One rumored New York Yankees free agent reportedly is off the market. New York showed interest in Cuban fireballer Yariel Rodríguez earlier this offseason and was seen as one of the “strongest candidates” to land the young fireballer. It sounds like he will not be joining the Yankees, though. Rodríguez reportedly agreed to a deal with the rival Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, according to MLB.com’s Francys Romero.
“Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodríguez (26) and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a contract, per sources,” Romero said. “Rodríguez is expected to do the physical in the coming days in Toronto. He is represented by WME agency and Edgar Mercedes from Born to Play.” Rodríguez was one of the most intriguing pitchers remaining on the market. The 26-year-old has eight seasons of professional baseball under his belt and has a career 3.08 ERA. The young hurler spent the last few seasons with the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball but missed the 2023 season. He attempted to leave the Dragons and make the jump to the big leagues but was still under contract with the Dragons.
In his last full season with the Dragons in 2022, Rodríguez was impressive with a 2.95 ERA in 19 appearances. It’s unclear exactly what role he will play with Toronto as he has spent time as a starter and a reliever throughout his career so far. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see him begin the 2024 campaign as a starter with the Blue Jays but a move to the bullpen always could come later.
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