Yankes Bite The Bullet On Ottavino, Ship Him Up To Boston

Yankee Stadium's famous facade. Photo by Jason Schott.

When the Yankees signed Adam Ottavino, the thinking was that they were getting one of the best relievers in baseball, where he was key part of a couple of playoff teams with the Colorado Rockies.

In reality, he rarely showed that form, and the most memorable thing about his time in pinstripes will be that he was the first Yankee to wear number "0" - what a bad omen that turned out to be for him.

On Monday, the Yankees traded him to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Yanks also sent Boston right-handed pitcher Frank German, who has spent two years in the Yankees minor league system.

Boston, in search of major help in their bullpen, is assuming the final year of Ottavino's three-year contract.

A native of Brooklyn, the 35-year-old Ottavino went 2-3 with a 5.89 ERA (18.2 innings pitched, 12 earned runs) and 25 strikeouts in a team-high 24 relief appearances last season. In 2019, Ottavino went 6-5 with a 1.90 ERA, pitching in 73 games, allowing 17 runs (14 earned) and 47 hits (5 home runs) in 66.1 innings, with 88 strikeouts and 40 walks.

The combined stats for Ottavino's two years with the Bronx Bombers read as follows: he went 8-8 with two saves, a 2.76 ERA (84.2 IP, 26 ER) and 113 strikeouts in 97 relief appearances.

German, 23, was 5-8 with a 3.56 ERA (111.1 IP, 44 ER) and 128 K in 30 games (23 starts) over two minor league seasons with the Yankees (2018-19), and he did not pitch last season because the minor leagues did not convene due to the pandemic.