The defending champion Braves have made an addition in the bullpen, announcing a two-year, $8.25MM guarantee for free agent reliever Kirby Yates. The team announced that’ll take the form of a $1MM salary in 2022, a $6MM salary in 2023 and at least a $1.25MM buyout on a 2024 club option valued at $5.75MM. (The Braves are among the teams that publicly disclose contract terms). Yates is a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Yates is coming off a lost season. After signing with the Blue Jays last offseason, he suffered a flexor strain in Spring Training that required Tommy John surgery. That procedure is expected to keep him out until midseason 2022, which explains the contract’s backloaded structure. That came on the heels of a 2020 campaign also wrecked by injury, as he was limited to just 4 1/3 frames with the Padres that season.
Because it’s been a few years since we’ve seen Yates over an extended period, it might be easy to forget how great he was at his best. A late bloomer who bounced around the league on waivers through the first few years of his MLB career, he took his game to a new level upon landing with the Padres in 2017. Over the next three seasons, the right-hander pitched to a combined 2.31 ERA across 179 1/3 innings of relief, striking out a brilliant 38.7% of batters faced while walking just 6.8%. Yates led all of baseball with 41 saves in 2019, a season that also saw him earn an All-Star nod and finish seventh in National League Cy Young award voting.
Yates turns 35 years old next March, so there’d be some risk for Atlanta even independent of his spotty recent health history. But he was utterly dominant the last time he was at full strength, and that ceiling prompted the front office to take a shot on a rebound.
We’ve seen similar deals of this ilk in the past. Tommy Kahnle and Ken Giles signed two-year contracts with the Dodgers and Mariners, respectively, last winter despite both being expected to miss the entirety of the 2021 campaign recovering from TJS. Yates offers the potential to contribute to a playoff push down the stretch next year before logging a hopefully healthy 2023 campaign. The Braves also pick up some additional upside in the form of the 2024 club option, which would look like an abolsute bargain if Yates does manage to return to anything resembling his 2017-19 form.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Braves and Yates were in agreement on a two-year, $8.25MM guarantee with a $5.75MM club option for 2024.
As a braves fan, this will show those mets lol
Don’t need to show the Mets anything. They are great at being average. Braves will be fine as usual.
lol although I love the Mets, wouldn’t that be a sight after all the spending spread ?
As a Mets’ fan, he’s a good reliever and your team is the reigning champion. That said our staff, if it remains healthy, is pretty formidable. If both teams play to their capabilities, they should both make the postseason.
Just like last year…
I do like the signing. I’m just exaggerating. When the mets deal got done though I swear I swallowed my testicles.
TMI.
Not enough info in my opinion
Either very flexible or massive balls.
Both 😉
Uh Dusty…why were you close enough to your testicles to be capable of swallowing them?
Yoga and sagging. 🙂
Reminds me of that Will Ferrell SNL skit.
And also like this year, 2019 and 2018.
I wouldn’t be too confident in that staff being healthy
by “staff” you mean Max and Jacob?
You had years of DeGrom and Syndergaard being one of the best duos in baseball and you still made the postseason like 1/6 years…
What does the offseason trophy look like?
They added $254.5M in payroll for 4 players with a median age of 33. Desperation in Queens.
I wouldn’t say desperation . The owner has a lot of money so why can’t he make them better? Dodgers and Yankees have been making these deals for years. No reason why the Mets can’t.
The Dodgers couldn’t win with Max. What makes the Mets think they can with a worse team all around? They are putting all their marbles on the next 1 or 2 years. The Mets should have also learned from the Padres.
TrumpChop – And what choice do the Mets really have? Are they supposed to just not sign a guy because the Dodgers couldn’t win with him in one post-season? By that logic, dump your entire roster because nobody got it done.
