When the Yankees first signed Carlos Rodón three years in the past, expectations had been excessive for the left-hander.
Recent off back-to-back All-Star appearances, Rodón inked a six-year, $162 million contract, the kind of deal that comes with obligations on and off the sphere. Nevertheless, the pitcher made a poor first impression in 2023, recording a 6.85 ERA over 14 begins and letting his feelings get the very best of him on a couple of events whereas coping with quite a few accidents.
However Rodón took a step in the best route in 2024, decreasing his ERA to three.96 whereas making a team-high 32 begins. That marketing campaign served as a constructing block, as Rodón earned one other All-Star nod and expanded his arsenal whereas posting a 3.09 ERA over 33 begins in 2025.
It was simply his greatest season as a Yankee. It was additionally his most comfy, which led to a change in the way in which Rodón communicated together with his friends.
“I tend to be pretty quiet,” the soft-spoken southpaw, who will begin the 2026 season on the injured checklist following surgical procedure for a bone spur, mentioned in September. “I try to lead by example, but I guess the older I get, knowing I don’t have much time left in this game, I think I need to be a little more vocal and be more impactful for these younger guys and help make them better pitchers.”
Certainly, Rodón made it some extent to mentor rookie rotation-mates Will Warren and Cam Schlittler this previous season. The three often mentioned pitch grips, mechanics and scouting studies, in addition to life within the large leagues.
Warren mentioned that Rodón was significantly useful when it got here to digesting the massive quantities of information the Yankees present their pitchers.
“He helps simplify the game a little bit,” Warren mentioned. “We’re pretty similar in the fact that, yeah, we’re gonna look at those scouting reports and have an idea of what their weaknesses and stuff are, but at the end of the day, what makes us Carlos Rodón and Will Warren is our strengths, and we’re gonna lean pretty heavy on those.”
Schlittler, in the meantime, mentioned that Rodón watched one among his bullpen classes when the Yankees had been in Baltimore in September. Rodón beneficial a mechanical tweak that aided Schlittler’s high-octane fastball.
“Carlos is an intense guy. He’s competitive, and I respect that about him. Obviously, I didn’t really know him a lot in spring training. I was a little more intimidated. But since I’ve gotten here, he’s taken me under his wing,” mentioned Schlittler, who didn’t debut till July. “He’s been someone I’ve been able to rely on and count on.”
Added Warren: “You have to get to know Carlos. And then you realize he’s not as big bad a bully as you think he is, even though he is when he pitches. So I think our relationship has grown with me being up here a lot more.”
Rodón mentioned that he sees himself in Warren and Schlittler “if I rewind 10 years,” and he felt he ought to “return the favor” after former White Sox teammates went out of their method to assist him as a younger large leaguer. He particularly talked about Chris Sale, Lance Lynn, Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson, Zach Duke, Jose Quintana and James Shields.
Rodón’s elevated involvement in his teammates’ growth additionally coincided with Gerrit Cole’s restoration from Tommy John surgical procedure, which he underwent in spring coaching.
The process made Cole, typically described as an unofficial pitching coach, an rare presence at first of the season. That left a management void for Rodón and Max Fried to fill because the veterans within the Yankees’ rotation.
“Gerrit’s obviously a true leader,” Rodón mentioned. “He’s really good. Him and I kind of have the same mindset: if we can get these kids to be impactful for us, we’re going to win more games. That’s where it stems from. I wouldn’t say I’m as hands on as Gerrit, but I won’t sit back and not say something if I see something now.”
Rodón’s proactivity didn’t go unnoticed, as Aaron Boone labeled the 32-year-old “an important part” of the Yankees’ pitching tradition now. The supervisor attributed that to Rodón, the Yankees’ 2025 Roberto Clemente Award nominee, being “more and more comfortable and entrenched in the organization” and his development as a pitcher.
“I just want to get the best out of them. They can really help us win,” Rodón mentioned of Warren and Schlittler. “I just want to lift them up.”
