It’s hard to think of a better story for the Yankees in 2021 than Néstor Cortes Jr.
It would’ve been hard to imagine that back in 2019 — when Cortes was a spot starter/reliever putting up an ERA over five with the Yankees — that he would ever play a crucial role for a playoff bound team. Through his first three years in the bigs (2018 with the Orioles, ‘19 in New York, ‘20 with the Mariners), he was eminently hittable, putting up a 6.72 ERA and allowing over 11 hits per nine innings.
The Yankees signed Cortes as a minor league free agent back in January, and it seemed like he was chosen simply because he was a familiar face who would be a decent depth piece.