MLB insider reports that the New York Yankees are heavily pursuing Carlos Rodon

With Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander out of the picture, all eyes are on Carlos Rodon, who leads the available pitching free agents in this year's Winter Meetings.

The 29-year-old signed a two-year $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2022 season. However, he had an opt-out clause after a year, which he exercised this offseason.

The impression now is that the New York Yankees are prime contenders to sign the lefty ace. Per MLB insider Matthew Roberson's report in the New York Daily News, the Yankees are keen to land Carlos Rodon in the Big Apple.

The length of the contract and the amount of salary are the only details left to be ironed out to make him agree terms with the team.

"Matthew Roberson of NYDN: “The chatter has pointed to the Yankees being a top pursuer of Rodon, and they can much easier explain offering him a big lucrative deal than they could for Verlander, who is nearly a full decade older.”" - @ Michigan Yankees

It would be interesting to see where Rodon ends up before Opening Day 2023 as reports suggest that up to nine teams are interested in his services. These include the aforementioned Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles, the Texas Rangers, the Minnesota Twins, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Carlos Rodon's 2022 season

Arizona Diamondbacks v San Francisco Giants

Carlos Rodon was one of the few bright spots in the San Francisco Giants' underwhelming 2022 campaign. He proved that his scintillating 2021 season with the Chicago White Sox wasn't a fluke with a stellar year.

Rodon was the most consistent starter for the Giants this past season and posted a 14-8 record in 31 starts to go along with a 2.88 ERA. This brought him his second-straight All-Star team selection.

From the get-go, Rodon impressed. He tied the record for the most strikeouts by a San Francisco Giants debutant when he fanned 12 Miami Marlins batters in his first game with the club.

He continued to build on this momentum and broke more Giants team strikeout records for a pitcher's second, third, and fourth appearances since the Dead Ball Era.

Carlos Rodon ended his memorable year in New York by recording his 10th multi-digit strikeout game in the season on September 9. This is the most in franchise history for a season, with Rodon surpassing "The Freak" Tim Lincecum and Jason Schmidt.