The New York Yankees were actively pursuing a hard-throwing pitcher, but he has ultimately chosen to join a division rival. According to MLB reporter Francys Romero, Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodríguez and the Toronto Blue Jays have reached an agreement on a contract.
Romero had previously noted last month that the Yankees were involved in the competitive process to acquire the services of the right-handed pitcher. While Toronto was also in the mix for Rodríguez, pending a physical examination and addressing reported immigration obstacles, the 26-year-old is now set to become a Blue Jay.
Yariel Rodríguez, who previously played for the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball, became a free agent in October. In an attempt to secure an MLB contract in March 2023, Rodríguez faced challenges as the Dragons insisted their contract with him was still valid. Consequently, he spent the entire year training in the Dominican Republic.
The most recent season in which Rodríguez pitched was in 2022 with the Dragons, where he demonstrated impressive performance with a 1.15 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 54 2/3 relief innings pitched. Prior to his time in Japan, Rodríguez had a professional career in Cuba from 2015 to 2020.
