10:42pm: The Yankees have indeed put forth an offer to Rodon, Heyman writes. There’s apparently still a fair bit of work to do in order to get a deal done, as Heyman indicates there’s a notable gap between New York’s proposal and Rodon’s asking price.
2:55pm: Carlos Rodon is the clear top pitcher remaining on the open market, and despite a lofty asking price reportedly in the $200MM neighborhood, multiple clubs remain in pursuit of the left-hander. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported yesterday that the Yankees are prepping a formal offer for Rodon, and Brendan Kuty of NJ.com now tweets that the Yankees appear to be Rodon’s preferred landing spot. However, Kuty adds that both the Twins and the Cardinals both remain “seriously in play” for the southpaw as of this afternoon. Meanwhile, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that even after agreeing to identical two-year, $25MM deals with both Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea this week, the Giants are still involved in Rodon’s market.
The Twins’ interest in Rodon is perhaps contingent on the looming decision of Carlos Correa who, like Rodon, is represented by the Boras Corporation. Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggests that Correa remains the Twins’ top priority, though he adds that the team nonetheless made a pitch to Rodon earlier in the month (Twitter thread). Given that the Giants are viewed as Minnesota’s primary competition for Correa, it’s fair to wonder whether both clubs might be prioritizing Correa with the intent of pivoting to Rodon should they be spurned by Correa. That both players have the same agent makes concurrent negotiations a smoother process.
After agreeing to a three-year deal with free-agent catcher Christian Vazquez yesterday, Minnesota projects to about $107MM in total commitments for the upcoming season. That’s well shy of the more than $140MM they spent on last year’s Opening Day roster, but not so far south of the mark that it becomes easy to envision a scenario in which both Correa and Rodon sign on to call Target Field home. The Twins have drawn interest in right fielder Max Kepler this winter, but even in the event of a Kepler deal coming together, a Correa/Rodon combo would push Minnesota well past $150MM in total payroll for the first time in franchise history and would likely lock them into $75-80MM worth of annual commitments to the trio of Correa, Rodon and Byron Buxton.
The Giants, meanwhile, are roughly $43MM from their franchise-record Opening Day payroll even after their deals with Stripling and Manaea. Similarly, though, it’s difficult to see both players landing in San Francisco. The Giants are already a bit north of $180MM in terms of luxury obligations, and that pairing would likely push them into tax territory for the first time. That said, the Giants have topped $200MM in payroll before, and the only player currently signed beyond the 2024 season is Mitch Haniger, who’s signed through 2025. The Giants have been averse to long-term contracts under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, though they made hefty bids for both Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper under his watch.
As for the Cardinals, they were linked to Rodon this past weekend, and Kuty paints them as a fairly prominent player in the bidding. The Cards would make for something of a surprise bidder, having already spent $87.5MM to bring Willson Contreras to St. Louis on a five-year contract. Signing Rodon would likely mean doling out the largest commitment in franchise history and pushing payroll to height never before seen in St. Louis. The Cardinals’ current record for Opening Day payroll is a bit more north of $163MM, in 2021, but they’re already at that rough level right now Rodon could well take them north of $190MM.
Circling back to the Yankees, they at one point reportedly hoped to limit any Rodon deals to four or five years in length, though that doesn’t seem likely to get them in the ballpark. With Judge and Cole both locked into a combined $76MM in annual commitments through the 2028 season (2029 in Judge’s case), adding Rodon to the mix would require budgeting more than $100MM annually for a trio of players for at least the next six years. Giancarlo Stanton is under contract through 2027, as well, further complicating the long-term scenario for Rodon.
At present, Roster Resource projects a $266MM luxury-tax ledger for the Yankees. They’re already set to pay the tax for a second straight season, so they’ll owe $6MM on the first $20MM by which they cross the $233MM threshold and $8.5MM on the next $20MM. Once they reach $273MM in luxury obligations, they’ll be taxed at a rate of 75%, and they’d be taxed at 90% on any dollars beyond the $293MM mark.
Speculatively penciling in an even $30MM AAV (which could, of course, be off by a few million dollars one way or another), the Yankees would jump from their currently projected $11.74MM of penalties all the way up to about $32.65MM in penalties. In other words, they’d pay an approximate $21MM in taxes on top of Rodon’s actual salary for the 2023 season. Passing the luxury threshold by more than $40MM would also drop the Yankees’ top pick in the 2023 draft by 10 places, and any Rodon deal would make it quite difficult to drop under the tax line (and avoid even steeper tax rates as a third-time offender) in 2024.
BetterMuppet:JUDGEorKERMIT?
Anywhere but the Yankees please
CaptainJudge99
I hear the Giants are still on Judge also?
LordD99
Cole, Rodon, Severino, Nestor and Montas? Pair that starting five with the Yankees traditionally strong pens, and that’s a lot of nastiness, Captain.
Old York
So, they’ll have 5 guys to give them 5+ innings and then a shutdown bullpen but no real offense to get them to the win? Those pitchers better get used to pitching in tight games every night.. Judge isn’t going to hit a HR every night to win it for them.
CaptainJudge99
@LordD99- I certainly agree with you 100%. Getting chills looking at the rotation. If I’m the Yankees I’m offering $30 million a year, for 5 or 6 years. If he wants more years then let him go elsewhere. My point, I doubt he gets that 7th year from another team.
Dr2022
I agree about the first for being nasty. Don’t know about Montas, jury still out on him. Hopefully he can provide some thing.
Dynasty
Correct only if we assume the offense is ineffective and/or injured again. Could be, but who knows?
