The Yankees have signed veteran reliever Adam Ottavino to a major league contract, the team announced this morning. The right-hander was released by the Red Sox in March. Devin Williams has been placed on the paternity list, temporarily opening a space for Ottavino on the active roster, while JT Brubaker has been transferred to the 60-day IL, thereby making room for Ottavino on the 40-man.
Ottavino, 39, is a veteran of 14 MLB seasons. Over 724 regular season appearances, he has pitched to a 3.49 ERA and 3.44 SIERA, amassing 46 saves and 194 holds. Despite his advanced age, he has remained reliable in recent years. He has made at least 60 appearances in each of the past four seasons with a 3.41 ERA and 3.52 SIERA in that time. While his 4.34 ERA with the Mets last season was not particularly impressive, his 3.19 xERA and 3.27 SIERA offer reason to believe he can bounce back in 2025. While his ERA does not show it, he was equally good at racking up strikeouts and inducing weak contact. That’s usually a good recipe for success. On top of that, Ottavino is only one year removed from a 3.21 ERA performance in 2023 and only two years removed from a 2.06 ERA performance in 2022. That’s not to say Ottavino is a sure thing to succeed with the Yankees. There’s a reason the Mets left him off their NLCS roster last fall, and there’s a reason the Red Sox cut him this spring. Still, his long track record is the reason the Yankees are giving him another shot. After all, this team knows the highs and lows of the Ottavino experience as well as anyone. The righty was a Yankee for two years in 2019 and 2020. He pitched to a 1.90 ERA in 73 games his first season with the club and a 5.89 ERA in 24 games in his second.
The Yankees’ bullpen has not been hit by injuries quite as hard as their rotation. However, they are currently without Ian Hamilton (virus), Jonathan Loáisiga (rehab from elbow surgery), and Scott Effross (hamstring strain). Ottavino can offer some helpful depth, at least in the short term. When Williams returns from the paternity list, the Yankees will need to make another move if they plan to keep Ottavino in their bullpen. The most likely course of action would be that they send Brent Headrick to Triple-A. Headrick, 27, has one option year remaining.
Brubaker, 31, broke three ribs early on in spring training. He will now be unavailable until mid-to-late May. Acquired from the Pirates last March, the right-hander has not appeared in the majors since 2022. He missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he was limited to just a handful of minor league rehab appearances in 2024. He looked like a capable back-end innings eater when last healthy, making 61 starts for Pittsburgh from 2020-22 with a 4.99 ERA but a 4.04 SIERA, averaging just over five innings per outing.
I read Devin Williams in the second sentence and was terrified.
I still wish Robertson was coming back. He’s either going to retire or wait for a substantial contract
Not substantial. Probably one year near last year value which would be under 10 mil due to time missed needing to get in game shape (less than a starters time I assume). Just needs contract with a team with clear chance at contention.
D-Rob is his own agent. That’s worked when he was a hot property, but I wonder if it’s hurting him now by not having agent in constant contact with teams, helping build his market and presenting him with the realistic options? Another possibility is he’s decided to hold out half the season before picking the team he wants.
Baby or no baby, he’s back baby. But this time he means business! Ahahahahaha!
…Oh, I forgot to mention, you can bet the baby’s milk money on it! Ahahahahahaha!
@NY
you’re trying too hard.
Femboy
I’m not trying at all. Ahahahahaha!
He also mutes anyone who points out the fact that he’s not funny at all.
@Lloyd
Its so cringe lmao.
Then I’ll try even less. Ahahahahahaha
Good plan
Neither are the NYY
Dunno but have the feeling they are looking as Ottavino as someone who can be just a temporary solution. Robertson Would be way more expensive and definitely not temporary
Baseball players need to be counseled to only knock up their wives between the months of February and June. No unprotected sex the other months.
…or anyone else for that matter. Ahahahahaha!
What about their girlfriends?
Roger Beshens Football Slider.
you wish
10,6 k/9 in 2017 to 13,0 in 2018 k/9 it’s clear as day.
