The Braves would like to add to their bullpen before the July 31 trade deadline but Orioles reliever Zach Britton won’t be an option.
Baltimore traded Britton to the Yankees for minor-league pitchers Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers and Cody Carroll.
New York manager Aaron Boone said Britton will fill a variety of roles at the back end of the Yankees bullpen but emphasized that Aroldis Chapman's role remains the same.
"Chappy is our closer," Boone said before Wednesday's game at Tampa Bay. "I'm sure there will be opportunities on a day when maybe we need to stay away from Chappy or it's three in a row for Chappy, those kind of things. Having so many quality guys, that allows us to really preserve and protect them."
The 30-year-old joins Chapman, David Robertson, Dellin Betances, Chasen Shreve, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder and Adam Warren in an already strong bullpen.
"We're certainly as capable as anyone," Boone said.
The Yankees entered Wednesday five games behind the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox, who obtained starter Nathan Eovaldi from Tampa Bay less than 12 hours after the Britton deal.
Britton began the season on the disabled list after tearing his right Achilles tendon in December. He made his debut on June 12 and has appeared in 16 games, going 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA and four saves. He has not allowed a run in his last eight appearances, allowing just three hits over eight innings.
"We certainly had a chance recently to see him up close and personal when he was carving up our lineup," Cashman said. "I don't even think we saw the best of him yet, and we hope the best is yet to come."
In 2016, Britton was 2-1 with a 0.54 ERA and 47 saves in 47 chances. He converted an AL-record 60 consecutive save opportunities from Oct. 1, 2015, to last Aug. 21.
"I know I don't like facing him," Yankees center fielder Aaron Hick said with a smile. "When a guy throws 98 mph and it goes straight down, it's kind of hard."
The Yankees are responsible for $4,387,097 of Britton's $12 million salary this year. New York began the season with a $179 million payroll for purposes of the luxury tax, which left the team room to add salaries and remain under the $197 million threshold.
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