ForeverGiantsFan
At 5 years he will sign elsewhere. It looks like he wants to join the Yankees. If he is offered 6 years I think he signs.
Dr2022
Correcting my own comment, typo in there. Should have said the I agree about the first four pitchers.
LordD99
@Old, even with their injuries, Yankees were second in runs scored across MLB in 2022, only behind the Dodgers.
Fever Pitch Guy
Lord – I agree, that would quite an impressive starting rotation.
One thing I don’t get, the above article says Judge’s contract is thru 2029?
He signed a guaranteed 9-year $360M deal, did he not? Or am I missing something?
LordD99
Fever, it was reported as a nine year deal, so that would be 2031. The actual contract details are still unknown (meaning if there’s an opt out in there, although I doubt it) since Judge immediately boarded a jet to celebrate his one year wedding anniversary. He still hasn’t taken the physical to make the deal official.
Perksy
Question is how many starts are we getting from Rodon over the next 6 years?
RobM
Dr2022, I understand Yankee fan frustration with what they saw from Montas, but he was injured. If he’s healthy then he’s a plus pitcher, a #2, who you’d have slotted at #5. I’ll take it!
I’m not convinced Rodon is coming to the Yankees. I know the Yankees are interested, but he’s a Boras client, and there’s a lot of information leaking that seems to be coming from Boras, such as the message point that he prefers the East Coast and the Yankees. That’s not coming from the Yankees. It almost sounds like Boras is trying to drive up Rodon’s price for some team, a team that may not even be the Yankees, but he’s using the Yankees interest to drive up his price for perhaps his real preferred destination.
.
200
Mrivers
Montas career stats away from Oakland are brutal.
Why does no Yankee fan understand that?
Frankie busto.
RobM
Only simpletons use home-road splits.
ForeverGiantsFan
Seven years 200 million. I think he signs with the Mets!
27champyankees
BAHAHAHAHAA
swinging wood
That’s Arson, Aaron’s far less talented cousin.
SODOMOJO
I just was thinking to myself “that would be a Yankees move to pair the Judge contract with a Rodon lifelong commitment”
just_thinkin
Always the most boring outcome if you’re not a Yankee fan
HawaiiPhil2020
His requirements are starting to smell like Corbin and Jose Berríos.
Yankee Clipper
I heard on a podcast that it’s a 6/$172MM offer, according to Rodon’s friends.
case
He’s been mediocre to bad for his entire injury plagued career except for the past 2 years, dedicating 200+ mill would be a pretty huge gamble.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
So this guy has never thrown 200 innings (career high of 178 last year) and injury risk is hardly mentioned. They obsess with Kershaw’s and deGrom’s injury risk but ignore it for Verlander and Rodon. Verlander threw 6 innings over 2 seasons before this one. Rodon has a very poor health record. It is absurd that he values himself this much. His age is probably a big factor, but he has never been durable and has only recently been above average. He averages 106 innings per season (including 2020) over his career. How in the world is this guy worth more than Kershaw?
Dustyslambchops23
Only 11 pitchers hit 200 IP last year. Those days are coming to an end with monster bullpens and unwillingness to let SP see hitters for a 3rd time
baseballpun
How many pitchers made over $27m?
baseballpun
To answer my own question, looks like:
Scherzer
Cole
Strasburg (uh oh)
Trevor Bauer (uh oh)
David Price (uh oh)
Chris Sale (uh oh)
DeGrom
Verlander made $25m
MoyBoy1974
so maybe 4 out of 8 were worth the money.
MoyBoy1974
good pitching is expensive and can be very unreliable also on big contracts.
Riontyler
#hottake
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
If you are talking about the first deals for Scherzer and Verlander, perhaps. Remember Cole and deGrom still have many years left. I hope deGrom works out, and he should if he throws 120 or more innings on average (plus the 6th year 20 mil vesting option if he gets injured), but we still don’t know yet.
stymeedone
Gee, what would you pay DeGrom if he actually pitched 180+ innings?
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I would have wanted the Rangers to offer 5 years at a base of 10 million a season and 50 million AAV in incentives for a max of 5 years 300 mil or 5 years 235/240 guaranteed. Give him 1.5 million a start up to 30 and then 5 million for a Cy Young award and 500k less each spot down. I was literally thinking they should offer him that the day the news broke. Given the 235 I would have paid if I were the GM, I certainly see this deal as a bargain, especially with the vesting option that triggers cheaply if he is injured.
Mrivers
No, Degrom wasn’t. He hardly pitched.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I agree with that, but averaging 106 per season is very low. They say deGrom is so weak for having 156 innings total the last 2 years. Before that, he had 3 straight 200+ inning seasons, and 2020 should have been 200. Even if you have a threshold of 140 IP, he has only hit that 2 seasons in his career.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I mean Rodon has only had 2 140 inning seasons, not deGrom (who I described above)
Gasu1
Going by career averages will get you a team of 40 year old future HOFers. What’s important is what their current trend line is. Rodon is 30 and at his peak or even on a slight upward trend. deGrom is 34 and on a marked downward trend. To project that a guy who has risen to a cerre peak will regress to his earlier performance, or the converse for an older guy on a downward trend, is just misguided.
baseballpun
I disagree when it comes to health, particularly when there’s a history of shoulder injury.
