The New York Yankees and former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford have agreed to a major league contract for the second time this season. At the end of June, the right-hander threw in five games, during which time his ERA shot up to 14.40. But in 34 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he has five saves and a 3.00 ERA as well.
“He’s got some length to him, and he’s been doing a nice job,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Bickford. most likely able to provide us with a few innings if necessary. Many persons were mentioned in the discourse for that, but at that particular moment, it seemed appropriate to choose that person. After being brought up to the major league roster in late June, Bickford struggled with a 14.40 ERA over five innings in five outings until New York designated him for assignment. Bickford originally signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in April. Following his July waiver clearance, Bickford declined an outright assignment to Triple-A to pursue free agency. He will now head back to the Bronx following nearly eight weeks as a free agent.
Though Bickford hasn’t had much success in MLB recently, his strong play at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate this season has given the team enough confidence to sign him to a guaranteed contract. Bickford’s possibilities for minor league play are now limited. If New York wished to return him to Triple-A, they would need to designate him for assignment. Having appeared in parts of five major league seasons, Bickford’s greatest campaign was in 2021, when he recorded a 2.81 ERA over 51.1 innings of relief work for the Dodgers and Brewers. The previous season, Los Angeles traded him to the Mets. The Yankees assigned Michael Tonkin to a different position in response. The change was unexpected because it happened after a period of stability. Boone remarked, “Tough one today.” “Tonk has done fantastically. He made a strong case to us. He’s been an excellent colleague. That was a really tough choice.
