The Yankees have lost another reliever in free agency.
Right-hander Ian Hamilton signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with the Braves, Atlanta confirmed on Friday.
Hamilton, 30, was a staple in the Yankees’ bullpen for the past three seasons after they acquired him as a free agent ahead of the 2023 campaign.
During his time in The Bronx, Hamilton posted a 3.45 ERA and 152 strikeouts across 125 appearances.
Last season proved to be somewhat of a down year for Hamilton, however, as he pitched to a 4.28 ERA and walked 22 over 40 innings.
His departure from the Yankees was expected, as the team opted to non-tender him, along with relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross and Jake Cousins in November.
Hamilton’s deal with Atlanta marks the latest of an active offseason so far for the Braves, with the team having made multiple deals to kick off free agency thus far, most notably signing two-time All-Star closer Robert Suarez to a three-year contract worth $45 million earlier this month.
Suarez, 34, is coming off a stellar season in San Diego, where he led the National League in saves (40) while holding a 2.97 ERA and fanning 75 batters.
Additionally, the Braves signed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal worth $23 million, along with picking up ex-Met lefty reliever Danny Young on a one-year contract.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has noted that the team’s push in free agency is far from finished, as he eyes additional starting pitching.
“We’ve explored the starting rotation, adding and getting some type of starter, whether that’s trade or signing,” Anthopoulos said during an appearance on “The Game” on Tuesday. “We’d like for it to be someone impactful, someone we think can start a playoff game.”
“It would be great if we could add someone that maybe slots everybody down a peg in our rotation,” he continued. “Haven’t closed the door on that. Still open to it if it can present itself.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
