Very quietly, amid the injuries and upheavals that have reared their heads throughout a tumultuous season for the Yankees, one very promising change has taken place: Starting pitcher Carlos Rodon has finally begun to pitch up to the $162 million contract the Yankees handed him last offseason, a key reason the Yankees have been able to weather the storm in the AL East and maintain their lead over the Orioles as the MLB stretch run winds down.
Rodon did it again on Sunday, running his record to 15-9 as he made his 30th start, a number he has hit only once before in his career. To be sure, Rodon has not been the All-Star he was in 2022 for the Giants, just before the Yankees signed him—his ERA is 4.12—but he has been the most reliable starter in the rotation for New York.
He was asked about the biggest difference between last year and this year.
“Offense, run support,” Rodon said. “Just going out there and trying to put up zeroes, and keep the team ahead with the leads they give me, and that’s the reason why I have 15 wins right now. …The goal here was to make every start, I think I have two more left. Just going out there, taking the ball and competing, that’s it.”
Yankees Were Facing a Major Bust
All in all, 2023 was a pretty miserable year for Rodon, as it was for most all of the Yankees. His final line—3-8, 6.85 ERA—was unquestionably frustrating, especially with the massive contract he’d signed after back-to-back All-Star appearances with the White Sox and Giants. Whenever a player has success elsewhere, signs a big deal with the Yankees, then founders, the immediate implication is that the player can’t handle the pressure of New York.
At the end of last season, Rodon did give some indication that the pressure was getting to him.
There was an incident in late September, which started with a mound visit by pitching coach Matt Blake just six batters into Rodon’s final start of the season, in Kansas City. He gave up five hits and a walk, including a home run, at that point and the Yankees were down, 4-0, without recording an out. When Blake came out to the mound and began talking, Rodon turned his back on him.
That’s a no-no in polite society, as well as in a coach-pitcher relationship. Rodon did later apologize. But it highlighted the fact that the Yankees might soon regret the massive contract they’d handed out to Rodon.
As WFAN radio personality Sal Licata speculated in the spring, Rodon could be a big enough bust to warrant firing GM Brian Cashman: “That has to be the last straw. If Rodon is a bust, how do you justify keeping him on?”
Carlos Rodon Has Been Excellent in September
But the fact is, Rodon was never really healthy last year, suffering an elbow injury in Spring Training, followed by a back injury that lingered thereafter. He had put up a decent stretch of starts before the disaster against the Royals, and was frustrated that he did not end the season well.
This year has been different. Again, he is not a Cy Young candidate, but he has only had a handful of poor starts, and went at least 5.0 innings in 23 of his 30 outings. He is in a good rhythm heading into the playoffs, with a 1-0 record and a 2.60 ERA in his last three starts, including 25 strikeouts and just 17 walks and hits in 17 innings.
He’s bee a big reason for the Yankees’ turnaround.
“It’s not just me, a lot of guys have stepped up to turn this team around from last year,” he said. “And we just want to keep it going. I think it is just a mindset thing, never giving up and going out there and competing.”
