Yankees Acquire Former Cubs Reliever

The New York Yankees agreed to a minor league deal with former Chicago Cubs pitcher Nick Burdi on Thursday, as reported by the YES Network.

Burdi will get an invitation to Major League camp in Tampa in February. The deal has not been officially announced by the Yankees.

Burdi, a 30-year-old right-hander spent the 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs, where he had a 9.00 ERA in three innings (three games) with the Cubs. He spent the rest of the season with the Cubs’ minor league affiliates.

The Cubs selected his contract from Triple-A Iowa on May 15, but on May 24 they moved him to the 15-day injured list for appendicitis. That derailed his season, as the Cubs moved him to the 60-day injured list in June and then sent him on rehab assignments to the ACL Cubs and to Iowa. He was never able to get into the form needed for a call-up late in the season.

He made 23 appearances in the minors last season but didn’t figure in a decision. He had a 3.86 ERA, striking out 35 and walking 15 in 21 innings.

The Cubs allowed him to hit free agency last month.

The Yankees have been working to accumulate arms for their bullpen, both at the Major League and the minor league level. Burdi could be a potential fit, as he’s been a professional since 2014 when he was drafted out of Louisville by the Minnesota Twins.

He has had two Tommy John surgeries in his career, the second of which was in 2020. He has also been in the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations.

In his minor-league career, he is 10-8 with a 3.51 ERA. In the Majors, he is 2-2 with a 9.39 ERA in 19 games, as he played 2018-220 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.