There’s no way around it: The Yankees sending reliever Adam Ottavino to the Red Sox, their archrival, is a salary dump.
For the Yankees, the utility of the trade is clear. They open up a space on the 40-man roster and offload about $8 million in salary in a year in which they are clearly trying to stay under the $210 million competitive-balance tax threshold. With Ottavino’s 2021 salary off the books, the Yankees are still shy of the tax threshold by an estimated $4 million, per the Associated Press. They could use a left-handed bat, and maybe Brett Gardner, an easy, familiar presence, is next in line to be re-signed for a reunion. Maybe they use that money to add another stable piece to the starting rotation. Maybe they use it to acquire a reliever to replace Ottavino.
In total, the trade looks quite lopsided. The Yankees receive “a player to be named later or cash considerations” from the Red Sox while sending Ottavino and right-handed…
