The New York Yankees already have one of the best bullpens in baseball and it’s getting stronger with the addition of Adam Ottavino.
The New York Yankees have reportedly agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Adam Ottavino's deal with the New York Yankees is for three years and $27 million, league sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 17, 2019
Ottavino, 33, has spent the last seven years pitching out of the Colorado Rockies’ bullpen where he’s posted a career 3.68 ERA. 2018 saw his best production when he went 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA striking out 112 batters in 77.2 innings.
Coming into 2019 without Ottavino, the Yankees already had one of, if not the best bullpens in all of baseball. Headlined by Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Chad Green, and Zach Britton, adding Ottavino makes New York’s bullpen a force to be reckoned with.
The move comes within a week after New York re-signed reliever Britton. Ottavino will likely take the place of David Robertson who left for Philadelphia earlier this winter.
Ottavino allows for manager Aaron Boone to have a legitimate weapon for any situation in a game. If a starter can only give him four innings, he can run all five of his star relievers and shorten the game.
He is the third Colorado Rockie to make the switch over to the Bronx this offseason. He’ll join his teammate DJ LeMahieu and former teammate Troy Tulowitzki making the transition to the City That Never Sleeps.
Coming into the offseason, general manager Brian Cashman’s goal was to add two legitimate starting pitchers, shore up the infield, and strengthen the bullpen. Ottavino’s addition checks off that last check mark on Cashman’s list.
There isn’t much left to do for the Yankees except pack things up and head down to Tampa for when pitchers and catchers report.
