The New York Yankees have signed left-handed reliever Mike Zagurski to a major league contract, according to Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger. Zagurski recently opted out of his minor league deal with the Athletics in an attempt to find a major league job, and the recent struggles of the Yankees bullpen opened up a spot for him. If the Yankees make it to the playoffs, Zagurski will not be eligible for the team's postseason roster.
Zagurski, 30, allowed ten earned runs in just six innings for the Pirates at the beginning of the season, and was released by the team on June 19th. Two days later, he signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, and spent two months with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before opting out of his contract on August 15th to pursue opportunities elsewhere. He signed with the Athletics three days later, and spent a couple weeks with Triple-A Sacramento before becoming a free agent once again. In 45 appearances with the Triple-A affiliates of the Pirates, Yankees and Athletics on the season, Zagurski is 6-3 with a 3.04 ERA, 14.0 K/9, and 4.0 K/9 in 53.1 innings of work.
In parts of five major league seasons with the Phillies (2007, 2010-2011), Diamondbacks (2012), and Pirates (2013), Zagurski is the owner of a lifetime 1-0 record and 6.84 ERA in 75 innings. He spent the entire 2012 season in the majors with Arizona, and posted a 5.54 ERA In 45 appearances on the year.
In addition, sources indicate that right-hander Chris Bootcheck, who recently opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees, is now drawing interest from multiple teams looking to add a bullpen arm for the last few weeks of the season. It is unclear if the Yankees are among them.
