Former Yankees: Dellin Betances’ contract could be in flux if season canceled

Plenty of questions remain unanswered about what happens if the 2020 MLB season is canceled. MLB and the MLBPA have already reached an agreement about some things — players will still receive service time credit, for one thing — but there are still details to sort out.

For former New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances, his whole contract status could be in flux.

Betances left the Yankees, the only organization he had known, this past offseason when he signed a contract with the crosstown Mets. The deal was for one year with a pair of options (and a sizeable signing bonus) — one a player option and the other a conditional one.

The 2021 player option would be valued at $6 million. Various 2020 games played milestones could increase that figure by as much as $3.8 million but without a season they seemingly become moot. Should Betances decline the option, the Mets would pay a $3 million buyout and he would hit the free agent market once again.

Would Betances walk away from a guaranteed $6 million to bet on himself once again? That’s a hard question to answer. He would be facing a unique position — potentially losing all of 2020 after facing only two batters in 2019. It’s hard to predict what kind of interest he might find on the open market. Yankees fans know what kind of pitcher Betances can be when he’s right, but that doesn’t guarantee a bidding war will start among opposing front offices.

Originally a 2006 draft pick, Betances made his debut for the Yankees in 2011 and by 2014 he was a regular fixture in the bullpen. 2014 marked the start of four-straight All-Star appearances. Over his eight seasons in New York he made 358 appearances, posting a 2.36 ERA and 14.6 K/9. He came up big when the team needed him.

The New York native made it clear he liked playing for the Yankees and didn’t go far when he signed with the Mets. Maybe he returns to the Bronx at some point.