When Players like Glasnow, Snell, Flaherty and dozens more all come up with a differently shaped slider with two plane break all in the same month that’s called the Roger Beshens Football Slider, the kicker is there’s messages and responses back. Some admit, some weak minded, some don’t realize if they can read they don’t have to meet Roger to learn it.
Adam Ottavino went from 10.6 k’s per 9 in 2017 to 13.0 in 2018. That’s called a Roger Beshens influenced Football Slider. In 2018 it is clear there were more K’s than Hits for the first time in MLB and this was due to the Roger Beshens Football Slider.
That’s cute, how you like all your own comments. Also, your obsession is disturbing.
You clearly don’t know the true gospel of Roger Beshens. This imitation of the great one could be described as pathetic at best. I’m very disappointed in you. A real follower would mention that Ottavino secretly requested a meeting with Roger Beshens at his Tucson bunker in 2017. No coincident that shortly after Ottavino transformed himself into one of the better middle relievers in baseball. He was quoted as saying, “The Roger Beshens football slider saved my career AND my marriage.”
I really am baffled as to why more pitchers don’t throw the Roger Beshens football slider. Arrogance? Pride? Deep rooted insecurities, such as father issues? Who knows….
Well, Roger, I see you only have 76 followers on your Twitter page, so you probably get more attention here than you do there. Maybe that’s why you keep making fake profiles and arguing with yourself.
What I find fascinating is on Rogers Twitter is he has pictures of himself showing Brent Strom his football slider in the Dbacks clubhouse on May 23, 2024. He even took pictures of Cecconi packing for Reno while he was waiting in the Hallway. Roger has a video of himself and Brent Strom talking in the Dbacks clubhouse about Ryne Nelsons slider and Strom says I tried to get him to throw your football slider but he got hand slapped by the front office. That alone right there I would rather have ZERO followers than millions of followers.
99% of ML pitchers throw the Roger Beshens football slider.
What MLB TEAM taught it before 2018? NONE.
Doesnt matter if Roger Beshens created it or not or if anyone else threw it. Roger Beshens started his football slider trend in MLB. It a MLB team knew it years ago they would have taught it. Never happened. MLB TEAMS have to know the instructions how to throw his football slider and Roger Beshens certainly exlplained how to do that.
You wish you had a schtick as good as this one pal
One fact that you conveniently left out is that Roger Beshens used his mind control to divert front offices attention from the football slider and instead to focus on the sweeper. Roger needed to keep the football slider low-key so he could enact PLAN 2025 to overtake MLB using the football slider.
Get your facts straight before you spew you loathsome ewe
Oh please not again! How old is Adam now? That’s right he could strike out Babe Ruth!
@99Captain
..”Adam Ottavino could only strike me out in his dreams” – From his final resting place, the late, great Babe Ruth.
“Literally any modern day professional”…
Strikeouts are very exciting and exhilarating but are mostly overrated. They count the same as any other out and mostly require a ton of pitches by the pitcher, which means many strikeout guys(Blake Snell?)don’t pitch deep into games.
Sure, prime Ottavino could probably strike out prime Babe Ruth a time or two, but almost certainly would give up 3+ BOMBS and 7-9 rbi while doing so.
In addition, prime Ottavino was not a “Journeyman” pitcher. He was an elite reliever. You weakened your own point by calling Ottavino “journeyman”.
And when he wakes up he’d better apologize.
Being young and slow is no way to go through life.
Oh yeah the Bronx is getting an Olive Garden.
This worked out so well the last time. Kind of like going into the season without a 3b. I’m sure we’ll get a different result this time.
It did work out well last time. He had a sub 3 ERA over 80+ innings for the Yankees.
It worked out well if you’re not a Yankees fan. He was bad enough towards the end of the first year, Boone quit putting him in in pressure situations. His second year, he had a 5.9 ERA. Then he was traded to Boston for a PTBN.
No. It worked out well. End of story. 2.76 ERA across 84 innings is a good performance over a good stretch.
