Some fans of the New York Yankees may have been annoyed by Brian Cashman for the start of the team 5-7, but a money-saving transaction he made off-season is looking good so far.
35-year-old Adam Ottavino – who traded Cashman to the Boston Red Sox on January 25, along with right-handed minor leaguer Frank German, in exchange for a player called later or cash – has struggled this season.
Early in the season, Ottavino had a chance to be the close-up of the team, but Matt Barnes – who has not allowed a run in seven innings this season and is 1-0 with two saves – has essentially taken over the job since he returned to the team afterwards. he contracted the corona virus at the end of March.
Nonetheless, Boston hopes that Ottavino can still be an important reliever in the late inning, but the early results are worrying.
Ottavino, whose Yankees tenure ended on a sour note, has already given up four earned runs and seven hits in 3² / ₃ innings. In five appearances, Ottavino (1-1, 9.82 ERA) gave up runs in three of those appearances and walked five and three strikeouts.
The Red Sox’s impressive nine-game winning streak was halted in Thursday’s 4-3 road loss against the Minnesota Twins, and Ottavino was the culprit who suffered the loss.
He entered the game in the ninth and promptly gave up a single to Luis Arraez and hit Jorge Polanco to open the inning before handing over the game-winning blooper to Max Kepler.
Ottavino – who signed a $ 27 million three-year deal with the Yankees in 2019 – had a good first year as a late inning reliever for the Bombers, finishing 6-5 with an 1.90 ERA. But he struggled in September of that season and was horribly against the Astros in the ALCS.
The 2020 season was a nightmare for the right-hander, ending with a 5.89 ERA in 24 appearances – though much of that was due to a terrible performance against the Blue Jays in Buffalo.