On Thursday, the New York Yankees struck gold when they signed left-hander Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162 million contract.
Rodon has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts, having emerged as a frontline starter in recent years.
The lefty won 14 games and had a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts with the San Francisco Giants.
The Yankees now have another ace next to Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole.
In fact, the team has a chance to form a historically dominant rotation.
As mentioned previously, Rodon had a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts, during the regular season.
Cole and Cortes had ERAs of 3.50 and 2.44, respectively, with each of them making 25 or more starts.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the last time New York had three starters with ERAs of 3.50 or lower in at least 25 starts was 1972, when they had Steve Kline, Mel Stottlemyre, and Fritz Peterson in their rotation.
Gerrit Cole (3.50 ERA) & Nestor Cortes (2.44 ERA) each made 25+ starts for NYY in 2022
Carlos Rodón had a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts
The last time the Yankees had 3 pitchers with a 3.50 ERA or lower, min 25 GS each, in a season:
1972 — Steve Kline, Fritz Peterson, Mel Stottlemyre
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) December 16, 2022
Yanks Forming Solid Rotation
This is shaping up to be a pretty dominant rotation.
Obviously, after trading Jordan Montgomery and losing Jameson Taillon in free agency, New York was in need of a starter.
By signing Rodon, the Yankees found the best possible starter to fill the open spot.
Beyond Rodon, Cole, and Cortes, New York also has Luis Severino and Frankie Montas, both of whom have high upside and are under team control for another year.
In addition to Severino and Montas, New York has three solid internal options in Clarke Schmidt, Domingo German, and Deivi Garcia.
The rotation is looking solid for the Yankees, who now look to be in perfect position to challenge the Houston Astros.
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