New York Yankees Sign Jon Niese To Minor League Deal

The New York Yankees agreed to a minor league deal with Jon Niese, who also received an invite to Spring Training.

The New York Yankees did much of their heavy lifting this offseason in the early going. They traded Brian McCann to the Houston Astros mid-November and then signed Matt Holiday and Aroldis Chapman in December. The Yankees wouldn’t sign another free agent until they inked a deal with Chris Carter last week.

While the Yankees were quiet, it didn’t mean they weren’t searching the market for something. The Yankees could use some starting pitching depth and another lefty in the bullpen wouldn’t hurt. The Yankees were able to accomplish that goal over the weekend.

The Yankees agreed to a deal with veteran free agent Jon Niese. Joel Sherman reported on Twitter that Niese was heading to take a physical with the Yankees, and that a deal could get done if he passed. He passed, so Niese will now report to the Yankees Spring Training on a minor league deal.

Niese will get a look with the Yankees as both a starter and reliever. His versatility will help improve his chances of making the roster, but he has to perform well.

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Niese was a disaster last season. The New York Mets traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Neil Walker during the offseason. There was hope that Pirates pitching coach guru Ray Searage would help get the most out of Niese. Instead, he began what would end up being the worst season in his career.

Last season with the Pirates Niese went 8-6, but he had a 4.91 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 110 innings. He was removed from their starting rotation in mid-July, being sent to the bullpen. He fared better out of the bullpen with the Pirates but was eventually traded back to the Mets in exchange for Antonio Bastardo, a former Pirate.

Niese’s struggles would continue with the Mets. In six appearances, two starts, and 11 innings Niese had an ERA of 11.45 and WHIP of 2.00. He made his last appearance of the season on August 23rd when he gave up three runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Yankees will not be relying on Niese to fill a big role. They are probably checking in to see if last season was a blip on the radar or if he has nothing left in the tank. In nine seasons Niese has proven to be a serviceable pitcher with a 4.07 ERA, 3.99 with the Mets in his career.

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By joining the Yankees, Niese has a chance to join a very exclusive list. Only three players, Dwight Gooden, Al Leiter, and David Cone, have won at least 50 games with the Mets and one with the Yankees. Bob Ojeda won 50 games with the Mets and pitched with the Yankees, but never won a game in Pinstripes. Niese could join those lists if he makes the team out of Spring Training.

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