Some guys are just horses. Their performance will eventually start to take a downturn, but they can throw forever. Having TJ surgery isn’t a big deal these days, but having a history of shoulder trouble is really concerning. I don’t think that just goes away.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Even then, consider the 4 years before that. He would have had 200+ innings those seasons, and he seems to average at least 6 innings per start recently. If you consider the last 2 years’ injuries to be fluke injuries, he isn’t quite that bad. Moving on from deGrom, how is Kershaw hated on constantly for making only 20 million for a year when he has thrown a similar number of innings and is much cheaper in AAV, lower in years, and better in performance.
Seamaholic
DeGrom’s not on any downward trend I can see.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
People really confuse injury with performance. Even if we leave deGrom out of this, just read Twitter comments when he signed for only 20 million. “Choke artist,” “injury risk,” “only 10 starts” and all the other nonsense they throw at him. Even the guys at MLBTR keep saying he isn’t quite what he used to be, but his ERA is below his career average, which is the lowest of the post 60s ERA except for Koufax in his post 60s seasons.
tddgrimm
Degrom has 1362 innings pitched over 9 seasons…. That’s an average of 147. The past 3 seasons he pitched when he wanted to because he became so arrogant that he figured he would pitch for what he was worth. 3 straight years of 30+mil for less than 100 innings a season. The rangers made a huge mistake…
avenger65
Pitchers being taken out of games in the fifth inning even if they are throwing a no-hitter is common these days. I like the way the Marlins handle Alcantara, letting him pitch the rare complete game.
Tigers3232
Using 140 inn mark was very convenient. Let u ignore mentioning the 139 and 132 inn seasons. Along with the 120 inn season. None spectacular inn totals, but shows u r trying to paint a specific narrative
FredMcGriff for the HOF
@baseballpun. Mark Buehrle come to mind as a horse. I wonder how much he’d be making in today’s ridiculous free agent market.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I learned this from the media. Kudos to you for picking up on this. Haha
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I forgot to say this was Kershaw I was referring to.
BLIN7Y
I think you’re over looking the Mechanical Changes that Rodon has done over the last 2 seasons. His New Delivery has taken a lot of stress off the shoulder and transfered it to his legs.
The Yankee’s Matt Blake made changes with Taillon and he has held up beautifully. I think Rodon could become much more durable going forward. JMO
Ma4170
Not in 2020… he made every scheduled start and was awesome. And in 2021 he was having the best year perhaps in the history of the sport until he got hurt. I agree, I think he was an a$$ for opting out of 2-63 when he missed 60% of the last two years, but before that, he was a horse.
Ma4170
Agree, Rodon is elite now, and those mechanical changes should help keep him healthier. Last two seasons, he hasn’t experienced problems other than White Sox being cautious with his workload end of 2021. I could be wrong, but I think he might be the best of the bunch this offseason.
baseballpun
Yeah I think it’s pretty crazy to just say that he was healthy last year and mostly healthy the year before and ignore the injury concerns.
avenger65
If a pitcher suffered an injury two years ago but has been healthy since then and has done well like Rodon, what difference does it make. The injuries are in the past. He’s fine now. I mean, name me a pitcher that hasn’t had arm or shoulder injuries, yet have come back to have quality careers.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Corey Kluber and Brandon Webb come to mind.
baseballpun
I don’t think I understand that last sentence.
CJML
Degrom was one of the best signings all off-season. He is the best pitcher in baseball and it’s not a ridiculous 10-11 year commitment.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
It’s nice to see some positivity after seeing all the jealousy on the internet. The best day of my baseball fanhood since 2010 has been this signing. I am not even exaggerating. It was the 3rd best day of my life. They apparently made this signing Thursday and kept it sealed until about 7:40 the next day. However, I have to say Kershaw is very close and possibly better.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Was the first the Adrian Beltre signing?
Guess they wanted deGrom’s physical to clear.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
It was fun, but he was more like Rodon in terms of durability and having a contract year. His contract was one of the best ones in recent memory after the fact, though. I do have a Beltre jersey, along with a Choo one and a Darvish one. I hope to get a deGrom one soon.
Ma4170
My only problem w/ deGrom’s deal is the 5 years. If he’s healthy, he’s a stud. He has years where he’s susceptible to the longball, but usually overcomes it w/ a lot of Ks and just general dominance. Been my favorite pitcher for years. The concern for me are the two injuries the last two years could be his body showing the wear and tear of all the work of the previous years when he led MLB in IP from 2017-20, and aside from his surgery end of 2016, made every start before that from his call up. He’s not a finesse pitcher, throws extremely hard, so that would be my worry. If healthy? Forget it, great signing.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
They were talking on MLB Network about how he can dial it down to throw more innings. If he averages 99 MPH, he can throw 96 or 97 until he gets to 2 strikes and then throw 99 MPH. Also, he could dial it up the whole game for the playoffs and division games. I also love the 20 million vesting option that is similar to what John Lackey had (except his was minimum wages). If he gets injured and does extremely well when pitching, maybe he gets 30 million. If he is the best in the world and gets injured, the option vests at 37. I think he would need 3 top 5 Cy Young finishes for 37 mil. Just bringing home Texas’s first Cy Young award would be worth it imo.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
@YankeesBleacherCreature I misunderstood your question. The best day of my life was getting into Johns Hopkins University with a 25% scholarship.
FredMcGriff for the HOF
@deGrom Texas ranger. I for one am ecstatic deGrom has left the NL East. It seems almost every time he faced the Braves it was a easy 10 strikeouts for deGrom. Just looked it up he lost 2 out of 3 to the Braves in 2022 but barely while striking out 33 batters in only 18 innings. No wonder deGrom bailed he should have another 30 or more career wins but his teammates magically couldn’t hardly score runs on many days he pitched.