MLB fans have a tendency to retrospectively wrap up a whole contract with how the player performed in the last month of it, Yankee fans are no exception.
Is it possible he was misused by Boonehead?
That 5.9 era season – he was hurt and only threw 18 innings- just for some context- Probably burned from the 70+ appearances and 1.something era the year before. Ottavino was fine as a Yankee.. Mets fans didn’t seem to like him last year, if his slider isn’t on he doesn’t have much else. Hopefully he fills a void for the time being and they likely didn’t want to waste an option on one of the kids on the farm.
I gave you the full story about the 3 year contract he signed, not the last month. Maybe you’re new to baseball so I’ll give you a tip. If a player is traded from the Yankees to the Red Sox (or vice versa), things aren’t going well. And he was originally signed to set up for Chapman c
“Maybe you’re new to baseball so I’ll give you a tip”
Yeah. Maybe I just heard about baseball, immediately came to mlbtr and starting posting about Adam Ottavinos 2020 season.
Thanks for the condescension but Ottavino had a great 2019, his 2020 was only 18 innings and his numbers have never been that bad before or after, and Boone has been known to use his bullpen in an erratic and illogical way previously.
In this instance, you deserve condescension. I gave you a rundown of the entire contract and you started in on how fans fixate on the last month of a contract.
And I say again if the Yankees trade a player to the Sox with a full year to go on a contract for a PTBN, the contract ain’t going well.
It’s cute to ignore his numbers over the whole contract, if that’s how you want to frame this. 97 games of 2.76 era and 12k/9. What a bum.
There is a reason he’s had a 14, now 15 year career. this is a short term assignment to fill a gap. Maybe you’re new to baseball, but this is a run of the mill bullpen fill with an upcoming DFA. If he’s great, awesome, if not – thanks for eating some innings.
Grow up
“I gave you a rundown of entire contract”
Yeah I read your “rundown”. You minimized his first year
because “Boone quit putting him in pressure situations” and then you over-exaggerated his 18 innings in the COVID year.
Thanks Joe but I’ll stick to evaluating players based on statistics and you can use your interpretation what Aaron Boone thinks.
“And I say again if the Yankees trade a player to the Sox with a full year to go on a contract for a PTBN, the contract ain’t going well.”
This is conjectural hyperbole and not the be-all-end-all sign you think it is.
I didn’t minimize it. I said by the end of the season he was no longer the setup pitcher because he wasn’t pitching good. You, however, just looked at his BR page, saw his overall ERA and looked no further. It didn’t seem like you even realized he had been traded before the end of the contract.
Ok so a 1.9 ERA with 113Ks in 84 IP and leading the Yankees in pitching is bad and you can read my mind and Aaron Boones.
I’m done interacting with you.
Ottavino DFA’d today. So weird – 1.1 innings of hitless ball to add to his Yankee resume.
Clap it up for Joe and his blatant lack of foresight and understanding of roster maneuvers
NYG what a weird dig at me. My comments had nothing to do with signing him this year. It was about how poorly his last stint with the Yankees went.
I get what you’re saying, but I remember I would panic whenever he came in the game in 2020. His postseason numbers were awful too.
I don’t care for Ottavino. He always had a wicked slider, but couldn’t control it. He’s going to eat innings, but at what cost and for how long? I’d rather see them take a flier and acquire Bednar while his value is low to see if Blake can unlock something.
Perhaps Matt Blake can rework some things in Ottavino’s delivery or repertoire to gain some positive results? Hopefully so because I’m not a fan.
Time will tell, and the Yanks can just dump him if he’s that bad.
I wonder if they keep him and get rid of Pablo Reyes when Devin returns.
@Brightside – Don’t think they can do that. It has to be a pitcher as they can’t have more than 13 on the roster. My guess is Brett Headrick gets demoted.
I forgot about that.
I don’t think it’s a longterm move, but I think we can easily plug him in now for a few days, see what’s up. Maybe it’s his last stop, who knows.
