David Ortiz believes the Boston Red Sox have added a “nasty” boy to their bullpen.
Big Papi was surprised the Yankees traded Adam Ottavino to their longtime AL East rivals last month in what amounted to a salary dump.
“I was happy they got Ottavino from the Yankees. I couldn’t believe the Yankees did that,” Ortiz told the Boston Globe. “He can be nasty. We’ll see how the young talent comes around. But they have more talent now.”
The Nasty Boys was the nickname of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen trio of Norm Charlton, Randy Myers and Rob Dibble in the early 1990s.
Ottavino, entering the final season of a three-year contract worth $27 million, had an excellent first season with the Yankees in 2019, finishing with a 1.90 ERA in 73 relief appearances.
But the Brooklyn product and former Northeastern pitcher fell out of favor in the Bronx bullpen last season, posting a 5.89 ERA and a 1.582 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings over 24 games. He also appeared in just one postseason game, allowing an earned run in two-thirds of an inning in Game 2 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay.
The trade was the first between the Yankees and Boston since the 2014 deadline deal that brought infielder Stephen Drew to New York for infielder Kelly Johnson.