FredMcGriff for the HOF
With all due respect von the angels got Ohtani pretty cheap and will probably not be able to keep him. You are a pretty good commenter btw.
VonPurpleHayes
AAV is just as important as yearly commitments in most cases. Too many people focus on years without focusing on all the details. No one expects a player to to be good for 11 years. This doesn’t have anything to do with the deGrom deal per se, but to dismiss all longterm contracts as ridiculous is ignoring the big picture.
CJML
There has been 15-16 ten year + contracts ever signed. The most recent ones cano, Pujols, votto, miggy, Stanton have all been disasters. Not just for a couple years but have crippled teams for half of a decade. The Yankees can generally buy their way out of them but tbd if other teams can do the same. It certainly crippled the angels, Detroit, reds and mariners. We will see how it plays out with teams like San Diego and Philly.
VonPurpleHayes
Teams can just as easily be crippled by short-term deals. I don’t think your examples really point to anything here, and I’d also disagree about these contracts being crippling in some cases. The Angels for example never stopped spending money. You could argue that the combination of all these deals was the problem, but were they so crippled by Pujols that they couldn’t sign Trout, Rendon or Ohtani?
CJML
Most teams stop spending money when they aren’t competitive. The angels were eating up a lot of payroll with Pujols and guys like upton. It’s hard to be competitive when 30-40 percent of your payroll is going towards guys that should be on waivers or riding the bench. TBD on teams like Phillies, padres etc. There has been a lot of long term contracts signed in the last couple years that haven’t played out yet. The reds have had 20 percent of their payroll going to a pretty unproductive votto, not impossible, but hard to overcome. It will be interesting to see how it plays out but the padres could be an utter disaster in 3-4 years.
baseballpun
I think it can still be crippling if you dedicate a starter’s role to an underperforming player because they’re making $25m.
VonPurpleHayes
Fair points of course, but one thing the Mets, Padres, Phillies, Rangers and other teams are doing are exposing how much money there really is in baseball, and how much money owners are choosing not to spend. Now to be fair, Cohen is breathing rarified air, and is being a bit more excessive than other owners ever will be, but the point is,all owners can spend more if they desire.
robert-5
Poor example, Von. The Angels have two of the best players in the sport and they can’t even win their own division. The are crippled by horrendous contracts and a bad front office.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Kershaw isn’t a fair comp as he’s never truly explored free agency and has limited his market to only the Dodgers. He could’ve easily signed a Strasburg-like contract instead of taking that previous three-year deal.
Rodon’s value is what teams are willing to pay regardless of his own self-perception. For all of his durability issues, Rodon doesn’t have a whole ton of career arm mileage and has age on his side, as you’ve noted, and I bet that’s what driving up his price tag.
Viveleempireevil
Can’t look at his previous years and focus only on his health. Some SPs take years to marinate. The likes of Mussina and Kershaw and Martinez took some time to reach peak. So, the counter to your very reasonable line of thinking, is that whoever gets him gets his 5,6,7 years. He’s got a nasty hook, I’ll give him that.
10centBeerNight
Be nice to see him go to a club other than the same handful making most of the off-season noise thusfar
mrmackey
Get ‘et done Hal!
Nestor + Rodon = Nasty Boys
avenger65
Go Cards!!! They need him to get to the next level in the POs.
MarkieFresh
Agreed. Very little in commitments in Cards pitching beyond this year.
Buy Rondon and trade to upgrade another SP slot now or in season. Bridge to 24/25 when the farm arms hopefully filling the rotation.
Plugnplay
$200m wow! I don’t care how bad u need pitching, but I wouldn’t go over 5 years with Rondon. 5 is even a little scary yeah?
Seamaholic
Why do people keep misspelling his name? Is that intentional?
This one belongs to the Reds
I am guessing they are looking at his medical history and laughing at that ask. That is why he is still out there.
ThonolansGhost
He’ll most likely get what he wants. It’s crazy, but pitchers are making big money this year.
Jaysfan1981
Can’t see the Jays in on him now that they could have had Stripling back for 2/25 or even Manea for the same. Either one would have made an excellent 4th or 5th starter depending on Barrios bounce back.
7/200 isn’t going to be spent by the Jays
Rsox
I think Bassit took the Jays out of the running for another starter unless they choose to sign one and use Kikuchi as a swingman out of the bullpen
Jaysfan1981
I hear what you’re saying, but if it’s most likely the jays will not spend that on a FA pitcher, I think it would have been smart to try and sign both of those guy. Especially with the question marks in the rotation we had last year.
Manoah could regress or could dominate, too early to tell
Gausman could be a workhorse and provide another CY caliber season, or be out most of the year with blisters.
Those 2 could battle for the Ace spot or one or both could step back.
Barrios needs to rebound and get himself back to at least the #3 spot hopefully more like a 2(b) but could also repeat a poor season.
Bassitt fits a 3 role if he doesn’t, but was also a late bloomer and hasn’t put up Cy young seasons even at his best, he could become an expensive 5 eventually
White and Kikuchi being the 5s for the year is basically giving away 20 wins with their performances last year.
Im pretty sure Kikuchi is playing on team option for next year at a very reduced salary, he’s indicated a willingness to go to AAA to figure things out. I wonder if he’s better suited as a Josh Hader 678 inning guy now.
I’d honestly have rather had them both in AAA, white needs a season there Kikuchi needs to adjust to being a high leverage releiver. Manae could have been the #5 abd Stripling goes back to his swing role (giving him a few extra million as a thank you) until he’s needed to cover injury or poor performance.
