Ernesto Frieri opts out of minor-league deal with Yankees

Despite having success in Triple-A, Yankees minor league reliever Ernesto Frieri has decided to opt out of his contract with the team, a source told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Frieri, a 31-year-old from Arjona, Colombia, appeared in 17 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season and did well as a closer for the squad. He converted seven of eight save attempts while producing a 3.00 ERA and striking out 24 batters in 21 innings of work. However, he has not been able to make the jump to the Yankees since signing with the organization this season.

Heyman says Frieri’s success should give him some offers on the open market. However, Frieri has not pitched in the majors since 2015 when he was with the Rays for his seventh big-league season. In his MLB career, Frieri has a 3.55 ERA in 296 1/3 innings of work over 298 appearances.