Hopefully, he’s good enough to stick. Yankees don’t like cutting/trading vets unless they’re Tyler (“can’t throw a strike”) Clippard bad.
So glad he’s no longer with the Mets.
Dumpster diving again.
Like with Fried, Goldschmidt, Bellinger, and Jazz you mean?
Exactly all garbage
You should watch baseball occasionally and then post a comment.
Hate this signing!
well when Lance Lynn decided to retire, the Yanks had to go to a 39 yr old. lol
Hopefully this is an April Fools Joke
This is beyond dumpster diving; this is looking under the dumpster to see what fell through the rusted-out hole on the bottom.
Coming this Thursday to Smackdown!: Ottavino vs. Stroman in a loser leaves town match, winner to get “0”
Braun Stroman would definitely beat Ottavino
Hard to question Cashman/Blake when it comes to relievers…..but I don’t get this one at all.
ERA Last 3 years……
22′ – 2.06
23′ – 3.21
24′- 4.34
Spring 25″- 10.80
…..and he’s 39 now. No high octane AAA arms to bring up??
I think for the back of the bullpen, you’d prefer to have veterans you can cut if they suck versus young guys who, if they suck, you still have to keep them on the 40-man because they’re too young to give up on totally. So it’s more about roster management than anything.
Interesting point. I also think Blake sees something he can fix to make Otto useful again.
Being Italian, I am sure Ottavino makes a mean meatball, but serving them up in the late innings is not something I would order from GrubHub.
He has been good the last few years. I’m not sure why he went unsigned until now.
The Red Sox signed him to a minor league deal but released him after an awful spring showing. He had nothing left in the tank.
I don’t consider a minor league deal a signing……..
He just needs a bit more time to shake off the rust
Cheaters.
For signing a guy past his prime?
Please don’t give him high leverage spots.
Now we have a problem? Stroman wear 0. What number is Ottavino going to wear? I vote for 00, since he is going to be twice the flop.
Welcome back, Otto! And congrats to Airbender!
Good guy, and a workhorse, but the results just weren’t there consistently if you saw him pitch the last couple of years for the Mets. Although the stats don’t look bad, he would give up too many walks at inopportune times, and if he gets the slider over it can be very flat and hittable. He also can’t or won’t hold runners on, so that runner on first is at second before you know it.. The Mets had good reason not to carry him on the postseason roster. You’ll see.
when I saw he was released, by the Red Sox last week, I thought ,I’ll bet the Yankees will pick him up. He’ll be cheap and they are familiar with him .Further, they have the alchemist Blake, who they did not have then. Maybe he can reclaim some of his formal glory for a brief stretch. At the minimum ,they could use bodies in the bullpen ,and he could pitch in garbage time, if needed. There’s always use for a bullpen arm. When they’re better guys return, they could release him if need be.
i agree
Yankees need an arm to weather a period where a few of their regulars in the pen are working their way back and this works short term and maybe they catch lightning in a bottle. Its not like they guaranteed him 15 million
@JD
Alex Cobb sees what you did there.
yankees need a legion of bullpen arms until schmidt and gil come back don’t see the harm in this as long as he’s only used in low leverage spots
@dasit
too bad they can’t line up several of the scratch and dent arms on the mound at the same time with only one secretly holding the ball and the batter has to guess which guy is going to throw that 82 mpg heater at the plate.
now that would be entertainment.
i think you’re on your something
let’s send a memo to the league office
Adam Out the Lead Goes
Get some rest,son. You’ve obviously been up all night
They just want to add more names for the Yankees Sporacle quiz later.
Will this hurt the Red Sox?
I see a lot of negative comment about NY born and raised Adam
I will stake my reputation on this prediction
I predict he will NOT be a disaster
Will he be 00 since Stroman has 0? It would be fitting. His 2nd stint with the Yankees.
Yankees are leveraging a low-cost, high-upside signing (Ottavino at the minimum) with trade potential,
Why would they trade him if he’s doing well ?