Zach Britton: Why I'm open to lesser role, re-signing with Yankees

by Felix Pantaleón

Reliever Zach Britton said the Yankees are among the places he’d “want to be,” even if it means a non-closer role. Britton is set to become a free agent soon.

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NEW YORK — Months ago, reliever Zach Britton figured he’d enter free agency this offseason with the goal of signing with a team and becoming their closer.

His Yankees experience may change that plan.

Britton said that he might be fine not closing if that means signing with a team that gives him a better chance than the awful Orioles did before he was traded to New York.

“Maybe not as important as I originally thought,” Britton said, referring to his previous goal of being a closer, following a season-ending Game 4 ALDS loss to the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

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Now that he’s gotten a taste of winning — and what the Yankees could be — he’d be open to continue pitching elsewhere than the ninth inning, in deference to Yankees’ closer Aroldis Chapman.

“I just want to win,” Britton said. “Being in Baltimore this year was tough. Experiencing losing and then going onto a team that’s going to win, I think, for a lot of years, this would be obviously one of those destinations that I would want to be at, with the young core. These guys are going to be really talented for a long time.”

Britton had previously told NJ Advance Media that he would “love” to re-sign with the Yankees and that the team would be among his “top choices.”

A lot will go into whether Britton returns to the Yankees.

They will want to keep their strong bullpen, but David Robertson will also be a free agent. Then there’s the matter of, what if another team blows the 30-year-old Britton away with closer money (or at least significantly more than the Yankees decide he’s worth)?

Britton made a good impression in the Bronx, where he pitched to a 2.88 ERA in 25 games. The Yankees acquired him just before the trade deadline in a deal with Baltimore that sent the Orioles a package of prospects.

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

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