Every winter, every organization in baseball signs dozens of free agents with the minor leagues, primarily hoping to find useful bullpen or reliever players on the cheap or give veterans a chance to compete for roster spots during spring training. It’s extremely rare to find a true diamond through this process, but that happened to the Yankees four years ago, to the day they officially signed the lefty Nestor Cortes Land a minor league deal. At the time, the lefty was just a month shy of his 26th birthday and had a career 6.72 ERA in 79 innings at the major league level. Despite a slow start to Cortez’s MLB career, the Yankees’ decision to use him as pitching depth for the 2021 season quickly proved to be one of the most fruitful minor league signings in recent years.
The club was very familiar with Cortez when they signed him, as this was actually the southpaw’s third stint in the Bronx. Cortez was first drafted by the club in the 36th round of the 2013 draft and was drafted away from the club by the Orioles in the 2017 Rule 5 draft, but was returned a few months later. He then pitched 66 2/3 innings for the Yankees in his rookie season in 2019, despite posting a just 5.67 ERA, and was traded to the Mariners in November of that year. Cortez made just five appearances in Seattle before becoming a minor league free agent and returning to the Yankees ahead of the 2021 season.
The lefty didn’t officially return to the Bronx until May, when he was added to the club’s roster as a multi-inning relief option in the bullpen. Cortez made his first appearance of the year on May 30 against the Tigers, where he pitched a bit shaky, allowing two runs (earned) and striking out three in 3 2/3 innings. , gave up 3 hits and walked 4 runs. Throughout June, however, Cortes looked completely dominant. He pitched in 6 games (14 innings) with an ERA of 0.64 that month and a strikeout rate of 42.3%.
This overwhelming success earned Cortez a spot in the starting rotation when the calendar turned to July, and he successfully retained that spot in the Yankees’ rotation throughout the remainder of the season. In 14 starts throughout the second half of the season, Cortez posted a stellar 3.07 ERA in 73 1/3 innings and struck out 25.4 percent of his opponents. His presence helped the Yankees through the injury period Corey Kluber, Louis Gilland Domingo Gelman This tested their starting depth all season long. Although Cortez missed the postseason that year as the Yankees lost to the Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game, he entered 2022 with a solid spot in the starting rotation.
The year proved to be a career one for the southpaw. Cortez was one of the best pitchers in the game in 2022, making his first (and so far only) All-Star appearance and finishing in the top 10 in that year’s AL Cy Young Award voting. While his 158 1/3 innings pitched wasn’t enough to win an ERA title, he did produce a respectable 2.44 ERA in 28 starts over at least 150 innings pitched in the majors. Hands ranks seventh lowest, which leaves him sandwiched in the middle Shohei Ohtani and Max Fried on the charts that year. His 26.5% strikeout rate, 3.13 FIP, and 3.7 fWAR also ranked in the top 20 of that group. During that memorable season, Cortez made three key playoff starts for the Yankees in October. He pitched well in two starts against the Guardians with a 2.70 ERA in ten innings, but ultimately took the mound in the Yankees’ final game of the season, when the Astros lost in the ALCS Sweeped the Bombers in Game 4.
After Cortez’s career ended in 2022, the southpaw’s production took a bit of a dip. 2023 was a lost season for Cortez, who made just 12 starts due to a strained rotator cuff and posted a below-average ERA when he was healthy enough to take the mound. 4.97. 2024 is a step in the right direction for the southpaw as he was healthy for most of the year, but his production pales in comparison to his first two years back at Yankee Stadium. Last year, he pitched to a 3.77 ERA (109 ERA+) and a 3.84 FIP in 174 1/3 innings for the Yankees, but in the second half of his final 12 games, An ERA of 4.41 was poor.
Still, the middle and lower parts of the overall rotation were solid, and when a season-ending flexor strain seemed to jeopardize Cortez’s playoff chances in late September, it was a blow to the club’s depth. People worry about the blow. The lefty returned to the mound in time for the club’s World Series against the Yankees, although some fans may have wished he hadn’t done so after giving up a grand slam. freddie freeman In the tenth inning of Game 1, Cortez pitched 1 2/3 scoreless relief innings in Game 3 but had little impact the rest of the series as the Yankees The team lost the series to the Dodgers in five games.
New York traded Cortez for the second time last month when they packaged him with an infield prospect Caleb Durbin and cash considerations to move closer to acquiring Star Brewery Devin Williams. For now at least, the deal brings closure to Cortez’s long Yankees story. With Cortez entering his age-30 season and just one year away from free agency, it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll return to the Bronx at some point before his career is over, but he left New York to become one of them.
Over the past four seasons, the lefty posted a 3.33 ERA in 489 innings in 93 games (84 starts) while striking out 25.2 percent of his opponents. That’s a performance worth 9.4 fWAR and 10.3 bWAR, and even in 2025, the decision to bring Cortez back will be a gift that keeps on giving, as Williams and his career 1.83 ERA will live up to expectations. He finished his final year in the Bronx before hitting free agency. Any club would be happy for a 20-something minor league prospect with a career ERA over 6.00 to perform at such a high level, and the result is a welcome one for Brian Cashman’s front office. It’s a clear victory.
