NEW YORK – The Yankees quickly found a replacement for their bullpen by agreeing to a one-year $ 2.5 million deal with right-handed Darren O’Day, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The deal includes player and club options for 2022, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as the deal relies on a successful physical.
O’Day takes the spot that was left vacant when the Yankees traded right-handed Adam Ottavino to Boston on Monday, a move that cut $ 7.15 million off the New York payroll. O’Day believes he will join left-handed Zack Britton and right-handed Chad Green as the main set-ups for closer Aroldis Chapman.
O’Day, 38, was 4-0 with an 1.10 ERA in 16 1/3 innings in 19 games with Atlanta last year, 22 strikeouts and five walks, allowing eight hits. While his fastball averaged just 86 mph, the low angle of his arm is tricky. Righthanded batters hit only .143 (7-for-49) with a homerun, by Boston’s Xander Bogaerts, the lead hitter in the line-up in his last appearance of the season. Lefthanded batters went against him 10-1.
He became a free agent when Atlanta turned down a $ 3.25 million option, leading to a $ 250,000 exit purchase.
O’Day is a 13-year MLB veteran and went 40-19 with a 2.51 ERA and 600 strikeouts and 158 walks in 576 2/3 innings for Los Angeles Angels (2008), New York Mets (2009), Texas Rangers ( 2009) -11), Baltimore Orioles (2012-18) and Atlanta Braves (2019-20).
He was an All-Star in 2015 when he had a 1.52 ERA and six saves while striking out 82 batters in 65 1/3 innings, but missed the last two months of the 2018 season with left hamstring strain and the first five months of 2019 with sustained right forearm strain during spring training.
Last year, he made $ 833,333 in prorated salary payments of $ 2.25 million, down from a $ 31 million four-year contract he signed with Baltimore before the 2016 season.
His wife, Elizabeth Prann, is a correspondent for HLN and CNN, formerly Fox News.