-THE BRONX, NY—The New York Yankees head into the 2023 season with the same mentality as they have every season; this is the year we take it all the way to the top. From an outside perspective, its easy to laugh off the notion, as they have floundered year in and year out. Suffering an awful ending to what “should have” been a promising season. Since their last World Series win in 2009, the Yankees have managed to fumble the bag more times than they’d like to remember. 10 postseason appearances, 5 ALCS losses; the clutch is broken on the Yankees and they are hoping that they’ve gotten the right fix in this offseason.
So, what’s the solution? What did the mechanic Brian Cashman do to bring a solution to the Yankees’ brokenness? The fix comes in the form of 2x All-Star Carlos Rodon. More importantly, the Carlos Rodon who has finished in the top 5 for Cy Young voting in each of the last 2 seasons. Armed with a blinding fastball and a vicious slider, Rodon, especially throwing from the left side of the mound, has become one of the league’s best strikeout artists. In fact, he had the highest K/9 (12) of any Major League starter last year.
While the Yankees offense has certainly been hit or miss in seasons past, the inconsistencies in their starting rotation have been a major Achilles heel for the Pinstripes. Last year it was Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes then _________. The Yankees struggled to find consistency in their 3-5 pitchers. They acquired Frankie Montas via trade, but with a bad shoulder injury, he was more of a liability than an asset for New York. Jameson Taillon launched intro the stratosphere the 1st half of the season, only to tragically fall down to earth in the 2nd half. Luis Severino was good, but injuries held him out for nearly two months of the season. Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt tried to fill the gaps but the bad always weighed out more than the good from those two. With the addition of Rodon, New York has a stable of workhorse pitchers that they can rely on night in and night out. In a best of seven series, that’s a serious ringer to have on your side. Whether it be throwing on short rest, or needing just one good bullpen game, the Yankees starting trio will be a menacing presence for the hitters who oppose them, especially in the postseason where it matters most.
I don’t want to understate how good this three-headed monster will be for the Yankees. Rarely do you see a team rollout pitchers 1-3 and all of them are Cy Young contenders. Cole and Rodon finished 1st and 3rd respectively for strikeouts last year in the Majors. Nasty Nestor himself was among the best in the American League in ERA+ and WHIP. These pitchers are going to make the scoreboard keeper at Yankee Stadium find a new hobby, as there will be a lot of “0’s” being put on the board. Each of these pitchers has a different style of throwing as well that will mess up the timing and rhythm of opposing teams. Going from a flame throwing RHP (Cole) to a finesse throwing LHP (Cortes) and then getting a combo of both with nasty breaking pitches from Rodon. This variation in style will force teams to bring their “A” game every day, and in a 162-game schedule, that’s a lot to ask for. Simply stated, the New York Yankees will overpower a lot of teams they face this year.
The addition of Rodon may only be one player, but he is the key the Yankees need to finally make it over the hump in the 2023 season and beyond. Does New York still have other question marks in their lineup and on the field? Absolutely. However, I believe the consistency of the pitching staff will provide the front office a great opportunity to address the rest of their lineup. Instead of worrying about fixing their rotation, they can focus on upgrading other positions, mainly LF and SS. When it’s all said and done, I see this trio of pitchers going down as one of the best rotations to ever exist; and the main catalyst for the World Series rings to come.
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