Yankees have their best chance ever to trade Carlos Rodón and avoid likely fate

Editor's Note: This article was written before Rodón was placed on the injured list. It'll now all depend on his recovery, but any trade scenario just became a lot more unlikely.

Carlos Rodón has largely been a letdown since he signed that six-year, $162 million contract heading into the 2023 season. It's not all his fault. Injuries derailed his first season and then an elbow issue hampered him down the stretch in 2025.

Still, he has not been worth the money. He's terrible in big games when the Yankees need to win and his playoff track record is that of a No. 4 starter (and he's making $27 million per year). Brian Cashman likely knew this was a sunk cost/luxury acquisition of sorts when he broke the bank to sign Max Fried two years later.

Now, the Yankees have an embarrassment of riches in their starting rotation. When Fried returns, he'll join Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Rodón, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. Somebody is going to the bullpen as Aaron Boone will need to make adjustments.

But ... what if the Yankees got a bit more creative than that? What if they traded from their rotation? What if they found a suitor for Rodón and his payroll-clogging salary? They may never have a better chance to do so this year.

It's not lost on us that teams need pitching depth upon pitching depth to weather the 162-game playoffs plus postseason nowadays, but trading Rodón does little to impact the starting staff. The Yankees don't need him, and he's proven not to be a difference maker for them. He's elite-level depth when he's producing during the regular season, but that's about it. When the playoffs roll around, he won't be getting a start unless there are more injuries (or unless the staff is exhausted by the time they start playing in seven-game series).

So why not explore the market for him ahead of this year's trade deadline? There are so many teams out there that need pitching, and the Yankees can better utilize the remaining ~$70 million owed to him. Maybe that's via a Tarik Skubal trade when the time comes? We're just spitballing.

But how this for a thought experiment? Call the Cubs and see if they'd be willing to do a contract swap with Dansby Swanson.

Dansby Swanson trade could be Yankees' get-out-of-Carlos Rodón-free ticket

The Cubs are down bad right now. They are losing pitchers left and right as they try to remain afloat in the NL Central. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees' pitching staff is largely doing great. It's their offense and defense letting them down as the depth gets tested.

And if we've learned anything ahead of the 2026 trade deadline, it's going to be hard to come across affordable/sensible assets. Skubal is grabbing all the headlines, but there are only a handful of teams capable of overpaying for two months of the left-hander.

The Cubs desperately need pitching for 2026 and beyond. The Yankees need a shortstop right now if they want to make a real run at the World Series. Is Swanson a desired elite option? No. Is he overpaid? Yes. But he's a sure-handed glove who can help the Yankees with their goals right now. Same goes for Rodón if he heads to the Windy City. The Yankees can easily make do without Rodón, and the Cubs can do the same with Swanson thanks to the versatility of Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw.

Swanson is signed through 2029 and has the same AAV ($27 million) as Rodón, who is signed for the same amount through 2028. Perhaps it's a clean contract swap with the Cubs throwing in a prospect? Chicago has real NL Central hopes, and adding Rodón to that decimated rotation will go a long way for them.

As for the Yankees, spending $27 million on an elite glove at a marquee position is certainly a better use of funds than on a middling pitcher who is supposed to be a No. 2 but is really the fourth best arm on the staff. We're not saying this is a genius decision. It's far from perfect for so many reasons. But the Yankees incorrectly prioritized Anthony Volpe as their starting shortstop of the future, and he's not that. He is not going to magically improve his range and arm strength overnight. His bat is not going to sustain beyond these random two-week surges. Jose Caballero isn't the answer, either. Relegating him to your best bench option is a better use of his time.

There's no world in which the Yankees get "proper" value for Rodón. He's not good enough and he's overpaid. But he is good enough and worth the money to a contender in desperate need of pitching, and timing is everything. Swanson's contract is ugly, too, but what's the better investment? A 33-year-old with multiple elbow surgeries and an inability to handle the spotlight, or a 32-year-old who still profiles as one of the best defenders in the league at a position the Yankees have no solution for?

And if this is far from your preferred method of trade deadline operating, then what would be your plan for Rodón, whether it's with the Yankees or if he's sent packing on Aug. 3?

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