What does Zach Britton bring to the Yankees?

To some Yankee fans, bringing in Zach Britton is a puzzling move.  He’s a reliever that’s coming into the best bullpen in all of baseball.  The rich get richer, and to the naked eye it seems like the move is a net negative considering Britton would be used sparingly at best in this deep bullpen.  Let me tell you why you’re wrong.

Britton is extremely flexible

Zach Britton was the closer of the Orioles, but as a 12 year veteran he is open to pitching whenever he is needed.  Similar to David Robertson, he is a closer by trade but a better teammate and puts his ego aside to help the ball club.  Britton will be pitching in all situations, whether it be in the sixth inning or the ninth.  As Brian Cashman stated in his press conference, the move for Britton is not a demotion for Aroldis Chapman or even a related move.  They brought Britton in for flexibility in the bullpen, have an excellent lefty who can pitch anywhere, and have a veteran who can help guys like Chad Green and Dellin Betances out.

It eliminates the need for Chasen Shreve

Before Gary Sanchez decided to be the laziest person on Earth Tuesday night, Chasen Shreve was the whipping boy for the New York Yankees.  Shreve was absolutely terrible for about a month stretch, yet Aaron Boone kept coming back to him in tight situations.  He faltered in most of them, but did find his way back into the good graces of Yankee fans with a ridiculous save on Sunday after Aroldis Chapman loaded the bases with no outs and walked in two runs.  Regardless, Britton is not just a lefty specialist but a dominant reliever.  He can do so much more than Chasen Shreve offers and he has a great track record.  If Britton can return to his All-Star form he can be the X-factor of the loaded Yankees bullpen.

It’s a blow to the Red Sox and Astros

Brian Cashman also stated that this Britton move was not in any way, shape, or form a way to spite the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.  However, even if it wasn’t an intentional move to take away one of the best trade targets from their rivals, the Yankees accomplished just that.  The Yankees were both able to bolster their bullpen and eliminate a big trade target for two teams that desperately need bullpen help.  Zach Britton has also always been excellent against the Yankees, so as the old adage goes, “If you can’t beat ’em, trade for ’em”.

Acquiring Zach Britton from the Orioles is a brilliant move for the Yankees.  He is very versatile and as seen in the past, you can never have enough bullpen help.  He is everything the Yankees need in a reliever and will help this team down the stretch.  They really didn’t give up that much for him, as Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams, and Estevan Florial are all still members of the Yankees organization.  Whether or not the Yankees win the World Series, you can’t say that they didn’t try.