It was Thursday night’s big baseball news Yankees Adding the left Carlos Rodon to their rotation on a six-year, $162 million contract. After keeping Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo, the next big box to check for Brian Cashman’s front office this offseason was to add a huge arm to the rotation, and he pulled it off.
The Yankees now have a five-man rotation with a very high pitch, but there are questions all the time. Let’s dig deeper.
Top: We’ve all seen it. Cole is arguably the best pitcher in baseball who hasn’t beaten Sir Young (yet). He has twice finished second in voting and has four top-five finishes. He has led the majors twice in strikeouts and led the 2019 AL with a 2.50 ERA. Any day he takes the ball, he’s capable of keeping his team in a dominant game. That’s easily an ace.
the question: As such a dominant pitcher, why would he give up so many home runs? He led the AL with 33 allowed home runs last season. He has conceded a home run in all three of his starts and has actually given up at least one home run in the last nine playoff games since 2019. The long ball problem was the main reason he was inconsistent last season. overall 3.50 ERA (111 ERA+, the worst since leaving Pittsburgh by a wide margin).
Carlo Rodon
Top: In his last two seasons, Rodón has made 55 starts and is 27-13 with a 2.67 ERA (157 ERA+), a .998 WHIP and 422 strikeouts for 87 unforced walks in 310 2/3 innings pitched. On average, he was one of the best and most dominant pitchers in baseball. He’s a left-handed ace standing tall next to Cole’s right!
Oh, and here’s a good stat: In last season’s four-pitch fastball touch average (1,000 pitch minimum), Cole was No. 1 and Rodon was No. 2 in all-baseball. Yankees have the heat.
the question: Rodon dealt with shoulder injuries in 2016 and 2021, and had Tommy John operate on him in between. That means he’s started 12, 20, 7, and 2 games through the 2017-20 season, respectively. 2021 looked like his career year, but after August 7 he only managed 23 runs in five matches. As previously mentioned, a shoulder injury was a cause for concern. Despite making 31 starts last season, he averaged 5 2/3 runs per start and added a whopping 178 over the season. That was the high point of his career.
Can he stay in action all season, and if he does, will he still go into the playoffs in full force? Or will he wear out and falter in October when the Yankees need him most?
Top: We just saw it! Nasty Nestor was a Superstar in 2022, made the All-Star team and placed 8th in the AL Cy Young voting. He’s capable of dashing through the lineup two or even three times. If he finishes third in a playoff run, it’s reasonable to expect him to hold his ground or even come out on top a whole bunch of times.
the question: Is it repeatable?
Curtis was not very well received. The Yankees lost him in the Rule 5 draft Pyrole Then the Orioles brought him back the following April. Then it was traded sailors “For future consideration,” he suggested minor league free agency and re-signed with the Yankees. 2021 has started in the Minors.
He was a full-time starter last year but had 28 starts and 158 1/3 innings pitched. He also had a difficult time in the middle of the season. It’s good he’s just the three rather than relying on him as an ace, but there are still concerns 2022 will be a difficult season for South Pau.
Top: The two-time All-Star ranks 3rd and 9th in Cy Young and agrees. In those two seasons he was 33-14 with a 3.18 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP and 450 strikeouts in 384 2/3 innings. He showed much of that advantage last season when he went 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP and 112 strikeouts in 102 innings. He looked like his old self when he was on the hill.
the question: Again, it stays on the hill. Those seasons were at Ace level in 2017-18. He made just three starts in 2019, zero in 2020, and appeared in four offseason games in 2021. Last year he was out between July 13th and September 21st. Much of his career was hampered by arm problems, including shoulder problems and then Tommy John’s surgery, which saw several setbacks during his rehabilitation. Last year it was a blitz.
He can be cool when he’s playing. He also hasn’t had a 200-run season and is just two more seasons off his last 102-run season, most recently in 2018. There should be concerns as to whether he’ll make it to the full season, and if so, how well he would through one potentially keep deep playoff run.
Top: Montas, fifth of five on this list to light an ace on top, looked like a Cy Young contestant in 2019. After 16 starts, he was 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA (164 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP and 103 strikeouts in 96 pitches a tour. In 2021, Montas finished sixth in the AL Cy Young vote with a strong all-around season (3.37 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 207 K, 187 IP, 3.6 WAR). The last year before he was traded to the Yankees, he had a 3.18 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings.
Questions: That the already mentioned 2019 season? Yes, it suddenly stopped because he was suspended for a PED violation. Then 2020 was bad.
In eight starts for the Yankees, he had a 6.35 ERA after the trade last season. He’s only pitched 6 2/3 innings, but he has a brutal 9.45 playoff ERA.
At least we’re dealing with inconsistencies here as well as a shoulder injury last season.
When he’s good, he’s great, but his record is riddled with land mines. Which version will the 2023 Yankees have for most of the season? What if it matters most?
Overall, the Yankees have a twist capable of looking like five aces when things are up in the air. It’s also not hard to see the stretches where they have several members of the rotation on the injured list while at least one other struggles to keep running off the plate. It can be a rollercoaster for the season with this set. Most of the roller coasters are fun, and there are enough climbs here to believe this is one of the best courses in baseball.
The Yankees haven’t won an AL pennant since 2009 and that’s an eternity for this franchise. They have made it to the ALCS three times in the last six seasons and have all been eliminated before Houston Astros. The reigning World Series champions will have a very strong rotation next season, but they lost Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander while the Yankees brought in someone who could be pushing for the Cy Young Award. They now aim to dethrone their opponent and finally return to the World Cup. They have an upward bias to get the job done, but they have a lot of questions to answer in the process.