That would have set the Jays up nicely Pitching wise without needing everything to go right. Focus trades on OF and RP which is easier to get than SP
deok40
Kikuchi’s salary is 10mil this year and next. There is no team option. He made 16 mil in the first year of the deal.
Jaysfan1981
Yea I knew it was something funky , the pundits were making it seem like the last year was nothing if he falters.
Still be nice to see him excel in a high leverage relief role. Like Andrew Miller and Josh Hader types.
TrillionaireTeamOperator
Meh. Pass. But also what will the Yankees do without Taillon? Plug in a healthy and reliable Frankie Montas?
Ronk325
Montas would be the Yankees 5th SP if they sign Rodon. I think most teams would sign up for that situation
giantwarrioras49ersraiders
Yankees until cancel culture makes them change their name.. would be stupid to sign him.. too many risk that outweigh any reward
Seamaholic
Why would anyone “cancel” Yankees?
Poster formerly known as . . .
What the hell? Cancel culture makes the Yankees change their name? What are you talking about?
YankeesBleacherCreature
He’s still upset about the Highlanders. I actually own the throwback cap and exactly one person has ever gotten it.
cpdpoet
But I am Connor MacLeod of the clan MacLeod…….
whyhayzee
Yankees are New Englanders. If their name was the Highlanders, I couldn’t possibly root against them.
– Scottish from Connecticut
Riontyler
Highlander ftw
Poster formerly known as . . .
Nice cap to own, YBC.
Poster formerly known as . . .
Yankee was also the Southern term for Northerners during the Civil War. The term is also commonly applied to all Americans by the people of other nations.
Songs like “The Yanks Are Coming” and “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy” refer to all Americans, not just New Englanders.
User 1413108128
There can only be one so I will see you soon!
whyhayzee
I own three baseball caps for the “Highlanders”.
What do I win?
Dr2022
@pink. I’m surprised some members of the politically correct police, have not brought it up before. the word Yankee can be considered so derogatory by some, especially those in the south.
I guess the name could be changed to the New York Steinbrenner’s, or New York Cashman’s. It has a nice ring to it lol
Poster formerly known as . . .
I fail to see why Southerners would be concerned that a team in New York had a name they considered a pejorative, Doc.
Hotstovemelts
I’m with you Fink…. It makes no sense! Why would southern people find the name Yankee to be offensive? It makes absolutely no sense! It is what southerner’s call northerner’s
Four4fore
7 years = insanity.
Surly_03
The White Sox could use Rodon. They should’ve extended him when they had the chance!
avenger65
Yes, but it would have cost money and the Sox don’t like spending any.
Surly_03
Truer words were never spoken.
CaptainJudge99
Yes, agreed Rodon isn’t worth 7 years, $200 million. I definitely think $27 million a year, for 5 years definitely seems fair though.
Dr2022
Agreed @judge. I wonder if the Yankees are really making a fair or competitive offer, and I doubt he will end up here. Obviously there are exceptions, but usually they are looking for a discount or a bargain.
CaptainJudge99
@Dr2022- I feel the Yankees made a very fair offer like your saying. Probably for 5 years. My guess is he’ll sign for 6 years with the Yankees. Rodon’s agent is Scott Boras so that explains everything. Hearing it’s between the Yankees, Cardinals, Twinkies, and yes even the Giants are still in the mix, just as they we’re in on Judge.
Dr2022
I doubt Rodon will come here like I said. but it’s just my opinion obviously, I have no idea what’s really going on. But I certainly hope you are right.
CaptainJudge99
@Dr2022- Rodon’s supposedly been saying he wants to play on the East Coast, and he wants to be a Yankee, but you could definitely be right though. My guess 5 years with a 6th year club option, gets it done. The Cardinals won’t go past 5 years. If Heyman says he’ll go back to the Giants, then we’ll know for sure he’s signing with the Yankees. Lol.
BondsAway
Being a Giants fan, I don’t think SF is in on Rodon. They like to portray they’re in on a lot of people, but that’s just so they can tell their fan base “we tried.” SF’s front office has been bragging for months about all this cap space they have & that they are going to be big spenders. The facts tell a different story. Since Zaidi has been in SF, his free agent signings (for multiple years) have been Tommy LaStella, Anthony Descalfani, & Mitch Hanniger. LaStella sucks & Disco didn’t play at all last year. My point is, I wouldn’t worry about SF being in on Rodon.
Dr2022
Haha. Well played, Captain. Let’s hope he’s a Yankee soon. We can’t count on montas,have no idea what to expect from him, and if he can handle New York even.
And regarding making Hey – man, you are correct, we have to do as Costanza did, whatever Heyman says, assume the opposite will occur lol.
CaptainJudge99
Dr2022- besides no need for CROD we just signed James Norwood. Now we definitely get to a World Series. Lol.
Joe says...
That’s not how this year’s FA market is shaking out. The money is going to be big and the years are going to be long. The Yankees just have to decide if they want to make that commitment.
They need to bite the bullet on this one. There’s nothing left on the open market and the only trade I’ve heard mentioned is Lopez and he doesn’t move the needle. Next year Sevy and Montas are FAs.
Rsox
On a similar three year deal with a higher AAV and i think Rodon would be signed already. Asking for a 7 year deal with his injury history is absurd. Wonder if he’s last man standing in free agency when spring training starts
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I would love it if he had to wait until after the draft. That would be hilarious.
CaptainJudge99
@Rsox- If Eovaldi takes 4 or 5 years at $20 mill a year, he might be the pitcher to get since he’s arms as good as Rodon’s.
