The Yankees have signed free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino to a three-year contract through the 2021 season, the team announced on Thursday. The deal was reported to be worth $27 million.
Ottavino will wear No. 0 for the Yankees, becoming the first player in franchise history to sport the uniform number. After the official signing, the Yankees' 40-man roster is now at 40 players.
Ottavino, 33, is coming off a huge season where he had a 2.43 ERA (2.74 FIP) and 112 strikeouts in 77.2 innings, or a 13 K/9 ratio and did it while pitching his home games hitter-friendly Coors Field with the Rockies. His 0.99 WHIP in 2018 was much improved from a 1.63 WHIP with a 5.06 ERA in 2017.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with Ottavino's representatives back in December when he was reportedly high on New York's wish list. Since then, the Bronx lost right-handed reliever David Robertson to a two-year deal to the Phillies. But the Yankees were able to hold on to Zach Britton, re-signing him to a three-year, $39 million deal.