David Ortiz believes the Boston Red Sox have added a “nasty” kid to their bullpen.
Big Papi was surprised that last month the Yankees traded Adam Ottavino to their old AL East rivals in what amounted to a salary dump.
“I was glad they got Ottavino from the Yankees. I couldn’t believe the Yankees were doing that, ”Ortiz told the Boston Globe. ‘He can be mean. We will see how the young talent gets around. But they have more talent now. “
The Nasty Boys was the nickname of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen trio of Norm Charlton, Randy Myers and Rob Dibble in the early 1990s.
Ottavino, who entered the final season of a three-year $ 27 million deal, had an excellent first season with the Yankees in 2019, finishing with a 1.90 ERA in 73 relief appearances.
But the Brooklyn product and former Northeastern pitcher fell out of favor in the Bronx bullpen last season, posting a 5.89 ERA and a 1,582 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings over 24 games. He also pitched in only one postseason game and gave up a deserved run in two-thirds of an inning in Game 2 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay.
The swap was the first between the Yankees and Boston since the 2014 deadline deal that brought infielder Stephen Drew to New York for infielder Kelly Johnson.