Rsox
I can’t see Eovaldi getting a contract that big either, given his age and health history. Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling each only managed two year deals and both have been more durable than Eovaldi or Rodon throughout their careers
Padres2019ha
Padres 11/200ha
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Make it 14 and it’s a deal.
Surly_03
Padres 15 years / $250M – $16.7M per season
Deleted Userr
LONDON BRIDGES FALLING DOWN! FALLING DOWN! FALLING DOWN!
Padres2019ha
You’ll always be an unfair lady to me, Ryan
Deleted Userr
lordofnorizz.com
sliderwithcheeze
So the cardinals who have refused to spend money on high priced free agents would make Carlos the largest commitment in franchise history. Not a Bryce Harper. Not a Tre Turner. Not a Max Scherzer. Not a Manny Machado. …. Carlos freggin Rodon. How does that dumb team even have fans?
Four4fore
Rings
sliderwithcheeze
Three in the past 40 years. Wow. Impressive
WillieMaysHayes24
Only the Yankees and Red Sox have more rings in the past 40 years (4 each). Cardinals also have the most world series appearances of any team in the past 40 years. Any more ignorant replies, slider?
utah cornelius
Second only to the Yankees
rct
Cardinals have made the playoffs in 16 of the last 23 seasons and only have one season under .500 in that span. That’s an incredible and extremely impressive run, especially when you consider that they are never in the top 5 in payroll and have frequently been outside of the top 10. They’re a model franchise.
WillieMaysHayes24
I know right! I mean sure they haven’t had a losing season in 15 years, and they usually make the playoffs, but why would anyone want to be a fan of a team like that?!
/s
sliderwithcheeze
For the same reason people go see low brow Marvel movies and buy Taylor Swift concert tickets. Two to three hrs of mindless entertainment with no expectation that what you’re watching is a good product.
Talleywhacker
Scorsese? is that you?
sliderwithcheeze
They were sober when they signed Dexter Fowler, extended Matt Carpenter, and Paul Dejong? C’mon. We all know that the cardinals love them some booze. Ask the dead players, the hall of fame manager, and the announcer.
Jonny5
Your mom wasn’t sober when you were conceived. What’s your point?
sliderwithcheeze
I conceived myself. Unlike you, I don’t need to rely on others
Endar Malkovich
Heard rumblings the Yankees offer was going to be 6 years at 29-30 million AAV, slightly front loaded with the first 4 years guaranteed, year 5 is a player option and year 6 is a vesting/mutual option. Don’t know how true that is, but it’s creative.
TrillionaireTeamOperator
That’s what I’d do. And as we all know, I am the smartest person in the world ever for conceiving of baseball contract structures.
But seriously yeah that sounds like the most logical offer- though I’d drop the guarantee to 3 years and keep it to a 4th and 5th year options that are both vesting options.
And if that offer was real and he turned that down or is pushing for more, the Yankees should walk.
Jerry Cantrell
Smoke and mirrors from the Cardinals. There’s not a chance this is happening for them. John Mozeliak is merely doing his typical “due diligence.”
Side note – I hope this doesn’t happen for the Cardinals. In my opinion, this is too much money, and too long of a term to commit to someone whose health may be a bit questionable. I would rather the Cardinals have been in on Chris Bassitt and Ross Stripling.
baseballpun
Yes and yes. I’d rather they upgrade the rotation with a trade at this point.
If they’re remotely serious about spending that kind of money I think they should spend on Swanson.
Riontyler
So…you want them to keep bottom fishing while complaining about their bottom fishing ways? Mo has had some head scratching moments but the rotation needs a true ace..not sure its rondon but doesn’t cancel out the fact they still need a #1 starter….they have the money.
Jerry Cantrell
I agree they need an ace but it’s not “Rondon” and it’s also not Rodon. Guess what? It’s also not Flaherty. Or Liberatore.
IMO they have waited too long to try and find a Wainwright replacement.
Mikolas, even if signed to an extension, isn’t that guy.
Montgomery, even if signed to an extension, isn’t that guy.
I don’t know who is, to be honest, but no one that comes to mind. No one being talked about currently.
We may have a roster of a lot of 2, 3, 4 and 5 starters for a while.
Rsox
There are very few true “aces” in the game and none available at this moment. Rodon doesn’t necessarily offer the Cardinals any more than they’ve already got. Cards might do well to bring in another starter and i wouldn’t be surprised if it was a familiar face in Michael Wacha
Jerry Cantrell
100%
Win Cor
It’s just dumb for Rodon go to the Yankees. It’s a homerun park. He would get clobbered and the fans would eat him up alive. Suicide. If he goes to the Cardinals he wins a Cy Young and gets all accolades. It’s no brainer.
Poster formerly known as . . .
Only five qualified starting pitchers had a lower HR/9 than Rodon this year, and only two had a lower HR/FB%.
Wagner>Cobb
As a Cardinals fan I’d be thrilled to see them land Rodon. He’s the best attainable upgrade to an otherwise average rotation. Goldy and Arenado (and now Contreras) are in the latter parts of their respective prime years. The time to go for a championship is now, especially with the young position player depth. If 7 years is what it takes to win a title, sign me up. Yeah, the back part of the deal may suck, but he’s clearly made substantial changes to his approach the past two seasons. He is a different pitcher than he was the first several years in Chicago. He’s one of the few legit aces in the league that are even available.
1. Rodon
2. Mikolas
3. Flaherty
4. Montgomery
5. Wainwright
Looks good to me.
baseballpun
Don’t forget Matz!
