Yankees podcaster says signing Carlos Rodon was smarter than going after Jacob deGrom: "deGrom's contract is not gonna age well"

There were three aces on the market for the New York Yankees this season: Carlos Rodon, Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom. The Yankees ended up getting Rodon after deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers and Verlander joined the New York Mets.

Comparatively speaking, the contracts aren't that dissimilar. DeGrom, of course, got paid more but Rodon received a nice contract as well. When asked whether or not they'd prefer Rodon or deGrom, one Yankees podcaster was blunt.

Jake Story noted that the contracts are similar:

"Six years, $162 million. What if I told you straight up, deGrom? It could've been deGrom instead of Rodon. The total money, deGrom gets $20 more million and there's one year less on the contract, so it's $185 million compared to $162."

JoezMcfly responded without a second thought:

"I think the bigger thing is, they both have an injury history. One has a more recent injury history. And then there's the age factor. I love who deGrom is, I love what he stands for on the mound. Really good... I think deGrom [contract] age wise is not gonna age well."

DeGrom is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, but he does have a serious injury history and is much older than Rodon. For these Yankees fans, that's enough to make Rodon a far better choice.

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What to expect from Carlos Rodon this season

Carlos Rodon went from being the absolute ace on a team with no playoff aspirations in the San Francisco Giants to being the second pitcher on a playoff-ready team.

The Yankees don't need as much from Rodon as the Giants did last season, but they'll still get a very good year from their new number two. In fact, the Fangraphs projections expect a stellar year.

They believe Rodon will be worth over 5.0 fWAR and have an ERA hovering around 3.00 with a K/9 of well over 11. They also expect anywhere from 160 to 180 innings, which is excellent for a pitcher with a bit of an injury history.

How good will Carlos Rodon be?

Rodon won't have to carry the rotation, that will be Gerrit Cole's job. He will provide exceptional support and will probably once again be one of baseball's best pitchers.