The Mets roster construction is trash. It’s a patchwork of zero defense and boom-or-bust type offense. The bullpen is horrific, as are the 3-4-5 starters on paper. It’s entirely impossible for the offense to be potent and the pitching staff to figure it out, but you want us to write the entire season off because…? The Braves lost their entire OF, including their best player, and won a WS. The Mets have potential to put it together.
The Braves had a young core in the infield that was young and played without injuries. That is the difference a infield that all hit 27 or more home runs.
The Mets haven’t spent wisely they are going have a lot of late 30 year old players with injury risk. The Mets are not smartly building any kind of team they are throwing money hoping for a miracle and season ticket sales.
Braves better sign Freddie otherwise they will regret it big time.
That is fair but why do you think the Dodgers did not sign Max? After what they traded and clearly was great for them down the stretch…there was something the Dodgers saw that made them rethink bringing him back. Cohen is literally just throwing money out there without due diligence. Just think about what they acquired, a mid 30’s arm with lots of innings under him that lost it in the playoff.
Realistically speaking, the Mets are still not a dangerous team, albeit that is not to say they can’t still win the division. The Braves have lots of work to do. So do the Phillies.
Gee, the LAD only offered a 37 year old 2 years at $40MM per! They must have seen something they didn’t like! (those are some sour grapes you got there, T****chop!)
@Birch so do the Marlins who are vastly underrated
Kershaw was a massive bust in the playoffs for a significant portion of his career, so I’m going to disagree with your assessment of LAD and
Max.
I also think that you’re completely underestimating the Mets roster. If they win the division over the WS defending Braves, how can they not be dangerous? We know it almost certainly won’t happen, but what if they got great seasons from Alonso, Marte, Lindor, McNeil, Nimmo and from deGrom, Scherzer, Diaz, Lugo, Carrasco? Canha, Escobar, Smith/Davis can all add good bats over the year. I think every team in the division can be dangerous, excluding the Nats.
Kershaw wasn’t an entire bust. He was overused. Pitched 5/6 great innings, 3rd time in the order did Kershaw in. Roberts or whoever was managing didn’t pull Kershaw for the bullpen. I’d like to see the braves sign Kershaw to go with that talented young staff.
I don’t know about other fans but for me the fact that the braves have not signed freddie by now really is starting to piss me off. The guy is the face of the franchise and wants to be a brave for his whole career. I’m watching other teams sign guys into the years of their careers that freeman will be at. Someone will give him the years if the braves won’t. I don’t even care if you are paying bad money after his peak. Just get it done before someone else does. He is the difference maker we need
You have a new billionaire owner that loves attention/headlines and has been spurned by Bauer, Thor, and Matz so far in about a year or so of owning the team.
Boras knew he was about to do some of his finest work squeezing Cohen and the Mets here.
Don’t forget about Springer. They wouldn’t have signed Marte this offseason had that deal gone through. Also don’t forget the amount of turnover in the front office and clubhouse since new owner. Says something how much Cohen has and how difficult it’s been to find someone to pull the levers or field the team (currently without a manager).
The Mets season rides on the arm of deGrom and that doesn’t look too promising. Forearm issues are usually a precursor to surgery and deGrom has had too many scares lately. I could see him finally having to opt for TJS sometime next season and that would completely blow up the Mets’ chance at competing in 2022.
Don’t need to. Mets can sign and trade for as many players but the team never gels. Braves are farm and free agent driven, so it works.
It’s not about who can spend the most. It’s about who can put together the best 26 man roster? Mets are a work in progress. Always. Braves have felled and will for 2022.
Nice bullpen depth. Possible closer if healthy.
Can’t wait for his Blue Jays highlight reel when he returns to the Rogers Centre.
A legend to the city, forever in Toronto’s hearts. He means as much to the 6 as Pablo Sandoval does to Cleveland
Vlady and his boys will take him upon arrival!
This wasn’t the Free man they were looking for
This is not a bad deal at all. I was hoping the Angels would make this deal.
Not sure this dude can be trusted to stay healthy tbh. If he does, it’s a good deal, but that’s a big if.
