Yankees Re-Sign Joely Rodríguez to One-Year Deal
The Yankees re-signed left-handed reliever Joely Rodríguez to a one-year deal on Wednesday, the team announced.
This comes a few days after New York declined Rodríguez's club option, sending the southpaw into free agency.
By choosing not to pick up Rodríguez's option—worth $3 million—New York was able to save some money. The reliever's one-year pact is a $2 million deal, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Rodríguez was acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Joey Gallo trade. The lefty proceeded to quietly pitched well for the rest of the regular season. In 21 appearances, and over 19 innings, Rodríguez posted a 2.84 ERA, striking out 17 while walking just six batters.
He's particularly effective against left-handed hitters. Over the entirety of the 2021 season, including 31 appearances with the Rangers, lefty opponents hit just .203 (12-for-59) against Rodríguez. He recorded 20 strikeouts against left-handed hitters in a total of 67 plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez struggled mightily against those that occupy the opposite batter's box. Righties hit .339 (41-for-121) against him. With baseball's three-batter rule in effect, it makes it tougher to use Rodríguez in high-leverage spots whenever big bats on the right side are looming.
Nonetheless, Rodríguez certainly flexed his potential in pinstripes this year and he'll be able to find a role out of New York's bullpen in 2022.
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