Zach Britton: I’d ‘love to be back’ with Yankees in 2019

Yankees reliever Zach Britton, who will be a free agent at season’s end, explains why he’d “love” to return to the Bronx.

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NEW YORK — Reliever Zach Britton said he would “definitely love to be back” with the Yankees next season and that he expects the team to be “one of my top choices” when he enters free agency.

“It’s kind of been everything I would have hoped it would have been,” Britton said, referring to his time in the Bronx, last week in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.

Britton added that he believes the Yankees have a core that win for years to come and that he’s been impressed with the Yankees’ personal services, including their stadium child care and how they treat players’ wives.

However, it’s unclear whether Britton would fit.

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A source with knowledge of the Yankees’ personnel decisions told NJ Advance Media said it’s expected that Britton will seek closer money in the open market, and that the team would be highly unlikely to pursue at that level considering the presence of Aroldis Chapman, whose owed $45 million through 2021.

The source spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely.

It’ll be the first free-agent foray for Britton, a two-time All-Star who struggled in 2017 and 2018 to regain his once top-closer form.

He’s been very good lately for the Yankees. In eight September outings, he hasn’t allowed an earned run, while maintaining a .115 batting average against. He struggled for a while after the Yankees acquired him from the Orioles in exchange for a package of prospects just before the trade deadline. Britton didn’t pitch in the bigs until June 12, recovering from offseason surgery to fix a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

The Yankees may have room for Britton if they don’t re-sign David Robertson, who will also be a free agent. Robertson is in the last year of a four-year, $46-million deal he signed with the White Sox in late 2014. Robertson made $13 million in 2018. He’ll be 34 years old next April.

The Yankees have made an obvious effort to build super bullpens over the last few years, so a return for Britton, even in a non-closer role, can’t be ruled out.

Britton said he didn’t know what to expect after the trade from Baltimore but that the transition has been smooth. He said he spoke with ex-Yankee Andrew Miller, with whom he played in Baltimore, about playing for the pinstripes.

“I’m sure we’ll kind of see where they are and where we are, but I would definitely love to be back,” Britton said. “I don’t know where they are in terms of arbitration raises and all that, but this would definitely be one of my top choices.”

Britton added that how the Yankees have treated his family has been big, for him.

“And that’s one of the things I’ve been most impressed with, how they have taken care of my wife and the kids,” Britton said. “That’s a huge component people don’t realize that. But if I know they’re taken care of when I go to the stadium, it makes it easier for me to go out there and do what I need to do.

“The amount of staff they have here, everyone knows your name when you come in. The people in the players love. The kids room that they have, it’s a full-on daycare for all age groups. The wives suite — in Baltimore, I had to pay for the wives suite. Here, it’s given to the wives, a place for them to go and kind of get away. They have a staff that are licensed to take care of the kids, and there are activities for them and they’re not just in a room playing.”

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.