The New York Yankees are on the lookout for yet another pitching prospect in the 2023 free-agency market. Amidst the speculation about a handful of elite pitchers available to be drafted, cynicism arises. They have made the mistake of going after talents with injurious pasts before. There is one such instance that they still have to pay for.

Carlos Rodon was drafted by the Bronx Bombers back in 2022, right after spending a spectacular tenure with his former team, the SF Giants. The journey that transpired after was an insufferable one, to say the least. Should the team choose to pick one of the three pitchers they currently have their eyes on, will history repeat itself?

The New York Yankees are in a Rodon dilemma 

The New York Yankees are targeting two of the best pitchers to ever grace MLB: Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell, along with minor leaguer Shota Imanaga. All three have finished this season on an excellent note. Imanaga struck out 188 with a 2.66 ERA. On the other hand, Montgomery and Snell completed this year with an ERA and SO rate of 3.20/166 and 2.25/234, respectively.

The questionability of the selection comes from the fact that all three aces have suffered injuries somewhere between 2018 and 2021. Imanaga’s 2020 season was cut short following a shoulder injury. For Montgomery, minor setbacks like cramps and health protocol issues were brought to light last year, per Fox Sports. Blake Snell, however, was headlining the news from 2018 to 2020 regarding his consequent health issues. All of these circumstances bring a certain Rodon-like situation to mind.

The New York Yankees drafted Carlos Rodon on the fateful day of December 21st last year. For a pitcher of his caliber, the team didn’t think twice before locking him in for the next six years. Unfortunately, they soon began regretting their decision.

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Carlos Rodon before and after the Yankees stint

Rodon spent a good amount of time on the injured list after suffering from two consequent injuries to his elbow and back. In what turned out to be a season full of underperformance, which more often than not was caused by injuries, Rodon finished this year with a heavily disappointing ERA of 6.85 across just 14 games. The polar opposite of his record from the 2022 season.

After being nominated on the Cy Young list in fifth place in 2021, Rodon began playing for Los Gigantes in 2022. Within a month of his debut, Rodon struck out 12 hitters in just five innings. His consistent excellence throughout the year led to him being considered an MLB-All-Star replacement and being nominated for Cy Young once again.

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That all changed once he arrived in the Bronx. As the New York Yankees are now actively looking for pitchers in the market, they have to be mindful of not repeating another Rodon future.