Wagner>Cobb
I remembered Matz…he’s in my bullpen. Back in the rotation in 2024 or if someone gets hurt this year.
Seamaholic
Cards are in such a horrible division that they don’t need to sign him. Make a trade mid-season for an ace to prepare for playoffs, save your money.
Wagner>Cobb
They have few years left where the Championship window can be open. The lack of a real ace has prevented the window from being open over the last several years (among other things). I’d rather sign Rodon for only money and keep the prospect strength for other needs rather than rely on a trade for an ace midseason that might not happen.
avenger65
Who cares how much money Rodon gets. We’re not paying it. You may not like the money Rodon gets when he eventually signs, but if he’s on your team you will no longer care about the years or the money.
DBH1969
Don’t count out the Red Sox. After the Xander debacle, even the usually FO friendly media is flaming Bloom and Henry. Those chesnuts roasting over an open fire?. They are in Bloom’s shorts. No way Henry takes the blame for losing Xander.
Look for Boston to hugely overpay this guy out of pure PR desperation.
JoeBrady
So you’re in favor of $200M/7 for Rodon?
DBH1969
Ya, and let’s sign JBJ for the same.
Rsox
If the Sox open the checkbook for a big move it will probably be for Dansby Swanson, not Rodon
Poster formerly known as . . .
“Yankees Preparing To Make Formal Contract Offer To Carlos Rodon”
I’m preparing my reply for when Emma Stone invites me in “for coffee.”
.
Fink, actually watching her in “Superbad” @ the moment.
Poster formerly known as . . .
Time well spent, TJ.
Dr2022
She’s awesome in anything that she does. What a great actress.
CaptainJudge99
Wow Emma Stone! Hopefully she invites you in “for coffee” sooner then later. Just take her bra for a trophy for proof.
cpdpoet
Uh are you camped out on her lawn or something….? No judging, just curious…..
CaptainJudge99
@cpdpoet- sure if wishing gets that done. Why not?
Dr2022
@pink. Me too.
Rsox
Good luck with that. We’re rooting for you
dopt
Good for these players to get that money. What is Boston doing ? Prepping for a sale ?
PGM
“The Giants have been averse to long-term contracts under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, though they made hefty bids for both Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper under his watch.”
undoubtedly, but even though those long term offers were made, were they real? Or were they made so that Zaidi could say “I made long term offers that weren’t accepted”? Could one expect an “impact” free agent to recognize the roster churn (37 position players in 2022 alone) and say “looks like NYY has a real shot at a title in time frame x, I don’t even know who will be in SF next season”
retread players will sign a two year deals with him with an opt out because the chance at being traded to a potential contender is real, so they only have to slog through 1/2 a Zaidi season or they can bail at the end of the season or collect another $15 million if they don’t
garbage in garbage out
slider32
Judge is in his prime, time to spend. Yanks sign Rodon 6/195.
ChiTowner
These contracts are insane. No player is worth this kind of money. Call me old fashioned but this is just playing a game. At least most of the time when a movie actor makes millions the return could be a billion dollars return. eg Tom Cruise Top Gun. Can we open the books and see how the owners can do this. Rejects are getting millions. Can’t understand how guys like Nimmo and deGrom are getting paid, They sign them for X amount of years but then they want to be traded or stink.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I agree overall, though it’s very hard to convince me that Scherzer with his 2.8 ERA in 2020 and 21 was worth 43.3 and Verlander (with 6 IP in 2020 and 21) was worth 43.3 million per year. deGrom is getting more years that I thought, but consider he is making 37 million a year. There is a 6th year vesting option for only 20 million if he is injured, and he really only has to throw 130 or 140 innings at his 2.5 career ERA to be worth this contract for such a bad rotation. Nimmo is one I may agree on, though. Just don’t say deGrom and Nimmo are rejects. That’s an extreme statement.
Inside Out
You are so out of touch it is sad. The players generate billions from media deals for the owners and only get back a small percentage with the rest going to egotistical billionaires. Why do you care how much they make? Stop watching if you are just going to whine.
slider32
I think they are worth the money, QBs are getting 50 million a year. As i told my kids, if you want to make a lot of money, get on TV.
JoeBrady
You are worth whatever someone wants to pay you. Unless you know how many more tickets the NYM or SDP are going to sell, you don’t know whether the players you signed are worth it.
FredMcGriff for the HOF
I wonder why the Yankees are Rodon’s report preferred spot to land? I know it’s not the shaving part.
CaptainJudge99
Maybe the Yankees will let him keep the hair under the lip? Stanton gets away with it.
rocky7
Always too much made over the hair thing…..of course the Yankees policy flies in the way of current trends of lots of facial hair….but do you seriously think that a guy like Rodon is going to say no to a 7 year $200 million contract because he can’t keep his beard?
baseballboi
I’d love to see the Twins pass on Correa and get Rodon and Swanson instead. We desperately need good pitching.
CaptainJudge99
Apparently the Twinkies are still on Rodon. Will they offer him 6 years at $30 million a pop? If no he probably isn’t going.
twins33
I could be wrong, but I believe the biggest offer that’s been accepted for a SP under this Twins front office is 1 year, $8 million to J.A. Happ. Most of the SP they’ve signed as FA’s are at the $5M or less mark.
So to answer your question, he’s not coming to MN.
Deleted Userr
His injury history concerns me but it’s either that or go into the season with Adrian Morejon or Jay Groome as the fifth starter assuming no one gets injured…
The Big Yo
A’s rebuild would close out perfectly before Christmas with a grab of free agents Max Kepler and Michael Lorenzen. They will likely pay slightly over their(A’s) usual. Get both for 2 years a hair over their asking price. Both are experienced and both need a fresh start. The A’s need to spend something and particularly on experience right now.
