New York Yankees to Start Lefty Carlos Rodon for Game 2 of the World Series

Carlos Rodon is getting a (fresh) start

The New York Yankees will start the 31-year-old Cuban American left-handed pitcher for Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

Carlos RodonRodon has started three games this postseason including Games 1 and 5 against the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series.

Overall, he’s 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in 14⅓ innings in October.

He gave up just three runs in 10⅔ innings against Cleveland in the ALCS.

During the regular season, Rodon was better at home than on the road, posting a 4.69 mark away from Yankees Stadium compared to a 3.11 ERA in New York.

Righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto will oppose Rodon in Game 2.

Jack Flaherty and Gerrit Cole face each other in Game 1 on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

Carlos Rodón to Start for New York Yankees in Game 1 of American League Championship Series

It’s game on for Carlos Rodón.

The 31-year-old Cuban left-handed pitcher will start the American League Championship Series (ALCS) opener for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.

Carlos Rodón, Rodón rebounded to a 16-9 record with a 3.96 ERA over 175 innings in 32 starts in his second season with the Yankees after signing a six-year, $162 million contract.

He went 3-8 with a career-worst 6.85 ERA over 14 outings in a 2023 season that didn’t start for him until July 7 because of a strained left forearm and back stiffness.

Rodón took the loss in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

He pitched shutout ball until giving up a leadoff homer to Salvador Perez that sparked a four-run fourth inning. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia added RBI singles in a 4-2 win that evened the best-of-five series.

Rodón’s wife, Ashley, said she received online harassment following his defeat.

“It’s not the first time nor will it be the last time,” the pitcher said. “I think Ashley and I spoke about it that night, and she said, and I quote, she said, ‘I have thick skin, so I’m going to be OK.’ And she does. She’s a tough lady, my wife, very tough, probably tougher than I am. For me, on my phone, I have accounts, but I do not have social media on my phone.”

Ace Gerrit Cole starts Game 2 on Tuesday, followed by Clarke Schmidt in Game 3 at Cleveland on Thursday and rookie Luis Gil the following day in Game 4.

“It was really kind of choosing between Clarke and Carlos,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday about his Game 1 decision. “It just felt like it was close, and I feel like this kind of keeps them on rhythm as much as possible without giving one guy a huge, long layoff.”

Boone said it was possible that first baseman Anthony Rizzo could be added to the roster but no decision had been made. Rizzo has been sidelined since fracturing a pair of fingers when hit by a pitch September 28.

“He did a lot more yesterday and did pretty well, but I want to see more today,” Boone said before the workout. “There’s a chance.”

 

Carlos Rodon Agrees to 6-Year, $162 Million Deal with New York Yankees

Carlos Rodon is the 162-million dollar man…

The 30-year-old Cuban American left-handed pitcher has agreed to a 6-year, $162 million deal with the New York Yankees, according to ESPN.

Carlos RodonRodon was the top pitcher left on the market after he opted out of a contract with the San Francisco Giants after last season. He was 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 2022, pitching a career-high 178 innings over 31 starts.

Rodon was the third pick in the 2014 draft by the Chicago White Sox but battled injuries during the first portion of his career before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to elite form in 2021 when he compiled a 2.37 ERA over 24 starts though the White Sox were careful with him down the stretch. He never pitched more than five innings over the final two months of the season.

Even with his success that year the White Sox non-tendered Rodon that offseason leading to a two-year deal with the Giants. It included an opt-out which he chose to exercise in November.

Rodon joins holdovers Gerrit ColeNestor CortesLuis Severino and Frankie Montas in the Yankees rotation which ranked fourth overall in ERA last year. That ranking wasn’t indicative of some second-half struggles as the Yankees were eliminated in the postseason by the Houston Astros.

The signing, which was first reported by the New York Post, is the latest for agent Scott Boras who once again is having a rich off-season. Other deals for his clients include Carlos Correa ($350M), Xander Bogaerts ($280M), Brandon Nimmo ($162M), Masataka Yoshida ($90M), Taijuan Walker ($72M), Sean Manaea ($25M) and Cody Bellinger ($17.5M).

