ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Until injuries affected the past two seasons, Zach Britton was among the elite closers in baseball. A darting, 98 mph fastball from the lefty dominated hitters from each side of the plate and turned him into an All-Star in 2015 and 2016.
Beginning Thursday night in The Bronx, Britton will no longer be used exclusively in the closer’s role after being dealt from the lowly Orioles to the Yankees late Tuesday evening for minor league pitchers Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll and Josh Rogers.
Aroldis Chapman, who has converted 26 of 27 save chances, remains manager Aaron Boone’s top choice to close games, with Britton available to work in multiple roles.