The New York Yankees have had quite the spending spree this offseason. The Yankees locked up Aaron Judge on a nine-year, $360 million deal before turning heel and adding Carlos Rodon to their starting rotation on a six-year, $162 million contract. Between the two players alone, the Yankees have doled out more than $500 million in guaranteed money. It's a big risk from the front office, but it's one they had to take in order to maximize the potential of their roster.

Rodon's deal will pay him $27 million per season in terms of average annual value, but he could realistically be the piece the Yankees need in order to get back into World Series contention. After a strong start last year, the Yankees fizzled out after the All-Star break, struggling through the summer months before getting swept in the ALCS by the Houston Astros. Their lack of a deep and healthy rotation plagued them down the stretch, something Rodon could certainly help out with.

With the Yankees desperate to hoist their first World Series trophy since 2009, backing up the Brinks truck for Rodon was a move that had to be made from the front office.

Carlos Rodon deal signifies Yankees are all in

Adding Rodon to the mix is huge for the Yankees. Their projected starting rotation now consists of Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, and Frankie Montas. There's arguably no better five-man pitching staff in all of MLB. While Montas is something of a question mark given his struggles in the pinstripes last season, if he can return to his usual form, this Yankees pitching rotation will be nothing short of lethal.

In 2022, Rodon had an outstanding season for the San Francisco Giants. Across 31 starts, Rodon struck out 237 batters in 178 innings while maintaining a 2.88 ERA. He logged a 14-8 record and earned a 5.4 WAR on the season. The only Yankee with a higher WAR than Rodon in 2022 was Aaron Judge (10.6), who led all of MLB in the statistic (and several others) during his historic campaign.

The Yankees will be locking him up for some of his best years. At 30 years old, Rodon is right in his prime, and should hopefully build off his stellar season from 2022 following his move to the Bronx. The six-year deal is a big gamble for the Yankees, but it shows the entire team and the fanbase that anything less than a World Series this season will be considered a major disappointment.

Injury history concerns worth the risk

Carlos Rodon comes with plenty of injury concerns. He's battled arm issues throughout his career and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. From 2017-2020, Rodon pitched a total of 232.1 innings and was mired by injuries. In 2021 and 2022, however, Rodon has looked completely transformed. In those two seasons alone, Rodon has logged 310.2 innings on the mound and has an elite 2.67 ERA with 422 strikeouts.

He's been a Cy Young candidate in each of the past two seasons. While his track record is sure to give some fans pause, he's been on the right path since undergoing Tommy John surgery. The injury concerns are beginning to feel more like a distant memory than a lingering issue for the left-hander, and perhaps the Yankees are hoping that he cleared up any recurring issues with his surgery in 2019.

All in all, the Rodon deal was a gamble the Yankees had to take. The market for starting pitchers was drying up quickly, and while securing Aaron Judge's extension was a big hit, the organization hadn't done anything to improve the roster from where it was last season. A big-market team like the Yankees can afford to take a risk on a player like Rodon, and if he stays healthy, $27 million per season for an ace-quality starter could end up looking like a bargain.