Carlos Rodon was an early arrival to spring training for the Yankees, as he vows to bounce back from his disastrous debut in 2023.
Sal isn’t holding out hope that Rodon will get back to his 2022 or 2021 form, noting that those years were the exceptions to an otherwise lackluster MLB career so far.
“We make it like Carlos Rodon has been some great pitcher his entire career, and all of a sudden he had one bad year with the Yankees. That is not the case,” Sal said. “He’s had two lights-out seasons, he’s been often injured, his career ERA is just under 4.00.
“I’m expecting a 4.00 ERA. Guess what a 4.00 ERA is? Not a No. 2 starter.”
Rodon was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022, but in the six years prior, he pitched to a 4.14 ERA across 92 starts. Sal says it is more likely that the lefty pitches near those numbers rather than his two best seasons, which would be a big issue for the Yankees.
“How do you not need him to be a No. 2? Who is the other No. 2 in the rotation?” Sal said. “Right now, your rotation behind Gerrit Cole is thin…that’s a problem.
“Rodon stinks. He pitched to a 6.80 ERA and said everything wrong last year…with Carlos Rodon pitching to a 4 or 5.00 ERA, do you think the Yankees can win a World Series?”
