Free-Agent Reliever Adam Ottavino, Yankees Agree To 3-Year, $27 Million Deal

On Thursday, the New York Yankees and free-agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal.

Ex-Rockies Righty Pitcher Ottavino Joins Yankees

This move will further improve the Yankees’ bullpen, as Ottavino struck out 112 hitters last season with the Colorado Rockies. This helped him rank fourth among all MBL relievers. Ottavino also finished 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA.  The 33-year-old’s deal is pending a physical.

Ottavino will now join top pitchers like Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Zach Britton, who inked a three-year, $39 million pact with the Bombers earlier this month.

This past season, the Yankees’ bullpen became the first in major league history to strike out over 30 percent of batters faced (30.2%) and could prove significantly stronger this year. Right-hander Ottavino made a name for himself in Colorado as a setup man, so New York will likely use him against righty hitters.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Ottavino also made a bold claim about his pitching ability in a December interview with MLB’s Statcast podcast.

“I had an argument with a coach in Triple-A about Babe Ruth’s effectiveness in today’s game,” said Ottavino. “I said, ‘Babe Ruth, with that swing, swinging that bat, I got him hitting .140 with eight homers.’ … I’m like, ‘I would strike Babe Ruth out every time.’

He continued: “I’m not trying to disrespect him, you know, rest in peace, you know, shoutout to Babe Ruth. But it was a different game. I mean, the guy ate hot dogs and drank beer and did whatever he did. It was just a different game.”

Ottavino wasn’t the only big MLB free agency signing this week, however. On Wednesday, it was announced that former Los Angeles Dodger Manny Machado agreed to a seven-year, $175 million offer from the Chicago White Sox. The Philadelphia Phillies was another team that had been pursuing Machado in recent weeks.

Now, only former Washington Nationals All-Star and National League MVP Bryce Harper remains to be signed.