommy Kahnle provide some great depth. Adding another reliever would not be too much, but it is not a crying need either.
This means that the pitching staff, barring a surprise, should roughly speaking remain intact. And when you look at the gunners in town, that should do the job.
That said, even though Brian Cashman has been active so far, it’s not time to rest yet. After all, there remains another component that needs to be addressed by the Yankees: the batting lineup.
Basically, the core is not bad: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo may be the big pieces of the lineup again next year. Behind them, DJ LeMahieu, Harrison Bader and Jose Trevino will be regulars, but after them there are uncertainties.
The Yankees seem to want to trade Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks to save some money. Gleyber Torres is at the heart of trade rumours. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is likely to be replaced (probably internally by Oswald Peraza or Anthony Volpe) at shortstop.
And above all, the outfielder position on the left is still free.
If the Yankees are able to bring home a guy like Andrew Benintendi, who was rolling well before he was injured, that would be a big catch to round out their outfield. Otherwise, guys like Michael Conforto and David Peralta could be options, as could Oswaldo Cabrera inside in the worst-case scenario (he who would be more useful in a utility role on the bench).
That said, even with a Benintendi, we are talking about an alignment that has weaknesses and could use a little more confidence.
Could the Yankees book another big shot and go for a big trade for a guy like Bryan Reynolds? Or, for show, Fernando Tatis Jr.? In both cases, it would solve an important need.
Clearly, then, the Yankees are to be expected to move again in the offseason. There are holes in the batting roster, and if the team wants to reclaim its throne at the top of the American, it will have to move its roster from Well at solid.
And since the Yankees have been stealing the show since the start of the offseason, hopefully they have one more trick up their sleeve…
