Although it’s very rare, the New York Yankees and division-rival Boston Red Sox can do some business from time to time, and that certainly was the case on Monday when the Yankees sent reliever Adam Ottavino to Boston, according to The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler.
It marks the first trade between the rivals since 2014, when Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson swapped sides, and seems to be a move to free up money for the Yankees.
Boston will take on most of Ottavino’s $8 million, which helps the Yankees stay below the luxury-tax line, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman.
Ottavino signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Yankees back in 2019, and the Yankees will be adding $850,000 to the trade that sends him to the Red Sox.
While Ottavino had a stellar 2019 season, posting a 1.90 ERA, he was brutal in 2020, posting a 5.89 ERA while blowing three saves over 24 appearances for New York.
Ottavino did make history as a Yankees, as he was the first player in franchise history to ever wear the number 0.
