MLB insider Jon Heyman believes the Yankees need to look to Carlos Rodon after Aaron Judge's mega deal
The New York Yankees finally reeled in Aaron Judge, but they still have work to do this offseason. If they want to catch the Houston Astros (who were better and added first baseman Jose Abreu), they will need to do more than just re-sign their own guys like Judge and Anthony Rizzo.
They've been linked to several free agents, including Carlos Correa, Brandon Nimmo and others. MLB reporter Jon Heyman (who prematurely announced that Judge was heading to the San Francisco Giants) believes a former Giant should be their top priority.
Heyman believes Carlos Rodon checks all the boxes, as he mentioned on his podcast "The Show" with Joel Sherman:
"Rodon is the key guy, I think. That's the guy for them, the guy they've been aiming at all along. A left-hander, which they like in Yankee Stadium. They think he fits New York."
Rodon is left-handed, which plays well in Yankee Stadium where the right field fence is notably short. He also seems to have the disposition to handle New York and he's clearly got the talent after posting a sub-3.00 ERA with the Giants.
The Yankees haven't been as extravagant with their money as they have been in recent eras, but they've already committed over $55 million to Judge and Rizzo. Signing others is not only possible, but it seems necessary at this point. According to Heyman, that should start with Rodon.
How much will Carlos Rodon cost for the New York Yankees?
After opting out of the remaining contract with the Giants, Rodon could be headed to New York. He clearly wants to win, and the Yankees do that. However, even as perfect of a match as this seems, it won't be cheap.
Rodon wasn't the top pitcher on the market. That would have been Jacob deGrom or Justin Verlander, both of whom received a boatload of money ($43.30 million for Verlander, $37 million for deGrom in AAV).
That probably sets the market for Rodon a bit higher. It is expected that his market value runs somewhere around $33 million, so expect a deal between $30 and $35 million for the left-handed pitcher.