Yankees: Adam Ottavino proves yet again Red Sox clearly lost trade

There’s plenty of time for Adam Ottavino to turn things around, just like there is for the New York Yankees to emerge from the pauper’s grave they began the season buried in.

But right now, if we’re going to hold the Bombers accountable for their awful play, then we have to look back on the Ottavino trade with the Boston Red Sox and give general manager Brian Cashman a win.

Otto, upon arriving in Boston, was believed to be the frontrunner to land the closer job. That didn’t happen.

Now, in his first five games with the Sox, he owns a ghastly 9.42 ERA with one blown save. And on Thursday he recorded his first loss.

It’s simply more proof the Yankees ended up winning this trade in a big way with their division rival, who took on $9 million in salary, which helped New York make other, much-needed additions to their roster.

Sadly for Otto, it’s been more of the same for the right-hander ever since the 2019 playoffs.

Out of the veteran’s five appearances so far, he’s allowed a run in three of them. Though he got his first win of the season on Wednesday by keeping the Minnesota Twins in check in the seventh inning, he quickly faltered when called upon to preserve a tie in the bottom of the ninth after manager Alex Cora was ejected on Thursday.

In short order, Luis Arraez singled, Jorge Polanco was hit by a pitch, and Max Kepler singled to center to end the game. Otto managed to strike out Nelson Cruz in the frame, which was impressive, but that was it.

That loss ended Boston’s nine-game winning streak, which no doubt has Yankees fans celebrating after they’ve been forced to watch their team continue to step on rake after rake through the first two weeks of the year.

It’s even more maddening the think the Yankees could actually be in a worse spot if they had kept Ottavino, whose struggles from 2020 have swiftly followed him into 2021 … just like what the majority of New York’s roster is going through right now.

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