3 free-agent solutions if Yankees turn down Zack Britton’s 2022 option

2. Alex Colome

Remember Alex Colome when he was on the Rays? The Yankees could use him!

The Chicago White Sox will see their closer, Alex Colome, hit free agency in a few days, and he’ll likely be highly sought-after given his last two seasons, which have featured a 2.27 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 42 saves and 71 strikeouts in 83 games (83.1 innings).

He’s a veteran, former All-Star, and has a ton of experience pitching in the back end of a bullpen. He led the league with 47 saves back in 2017 with the Rays before he flamed out a bit and was traded to the Seattle Mariners.

But now it seems he’s regained his footing and he’s managed to do so in a competitive AL Central. That should be enough to convince the Yankees he can handle the AL East. His fastball-cutter combo has proved to be dominant and that’ll be lethal behind Aroldis Chapman.

For his career, he’s largely been solid against the Red Sox (4.08 ERA), Orioles (3.40 ERA) and Blue Jays (3.70 ERA), so we’ll take that in the setup role no doubt. And if Chapman gets hurt or needs a rest, Colome can close it out.