Rodón, Yankees finalize six-year deal

NEW YORK – One day after Aaron Judge was named the 16th captain in Yankees history, Carlos Rodón will take his turn in the Bronx spotlight, arriving at Yankee Stadium in a move that projects to deliver one of the American League’s most formidable starting rotations.

The Yankees announced Wednesday that they have officially signed Rodón to a six-year pact. The club did not share the money on the deal, but a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand it is worth $162 million and includes a full no-trade clause.

While negotiating Judge’s record-setting nine-year, $360 million agreement, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner promised Judge that the club could satisfy his demands and still do more to improve the roster. By bringing Rodón into the fold, Steinbrenner delivered.

“I’m excited about all of the moves,” Judge said. “That’s one thing I spoke with Hal a lot about; I want to get the Yankees back to where they belong, which is holding up that [World Series] trophy. Hal spoke to me and said, ‘I’m all-in.’ … Rodón, what that guy has been over the course of his career, especially the last two seasons -- I think that guy is a bulldog and he’s going to fit right into this New York mentality of being a winner. He uses that confidence. I’m excited to share a clubhouse with him.”

Rodón was widely viewed as the top remaining starting pitcher on the free-agent market, with Jacob deGrom having relocated to the Rangers and Justin Verlander now across town with the Mets.

He is expected to slide behind ace Gerrit Cole as the No. 2 starter in a rotation that also projects to feature Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas, with Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt now pushed back into depth options.

“Normally I would say you can’t have enough starting pitching, but I think our rotation is phenomenal,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m not worried about that, as long as we stay healthy, unlike last year.”

In 31 starts this past season for the Giants, Rodón was 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, earning his second consecutive All-Star selection and placing sixth in the NL Cy Young balloting. In a career-high 178 innings, Rodón permitted 131 hits and 52 walks against a career-best 237 strikeouts, leading the Majors with a 2.25 FIP and 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

An eight-year veteran, Rodón carries a lengthy injury history. He appeared in only 11 games from 2019-20 as he returned from Tommy John surgery and missed significant time from 2017-18 as he recovered from left shoulder surgery, but Rodón assuaged those durability concerns this past season.

According to FanGraphs, Rodón was worth 6.2 WAR in 2022, the second-highest mark among Major League pitchers behind Philadelphia's Aaron Nola (6.3). Wielding an electric fastball-slider combination, Rodón set a Giants franchise record with 11 double-digit-strikeout games, seven of which came in the second half. Opposing batters hit only .202 against Rodón, the fourth-lowest mark in the NL.

Now three years removed from Tommy John surgery, Rodón is throwing harder than ever. He averaged a career-high 95.5 mph on his fastball in 2022, which ranked in the top five among lefty starters.

Over eight seasons with the White Sox and the Giants, Rodón is 56-46 over 152 appearances (147 starts) with 947 strikeouts in 847 1/3 innings. He threw the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history against Cleveland on April 14, 2021, falling just short of a perfect game after he hit Roberto Pérez with a backfoot slider with one out in the ninth inning.

The Yankees’ offseason work is not yet complete, even with Judge, Rodón, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Tommy Kahnle agreeing to new deals. General manager Brian Cashman continues to seek a left fielder. The club has explored trades with the Pirates for Bryan Reynolds and the Twins for Max Kepler; it could also consider free agent Michael Conforto.

“There might be a couple of more moves down the road, I’m not too sure,” Judge said. “They’re always working on things to improve this team.”