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the deal is the second-largest contract the Yankees have ever given a pitcher in total value, exceeded only by Cole’s $324 million deal in 2019. Rodon gets $1 million more than CC Sabathia‘s $161 million deal with the Yankees in 2008.

Between Rodon and Aaron Judge, who signed a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay with the Yankees earlier this month, the team has guaranteed $522 million in contracts this offseason.

Rodon won’t have to wait long to face his former Giants team, with the Yankees set to host the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day of the 2023 season.

Rodon is 56-46 with a 3.60 ERA in 152 major league appearances over eight seasons. He has 947 strikeouts in 847 1/3 innings.

J.D. Martinez Added to MLB All-Star Game Roster

J.D. Martinez is getting his all-star moment after all…

The 34-year-old Cuban American professional baseball player, a designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox, has been added to the MLB All-Star Game rosters, according to the league.

J.D. Martinez Martinez is part of a roster of new additions that includes Garrett Cooper, and an Francisco Giants ace Carlos Rodon.

Martinez replaces Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and becomes the third Boston Red Sox player to land on the American League roster along with Xander Bogaerts and have been added to the All-Star rosters, MLB announced Tuesday.

Cooper steps in for reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper. The Philadelphia Phillies‘ star has a fractured thumb. Cooper gives the Miami Marlins three All-Stars as he joins teammates Sandy Alcantara and Jazz Chisholm Jr. 

Rodon was one of the more notable snubs when rosters were announced, but he ends up making his second All-Star appearance by replacing Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader, who has family responsibilities.

Rodon (8-5, 2.70 ERA) was selected by the league to fill in for Hader, while Martinez and Cooper were next up in voting at their positions. This is the fifth time Martinez has been an All-Star, but the first time for Cooper.

Dodger Stadium will host the MLB All-Star Game next Tuesday night at 7:30 pm ET.

Carlos Rodon Signs Two-Year, $44 Million Deal with San Francisco Giants 

Carlos Rodon is headed out west…

The 29-year-old Latino professional baseball play, an MLB All-Star left-hander, and the San Francisco Giants have agreed on a two-year, $44 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, according to ESPN sources.

Carlos RodonRodon set a career high for wins with the Chicago White Sox in 2021 in going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA and made his first All-Star team. His 24 starts and 132⅔ innings are the most for him since 2016, well beyond his totals in the previous two years combined.

Rodon has a history of arm and shoulder injuries and threw just 28 innings over the final two months of the 2021 regular season. But he also played a big role as the White Sox ran away with the American League Central title at 93-69. They beat Cleveland by 13 games and finished with their highest win total since the 2005 World Series championship team went 99-63.

Rodon will help fill out a rotation alongside ace Logan Webb and lefty Alex Wood. The Giants lost right-hander Kevin Gausman to the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this offseason on a $110 million, five-year deal and declined righty Johnny Cueto‘s $22 million contract option.

Wood received a $25 million, two-year contract to stay with San Francisco, which won a franchise-record 107 games last season before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series.

Rodon, who was the third overall selection in the 2014 first-year player draft out of North Carolina State, has a career record of 42-38 with a 3.79 ERA and 710 strikeouts in 121 games.

Carlos Rodon Agrees to One-Year Deal with Chicago White Sox

Carlos Rodon isn’t losing his white sox

The 28-year-old Cuban American professional baseball pitcher will return to the Chicago White Sox after the team reached a one-year, $3 million deal with the left-hander, according to ESPN.

Carlos Rodon,

Rodon, who was selected by the White Sox with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft, became a free agent after he wasn’t tendered a contract after the 2020 season.

He broke into the majors in 2015 and looked as if he could be a key member of the team’s rotation for years to come before he was hampered by a series of injuries.

Rodon is 29-33 with a 4.14 ERA in 97 career major league games, including 92 starts. He made four appearances last season, going 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA.