The New York Yankees will once again have one of the best bullpens in baseball in 2019.
The Yankees and free agent reliever Adam Ottavino agreed to a contract Thursday, according to multiple reports. ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan was the first to report an agreement was in place. Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman reported Ottavino’s deal is for three years and $27 million.
The 33-year-old Ottavino has been up and down throughout his career, but a new emphasis on analytics and an alteration to his offseason training helped the right-hander become one of the best setup men in baseball last season with the Colorado Rockies. The New York City native appeared in 75 games with the Rockies, allowing just 21 earned runs in 77 2/3 innings, striking out 13 batters per nine innings.
Ottavino was especially tough on right-handed hitters, limiting them to a .142 batting average and .467 OPS in 170 plate appearances. The Yankees will likely figure out bullpen roles for Ottavino and the rest of the Bronx relievers, but Aaron Boone will have no shortage of lefty-righty options after the team re-signed left-hander Zach Britton earlier this month.
New York did lose reliever David Robertson to the Philadelphia Phillies, but Ottavino is probably an upgrade at this point. Add in other middle-relief options like Tommy Kahnle and Dellin Betances, with all of them setting the table for closer Aroldis Chapman, and late-inning runs will be hard to come by when playing the Yankees this season.
