Yankees, Adam Ottavino agree to 3-year, $27 million deal
Free-agent reliever
Adam Ottavino and the
New York Yankees agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal Thursday, league sources told ESPN, fortifying an already deep bullpen with a strikeout-happy right-hander who was one of the best setup men in baseball last season.
As a lockdown reliever for the
Colorado Rockies last season, Ottavino struck out 112 batters, which ranked fourth among all MLB relievers, and held opposing hitters to a .158 batting average in 77⅔ innings. He went 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA as the Rockies reached the National League Division Series as the wild card before losing to Milwaukee.
Ottavino, 33, whose deal is pending a physical, joins the best bullpen in baseball. The Yankees now boast closer
Aroldis Chapman, setup man
Dellin Betances and late-inning specialist
Zach Britton, who agreed to a three-year, $39 million deal with New York earlier this offseason.
Add in
Chad Green and
Jonathan Holder, who had a breakout 2018, and the Yankees' bullpen stands in stark contrast to that of the rival
Boston Red Sox, who lost setup man
Joe Kelly via free agency to the
Los Angeles Dodgers and are without a closer, as
Craig Kimbrel remains a free agent.
The Yankees' bullpen, which is coming off a season in which it was the first in MLB history to strike out more than 30 percent of batters faced (30.2), could be even tougher in 2019. It will feature three of the top 11 MLB relievers in strikeout ratio from 2018 -- and that's not including Britton, who has a career ratio of 8.7 K/9 IP as a reliever.
Ottavino, who earned $7 million while serving as the setup man for Rockies closer
Wade Davis, has always been a great matchup option facing right-handed hitters but has continued to flash the right pitches to get lefty hitters out, too.