After seeing David Robertson sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Yankees are reportedly finalizing a deal to keep set-up reliever Zach Britton in the pinstripes.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Yankees have reportedly agreed to a multi-year deal with Britton after talks progressed on Saturday.
When finalized, Zach Britton's deal with the Yankees will be for three years guaranteed, sources tell ESPN. The Yankees will be able to exercise a fourth-year option after the second season. If they don't, Britton will have the ability to opt out following that second year.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 6, 2019
According to the report, New York can exercise a fourth-year option after the second season. If the Yankees decline the option, Britton can exercise an opt-out clause after the second year of the contract.
Ken Rosenthal reports the deal is worth $40 million over three years, with the option for a fourth year, as Passan reported.
Britton deal with #Yankees is three years for about $40M, source tells The Athletic. NYY can exercise fourth-year option after second year. If they do not, Britton can opt out. Option would take deal beyond $50M. Opt-out details first reported by @JonHeyman and @JeffPassan.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 6, 2019
New York acquired Britton a week before the MLB Trade Deadline last season and found immediate success. He posted a 2.88 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 25 innings, closer to the form we saw from him in 2017.
If Britton can stay healthy and return to form, it’s possible he could even return closer to his utterly dominant form from 2013-16 when he recorded a 1.95 ERA with 233 strikeouts across 249 innings.