The optimistic New York Yankees fan will be hoping for a big move the other way, in the form of Edwin Diaz. Nonetheless, a former Yankees pitcher has made the move across town, and will be playing in the New York Mets organization next season.
Per the MLB.com transactions log, right-hander Nick Burdi signed with the Mets earlier this week, to what is said to be a minor league contract. Burdi spent time in the Boston Red Sox organization last season, including pitching in four big league games, and now has appeared in the majors in parts of six seasons, with his best coming as a member of the Yankees.
Burdi’s First New York Stint
Burdi appeared in 19 games for the Yankees in 2024, throwing 9.2 innings with a 1.86 ERA and 12 strikeouts. His strikeout rate with New York (10.5 K/9) aligned with his career-long profile as a high-whiff pitcher, and despite his six years in the majors dating as far back as 2018, those 9.2 innings represented a career-high for Burdi, who has mostly found himself in the AAAA cycle.
Burdi allowed only 5 hits and one home run over those 9.2 innings, holding opponents to a .147 batting average. His average fastball velocity with the Yankees sat at 98 miles per hour, and he has 44 punch-outs across his 30.1 MLB innings to date – the reason he keeps getting work is for the potential offered by that power pitching arsenal, rather than the realities of what he has done with it so far.
Across his major-league career, which has included stops with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs as well as the Red Sox Yankees, Burdi has thrown to a 5.34 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 13.1 K/9, 6.2 BB/9, and a .248 opponentsâ batting average. His ground-ball rate sits just above 40 percent, and his home-run rate remains low relative to other high-velocity relievers. His most active major-league year before joining the Yankees came in 2020 with the Pirates, where he pitched 11 games and struck out 14 hitters in 7.1 innings.
Yankees Have Bigger Plans, It Is Hoped
In accordance with the life of the AAAA pitcher, Burdi’s time with the Yankees at the big level was brief. He signed a minor league deal over the previous winter, and stuck around with the franchise for the entire season, but managed only 18 minor league games due to an ongoing hip problem. He then departed as a free agent, having barely left a mark.
The Yankees need bullpen help this summer, because every team needs bullpen help every summer. Diaz is one rumored target, and the free agency situations of the incumbent pair of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver also need addressing, regardless of what external free agents come in. Hal Steinbrenner is currently being taken to task for comments he has made about wanting to reduce payroll, which inevitably have created an anxiety within the fanbase about how passive the Yankees might be in the market, at a time when they need reinforcements to close the gap to the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
Regardless of how much money there is to spend, though, it is of course hoped that the Yankees have bigger aims than Nick Burdi.
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