2016’s AL Reliever of the Year Zack Britton will extend his stay with the New York Yankees for two more years.
The Yankees announced on Friday that they have picked up their options for 2021 and 2022 seasons on Britton’s contract, setting him for a total payout of $27 million. The 32-year-old’s deal also had a player option for next season, worth $13 million.
This wasn’t the only move Yankees did on Friday, with the organization deciding to decline options on outfielder Brett Gardner and pitcher J.A. Happ’s deals. Both players will enter the free market now, with Gardner receiving a $2.5 million buyout.
Britton, who has been with the Yankees since 2018, had a respectable campaign in 2020, playing 20 games and posting a 1-2 record. He finished the regular season boosting a 1.89 ERA while also making eight saves.
Gardner, on the other hand, had a down season batting .223 and contributing with five home runs and 15 RBIs. The 37-year-old outfielder leaves the Yankees after 13 years, during which he made one All-Star appearance and helped the organization to their most recent World Series win in 2009.
Yankees’ decision on Happ was more straight-forward, considering that the team would have to pay him $17 million in a year in which he turns 39. He was 2-2 in 2020, having a 3.47 ERA and 42 strikeouts.
