7:55pm: Niese can earn a $1.25MM base salary if he cracks the roster, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter links). The deal also includes $750K in potential incentives, with separate packages that would allow him to earn to that amount whether he’s functioning as a starter or reliever. Manager Joe Girardi says that Niese will enter camp battling for a pen role, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch notes on Twitter.
5:26pm: The Yankees are poised to sign left-hander Jon Niese to a minor league contract, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link). The deal will become official when Niese passes a physical. Niese is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.
A fixture in the Mets rotation from 2010-15, Niese is coming off a rough, injury-plagued 2016 campaign. The Mets dealt Niese to the Pirates in a swap for Neil Walker last winter and the southpaw didn’t see much success in the black-and-gold, posting a 4.91 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 1.87 K/BB rate over 110 innings as a Pirate. Niese was then dealt back to the Mets in August in exchange for Antonio Bastardo and pitched only 11 innings in his second stint with the Amazins before undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on a torn left meniscus. The Mets declined Niese’s $10MM option for 2017, instead paying him a $500K buyout.
[Updated Yankees roster at Roster Resource]
Thirteen teams attended a workout Niese held earlier this month to demonstrate his health in the wake of his knee injury, and the Marlins also expressed some interest in Niese earlier this winter. Given his track record as a fairly steady and durable starter (3.86 ERA and 171 innings per year from 2010-15), it isn’t surprising that Niese drew a lot of looks as a potential bounce-back candidate.
Sherman reports that the Yankees see Niese as a candidate to both start or come out of the bullpen, and the 30-year-old could fill a need for New York in either department. Luis Severino, Chad Green, Luis Cessa, Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren will be in competition for the fourth and fifth spots in the Yankees’ rotation this season, and Niese adds a more experienced element to that battle.
If used as a reliever, Niese would join Tommy Layne as the top left-handed options out of the pen, with closer Aroldis Chapman obviously being saved for end-game scenarios. The Yankees were linked to such notable lefty relievers as Boone Logan and Jerry Blevins earlier this offseason, though Niese comes at a lower price tag — both Logan and Blevins will earn $6.5MM in guaranteed money in 2017, with the potential for more if the Indians and Mets respectively exercise club options on each southpaw.
While Niese has never been much of a strikeout pitcher over his career, he does own an impressive 50.1% ground ball rate, which would serve him well pitching at Yankee Stadium. Of course, Niese’s problems in 2016 were largely caused by the long ball, as he saw his home run rate spike to a whopping 22.1% last season. While such a giant increase could’ve been an aberration, Niese’s home run rates have been on the rise in each of the last four seasons.
Hey now. Ok. MiLB deal smart.
Could be a starter and reliever
so he’s coming back to New York. But on a different team.
Apparently so
Thank god…
You sure know your teams!
You’re very smart.
You could work on ESPN with that analytical mind.
No, he knows too much about baseball. Maybe Fox lol.
We might as well give him a shot, it ain’t like we have better options
Passing the physical won’t be automatic. And he’s terrible–although I might be juuuuuust a bit biased on that point. I still want him to sign with Colorado and see if he can give up over 50 HR in a year
Lol
lol
Poor Yanks. This is to pump up a loser like Pineda so that he can think he’s better than some else.
Man don’t hate on Pineda
Very easy to do….He BLOWS.
I’m a Cub fan Yankees never get the bad in of a deal sorry Tanaka
overrated and dumb… poor you.
Fan of LOSERS…You have another one to root for now. It sucks to be you doesnt it?
Talk about one of the unhappiest guys in the sport. That perpetual scowl of his will look good in Pinstripes
Even if healthy a huge difference starting in the ALE vs NLE not to mention the home park effect. Could be a useful middle relief guy or long relief guy to soak up garbage innings. I guess being a former Met made him attractive
The difference between divisions and leagues for that matter is quite minimal.
Yet another “The Pirates staff can turn any garbage pitcher into an Ace!” that flopped hard, like the majority have done.
Majority?
Neise, Sanchez, …Bedard?
As opposed to, say, Burnett, Liriano, Nova, Volquez, Happ, Blanton, Grilli?
Vance Worley could be added to that 2nd list
HA.
When the Pirates got Jon Niese and I learned the terms of his contract I realized….no matter how much your kid loves hockey, get him off the ice and onto a mound.
Niese made more than Sidney Crosby. Niese BLOWS. And Crosby is the best player on Earth.
Hey you overrratedsandy why don’t you said who is your baseball team??
He’s a Mets fan who just thinks sandy is overrated.
And he’s proven to not be very knowledgeable about baseball.
And you’ve proven to be kinda stupeed.
A total looser!!
As opposed to a total tighter?
Haha!
Yes stl_cards16 is a total loser. Agree!
You make me smile. It must be fun always being mad. I bet you’re a joy to be around!
I am. You’re the one with the nasty comment. Angry that the Cards will blow mightily this year?
It’s amazing, the difference between comment threads depending on what team the article is about. I think I’ve read enough from Yankees and Padres fans today…
(Disclaimer: not all Yankees fans and Padres fans are awful, and not all fans of other teams, especially Boston, are peachy. But I can’t believe how many times I’ve read the word loser and seen references to mental institutions in the same place where advanced metrics are often discussed.)
When Panda busts his belt and Hanley misbehaves without Papi around to keep him in check, bosox fans will show their true colors of anger and resentment. Long before 4tu of July it will be “Go Pats” at Fenway
Haha
Worst signing in history why is everyone shying away from Lewis
Niese might contribute some serviceable innings now that he has had time to recover from the Mets overuse and abuse. It has taken a couple of seasons to restore his shoulder and elbow. Classy, he did not point the finger at “TC” who leads MLB in games missed due to DL stints. Instead Jon focused on pitching for an organization that protects pitchers!
Yankees pitchers don’t throw as many innings because they get knocked out of the game by the 6th inning.
I remember countless times when Tanaka pitched last year and was taken out in the 6th with only 80 something pitches because of betances miller chapman
Should check last years pitching stats. I believe Yankee starters went further into games than mets starters with the exception of Colon who they no longer possess. I believe ERA was comparable also.
I like it! I could see him winning 15 to 20 games this year
What are you Smoking? Niese SUCKS..I have watched him enough. He gets unravelled when anything goes wrong on the field and then can’t finish up. With Pineda and Niese the Yankees are taking a big step back.
Worthwhile gamble. If healthy he has good stuff, nothing Earth shattering but you can get some quality starts out of him.
If he pitches well I would trade him. Any prospect they can get would be worth a shot. Everybody knows what Niese is and I doubt coming off injury he is going to become a great pitcher for years to come. I see him as same as Carter signing. Cheap chance to bring in more prospects when teams are desperate for playoff run.