The last time the Yankees invested significantly in relievers, it ended terribly.
But it was their fault, because they blinked with both Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman during the life of those contracts to add more money and years.
Britton signed a three-year, $39 pact as a free agent to return to the Yankees following the 2018 season. He pitched very well in the first two seasons (1.90 ERA), but after 2020 there was a clause that if the Yankees did not pick up a $14 million 2022 option, Britton could opt out. They picked it up, and Britton was thereafter bedevilled by elbow issues, ultimately needed Tommy John surgery and appeared in just 25 games with a 6.16 ERA his last two years.
Chapman signed the then-largest relief free agent deal ever after the 2016 campaign — a five-year, $86 million accord. Chapman had a player opt-out following the 2019 season. He had a 2.61 ERA the first three years of the deal, and the Yankees agreed to tack on an extra season for the lefty to forgo his opt-out. He ended up with a 3.71 ERA the last three, which concluded in discord and a nasty divorce.
