What to think about the salary waiver – The Athletic

There’s no getting around that: the Yankees sending reliever Adam Ottavino to their rival Red Sox is a pay dump.

For the Yankees, the usefulness of trade is clear. They open up a spot on the 40-person roster and offload about $ 8 million in paycheck in a year they’re clearly trying to stay below the competitive equilibrium tax threshold of $ 210 million. With Ottavino’s salary in 2021 not on the books, the Yankees are still below the tax threshold of around $ 8.5 million, per RosterResource. They could use a left-handed bat, and maybe Brett Gardner, an easy and familiar presence, is next to be re-signed for a reunion. Maybe they use that money to add another stable coin to the starting spin. Perhaps they are using it to acquire a reliever to replace Ottavino.

All in all, the trade seems quite imbalanced. The Yankees receive “player to name later or cash rewards” from the Red Sox while sending Ottavino and right-handed throws …