The New York Yankees haven’t done much this offseason—except watch some of their targets and their team members walk to their competition. This time, though, the Yanks watched as one of their former relievers found a new home—Mark Leiter Jr. He spent parts of the last two seasons in pinstripes and is officially heading to Oakland.

Leiter Jr. agreed to a one-year deal with the Athletics, and this move gives the A’s a veteran arm with multiple years of major league experience. Let’s break down everything we know about who he signed with, how the salary is structured, and why the Yankees had to let him go.

Which ex-Yankees player signed with the Athletics?

Former New York Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr. has agreed to a one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics, according to multiple reports. The deal is still pending a physical, but this marks a fresh new chapter for the 34-year-old right-hander, who became a free agent after he was non-tendered by the Yankees earlier this offseason.

Now, Leiter Jr. is someone who is not a stranger to changing uniforms. In fact, this will be his fifth major league team in his seventh MLB season! He debuted with the Phillies back in 2017, then he spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays, hopped to the Chicago Cubs, and then ended up with the Yankees before finally landing in Oakland.

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What Are the Key Details of Mark Leiter Jr.’s New Contract with the Athletics?

The Oakland Athletics’ agreement with Leiter Jr. is for one year and at roughly $3 million, as reported by ESPN. Now the club has not confirmed the signing yet, but everyone from MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal has pointed out that the deal is complete and only pending a physical now.

For the A’s, this is big because this is the first major addition of the off-season after a quiet winter meeting. Athletics is focused on improving the bullpen depth, and Leiter Jr. brings exactly what they lacked last year—an experienced middle relief arm who can handle several roles.

Plus, he is also expected to benefit from pitching at Sutter Health Park, which is a hitter-friendly environment where his ability to generate ground balls could be valuable. Over the past two seasons, he has done well at soft contact—ranking in the 88th percentile in barrel rate and 94th percentile in hard-hit rate in 2025.

Mark Leiter Jr. Salary Breakdown and Contract Structure

While the exact breakdown of the incentives and the bonuses isn’t available, everything that has been reported points out that Mark Leiter’s contract is a one-year deal worth $3 million.

This makes him a low-cost addition for the Oakland A’s, who are known for staying in a tight budget bracket. At 34 years old, and heading towards 35 in March, Leiter Jr. gets both a salary and the chance to rebuild his value in the A’s bullpen, where he is most likely to see consistent innings.

Given his past success, like his career-high 69 appearances with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 and his scoreless outings in four World Series games with the Yankees, this contract gives him a chance to reestablish himself before maybe hitting free agency again next season.

For the Oakland Athletics, they get flexibility with this deal. Leiter isn’t being paid closer money, which means that he will slot in the middle-relief or long-relief role, where he has spent most of his career. With nine career saves, he is not expected to handle the ninth inning anyway.

Why Did the Yankees Release Mark Leiter Jr.?

Leiter’s departure from the Bronx was not just because of one factor but a combination of many, including performance issues, roster decisions, and timing.

The New York Yankees non-tendered him on November 21, making him a free agent after his numbers dipped. He started the season as a key setup man, but things started to unravel after May 31. From that point on, he had posted a 7.30 ERA, which ultimately pulled his full-season ERA up to 4.84 across 48 1/3 innings.

But while the Yankees’ decision to let him go came down to performance issues, his underlying analytics paint a different picture. His expected ERA was 3.72, and he recorded a 3.55 FIP, so he was effective beneath the surface. But even then, the Yanks decided to move on from him, given the bullpen depth and financial considerations, and we all know the team is serious about cutting costs this time.

Leiter’s overall Yankees journey was brief but memorable. And now he begins his new journey with the Athletics.