Two years for 8.25? He gives you 1.25 seasons that’s a steal.
AA, making it rain! Freddie who? Haha, sign Freddie
This is such a Braves move. I mean that as a compliment. Little under the radar moves with large potential payoffs.
Kirby’s deal looks like it came from the dollar general with the headline figures that came about today.
Solid pickup.
The more they stall with Freeman, the more they deserve to lose him.
The offseason has barely started. All will be well.
Be hard to follow up the season he just had with the jays
He didn’t give up an earned run all year
When Hector Neris is getting 2 years, $17 million, these types of moves look pretty smart. Sure there is more risk because he’s coming off TJS, but Yates was one of the top 5 relievers in MLB for several years straight before getting injured. No reason to think he can’t still be very effective if he can get back to full health. Yates and Darren O’Day for a few million > Hector Neris
What a great pick up for cheap, love this deal!
Smart deal. He can likely help in the 2nd half, and they’ll have him for all of 2023 when he’s back to full strength.
Thanks Chaim
Solid pickup. If he returns to form, that makes the Braves pen much better.
Here come the good teams making the smart moves.
Brilliant deal! Even if he misses 2022 entirely, getting a healthy Yates for 1 year and $8M is a steal.
Good planning. It’s like what the Dodgers did stashing Tommy Kahnle this year and Jimmy Nelson before him.
What a waste of money. You would think they would have learned the lesson after he stole money from Toronto.
Uhhhhhhhhh, Freeman? Kirby Yates Flyer move with closer experience great AA and company. Important matter is Mr. Freeman before the Dec 1 Freeze. We need a 3 hole hitter and 1st Baseman.
It’s possible this was just them swooping in on an opportunity to get a potential bargain? This could be an steal if he comes back to even 80% of his 2018-2019 vintage again, and even if not that, could still be a solid arm for not that much. I like signings like this. I’m sure they’re doing what they can to keep or replace Freeman.
Freddy going to the dodgers.
Freddy Galvis? Maybe. Freddie Freeman is re-signing with Atlanta.
I don’t think so. It’s more likely the Dodgers make a trade.
For some reason, fffbbb isn’t replyable.
Probably most of Yates’ Toronto contract was paid by insurance.
Typically 70% paid by insurance but no doubt lots of clauses in there to protect their interest i.e. fit for use.
Braves show the Mets with an intelligent move over a headline move.
Solid arm with closing experience – at the very least. At most, he could be a replacement for Will Smith – who has a $13M 2023 option (1M buyout).
Braves are smart AA has done a great job on the cheap
Yates will help !!
A move that can easily be lost with the huge signings across baseball the last few days, but it’s a solid signing that could pay big dividends at a smaller cost. Moves like this help win championships.
I like it! Go Braves!
Next Up Freeman
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Kirby Yates right up until he signed the deal to join the Braves.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Braves’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Yates.
You need a new schtick. This one’s getting worn out. I prefer the Mister LOL guy.
I love mocking. But im not sure how this post is supposed to be funny.
If the Braves don’t resign Freddie it won’t matter who they sign, they won’t do diddly in 2022. No Freddie no division title or wild card spot. It will be the Phillies as NL East Champs.
Fun fact. Yates was the last pitcher to make the Angels bullpen in 2017. They traded for David Hernandez and he was out a day later, cleared waivers and was back on the team a few days later. Promptly gave up 2 home runs in his first game without an out, then cut. He was 30, been on 3 teams with an ERA over 5. in almost 100 ING. San Diego picked him up and for the next 3 season was probably the most legit reliver in baseball. He perfected the splitter or something like that has lead to the injuries he has. A la Donnie Moore, which is a great read BTW. My point, stop throwing 7+ million at relievers. It didn’t work for the rockies years back. Relievers are hard to see the future sometimes ya know
But Tampa is right 100% of the time when it comes to young pitching