Yankees sign former top prospect as reliever reclamation project
The New York Yankees are not always known for finding diamonds in the rough or developing forgotten talents, but general manager Brian Cashman could be looking to redefine the Pinstripes Way going into the 2024 season. His latest free agency signing hopes to be a part of that undertaking.
The Yankees sign relief pitcher and former touted prospect Nick Burdi to a minor league contract, according to YES Network’s Jack Curry. The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training, where the right-hander will begin his MLB redemption tour.
Burdi, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2014 draft and last played for the Chicago Cubs in 2023, has a career 9.39 ERA in a small 19-game sample size. New York has built some impressive bullpens in recent years and could be the ideal fit for a reliever desperate to earn a decent workload.
At almost 31 years of age, one has to wonder how many chances Burdi will get to stick on an MLB roster. He showed some promise in the past with the Pittsburgh Pirates but could not command control of the strike zone at an effective rate. The Yankees’ farm system has come under attack of late for its supposedly analytics-heavy philosophy, so it will be interesting to see how the former Louisville Cardinals standout fares in the minors.
But maybe Nick Burdi could avoid that detour altogether. He will enter possibly the most important stretch of his professional baseball career when New York begins Spring Training play in 2024.
While everyone loves a good comeback story, Yankees fans will inevitably turn their attention right back to the highly-anticipated free agency decision of pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
