Yankees are one of the leaders to sign free agent Zach Britton

Free agent Zach Britton is one of the top relievers remaining in free agency and according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, the Yankees are one of the leaders to re-sign him.

After the Yankees traded for James Paxton and re-signed J.A. Happ the team’s focus has shifted to the relief market and Britton appears to be one of their top targets. The Yanks were also said to have interest in former Bomber Andrew Miller but on Friday he officially signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

David Robertson is another guy in the mix to be brought back but there’s a chance he could sign with the rival Red Sox because he desires to play for a team that’s closer to his home in Rhode Island. Another thing that could keep D-Rob from returning is the story about him leading the vote against giving full playoff shares to members of the Yankees training and coaching staff. The awkwardness of that situation may lead tot he Yankees letting him walk for the second time in his career.

As for Britton, the Yankees are a team he said he’d definitely be interested in re-signing with last season, but as we all know most free agents decisions come down to who offers the most money. If that’s the case than the Philadelphia Phillies could win the bidding war because they’re in desperate need of an elite closer and have a ton of money to spend. Along with the Yankees, they are considered the leaders to land him according to Heyman.

If the Yankees did sign Britton he could slide right into the same 7th or 8th inning setup role he did a season ago with Aroldis Chapman already in place as the closer. Whether or not Britton prioritizes being a closer next season is unclear, but if he does he’ll probably make more money on a longer deal.

The Yankees could always offer Britton a larger AAV per season, but they might not be willing to offer him a contract of more than three years. Considering Britton is still relatively young at 31 years old and he fully recovered from the Achilles injury he suffered last offseason he should get an offer for at least four years from a team in need of a closer.

One of the reasons a move for Britton makes a ton of sense for the Yankees is the fact that Dellin Betances and Chapman could both become free agents next offseason. Betances is entering the final year of his contract and Chapman can opt out after the season.

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Having Britton already in the fold would be huge for the Yanks if one of the two were to leave. Since he can either close or set up at a very high level their bullpen would still be a big strength.

I also worry about Chapman’s recent injury history so if he missed time again in 2019 there’s no one else in the Yanks pen that’s a better choice to fill in for him than Britton. We’ve all seen Betances struggle getting the final three outs but thrive pitching in the eighth and I don’t think Chad Green or Jonathan Holder is ready to take on closing just yet.

Despite Heyman’s report, I think it’s going to be tough for the Yankees to bring Britton back if they aren’t willing to offer him a contract of at least four years. I understand that thinking given that he wouldn’t close for them in 2019 unless Chapman got injured.

However, because there could be an opportunity for Britton to close in 2020 and beyond I think the Yanks should strongly consider doing whatever it takes to re-sign him.