They seem like nice human beings as well.
Joe It All
Pretty sure Kepler isn’t a free agent and the Twins have just talked about making him available via trade.
Moneyballer
Haha kepler would need prospects coming back. He’s property of the Twins, not the open market.
3768902
I’d normally scoff at the suggestion that the Twins would sign 2 FA contracts over $200 mil, but they DO have a shiny new Pohlad at the helm, and he just might want to show the kids how cool he is.
twins33
I’m for it
Mikenmn
If I were to tell Heyman that I was prepping an offer for Rondon, would that help his market? Yankees could sign him, but the numbers/years Boras is asking….yikes.
sean7676
You can pretty much count the Cardinals out. They’re not big free agent spenders and Mozeliak is only good for one impactful move per offseason. He made his one splash with Contreras. This means it is dumpster diving season for the Cardinals from here on out.
Redhomer81
Traditionally yes. But they have made multiple offers through the years: David Price, Randy Johnson etc through the years. They have missed many. But one very important factor is only 1 starter is signed on for next year. Mats and he may end up being a reliever/spot starter. My thoughts- extension offered to Mikoliz, Montgomery a player through trade or free agency (Rodon), Liberator (only 22 now) and Matz. I can see them actually signing another starter or trading for one. They will soon become desperate for a starter and it is far better to be pro-active to keep costs down.
bpskelly
The Cardinals going so large and long on Rodon would seem completely out of character for the Cards. Which is also why it may happen. But I wouldn’t bet on it. This seems like Boras speak.
That said, as a Cards fan, the lack of a true ACE the past few years has been the difference between 85+ wins and true post season success.
Jack Flare had a 2nd half of a season that was that ace, and I think the Cards expected (hoped) he’d be come that guy. He’s not that guy. Good stuff, but he’s not that guy.
I’d make the package they were going to chase Murphy with the center of an offer for Beiber. He’s an ace, and he’s under control a few more years. If he wants an extension? Give it to him. If it costs us some players we don’t wanna trade, so be it.
We’re not making an serious noise in the playoffs until we get top flight guys pitching at the top of the rotation.
PutPeteinthehall
Rodon is top flight. Eight years in the league with an average of seven wins a season. Whatever Cashman is offering Boras should grab. Rodon is going to be on a flight out of JFK with a bum arm after ten starts in pinstripes.
Moneyballer
I would LOVE for the Twins to make a splash and sign Correa AND Rodon. Commit to winning, the pieces will fall into place this year! Hey a boy can dream, right?
Poster formerly known as . . .
“The Yankees’ initial offer reportedly underwhelmed Rodón’s camp, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.” – MLB.com
Looks like signing James Norwood to a minor league contract didn’t put the fear in Boras.
On the other hand, it’s Jon Heyman, so . . .
CaptainJudge99
Are you trying to say that Jon Heyman isn’t credible? -Arson Judge
Poster formerly known as . . .
He might be as reliable as autocorrect.
Yankee Clipper
The question becomes, what’s the pivot? Where do they go from here because trotting out what we have is marginally better than last year…….maybe (because of SS).
Pablo Lopez? But he’s like a #3? And he’s RH. Conforto? Benny for way too long? Yankees are patient but it always puts them behind the 8-ball.
Poster formerly known as . . .
I think they still might land Rodon with SF likely out of the picture, but we have yet to see if Hal’s going for it in a way he hasn’t in the recent past, so I wouldn’t bet on it — or against it. We’ll just have to wait and see.
And I realize I just said a lot of nothing.
Poster formerly known as . . .
Heyman again. This time he’s opining that the fallback option in lieu of Rodon would be Eovaldi.
Nate had the second-highest HR/9 and HR/FB of all starters with at least 100 IP.
whyhayzee
It’s not how many homers you give up. It’s how many baserunners there are when it happens.
Poster formerly known as . . .
It’s also what the score is and what inning it is when he gives up the home run. If he gives up a home run in a tie game in the 7th inning, his team has fewer opportunities to score and tie it up or take the lead than if he gives up a home run in the first inning. On the other hand, when you give up five in 1.2 innings like he did in May against the Astros, you’ve already put your team in a sizeable hole.
As for baserunners, of the 21 home runs he gave up, 10 were with runners on base, and he only pitched 109.1 innings in 2022.
angt222
Rodon to Twins, calling it now: After missing out on Correa, MIN goes big for an Ace.
Poster formerly known as . . .
Then I’ll go with Dansby Swanson to the Twins.
SupremeZeus
Yankees & Cashman playing the same game with Rodon that they played with Judge. Initially offering sad below market deals. Only to be forced to come hat in hand and pay the market rate for a guy they must have so they might have slightest chance to compete with Houston. Rodon will get more total money than DeGrom did and he will be a Yankee.
slider32
I just think right now the Yanks don;t want to bid against themselves. The Twins and Cards, might not have a higher offer.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
What were the Tigers doing?
CaptainHooks
I would like to see the Minnesota Twins sign Carlos Rodon to a 13 year, $200 million contract, now that they don’t have to overpay for Carlos Correa.
If Rodon only produces as a pitcher for the next 4-5 years, the Twins overpaid.
If Rodon lasts as a productive pitcher for 6-9 years, the Twins got a bargain.
Either way, Rodon will be the highest paid peanut and beer salesman in the MLB in the last years of the contract.