Veteran Reliever Shares Hilariously Short Yankees Stint and Payout

He appeared in three games. He also cashed a few checks.

But right now, he finds himself, well, unemployed.

“I signed a 45-day consent both times,” Ottavino told Baseball Isn’t Boring host Rob Bradford. “So that means they're not on the hook for anything. They can release me at any time… I got four days of paid so far this year, and that’s it.”

So what does that paycheck look like?

“I think it was like $5,000 a day before taxes,” he said. “So call it 20 grand.”

Add one day of road meal money in Detroit — “maybe $120” — and a spring training per diem that “gets you over $100 a day,” and Ottavino estimates he made about $25,000 total.

“You work for free in spring,” he added, pointing out that veterans don’t draw a salary during camp.

Ottavino, who pitched in 60 games for the Mets last year, is best known in New York for his 2019–20 Yankees run. He’s now appeared in 727 career games — three of them this season for the Yankees.

Whether or not he gets another shot, Ottavino isn’t complaining. He’s just laughing at the math.

Three games, four days of pay, one Detroit per diem, and a spring’s worth of live-out money.

It’s basically a baseball freelance gig.