AL East

Shortstop Trevor Story became one of the last big dominoes to fall in MLB free agency Sunday, as he agreed to a contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Jim Bowden of CBS Sports reported that Story will move from shortstop to second base in Boston, since Xander Bogaerts occupies the shortstop position.

Story spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies, posting a per-162-game average of 34 home runs, 98 RBI, 101 runs and 22 stolen bases, per Baseball Reference. He also hit .272 with an .863 OPS.

The 29-year-old is a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who has finished 12th or better in National League MVP voting on three occasions.

It will be interesting to see how Story fares without playing at hitter-friendly Coors Field half the time.

Story hit .303 (.972 OPS) in Denver from 2016 to 2021, but those figures dipped to .241 (.752 OPS) away from home.

He's still one of the game's top power bats at shortstop, however, and that will be a welcome sight for the Red Sox as they land one of the top free agents in this year's market.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Audacy Sports reported Boston's interest in Story on the Dec. 6 edition of Audacy Sports' Big Time Baseball podcast:

"Story, I have heard three teams—Seattle, Houston and Boston. So it would be interesting to see with Boston. Obviously he could start out at second base potentially, and we'll see what goes on from there."

With Story moving to second base, he gives Boston a loaded infield alongside Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers.

The Red Sox made the American League Championship Series last year and finished two victories shy of winning the AL pennant. Adding Story should make Boston the top contender for the AL crown, as the power-hitting middle infielder joins a Red Sox team that posted a .777 OPS (third-best in the majors).

Veteran left fielder Kyle Schwarber reportedly agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported it's a four-year pact worth just under $20 million annually.

The news comes after Schwarber, who spent the second half of the 2021 season with the Boston Red Sox, declined his part of an $11.5 million mutual option for 2022. He joined the Red Sox in a midseason trade with the Washington Nationals. 

Schwarber previously told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that he was open to returning to the Red Sox, but it's no surprise he explored the open market. 

The 29-year-old's free-agent stock was up after an impressive 2021 campaign in which he hit a career-best .266/.374/.554 with 32 home runs and 71 RBI. It was a bounce-back year after he hit .188/.308/.393 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Schwarber had been linked to the Phillies since early December. 

Adding him gives Philadelphia more outfield stability. The Phillies can play Bryce Harper in right and Matt Vierling and Odubel Herrera in center. 

Also, outfielder Andrew McCutchen left the Phillies for the Milwaukee Brewers in free agency, meaning Schwarber will fill an obvious hole in the lineup.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman also noted that Schwarber is a good fit for the Phillies because of his success in NL East ballparks. He has 32 home runs in 91 games, which Heyman noted would translate to 57 homers per 162 games.

Anthony Rizzo is reportedly returning to the New York Yankees.

The veteran first baseman agreed to a new deal with the Bronx Bombers on Tuesday, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Rumors about Rizzo began even amid the league-initiated lockout when Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reported in February the Chicago Cubs held "internal conversations" about bringing back the franchise icon.

That was particularly notable since the Cubs traded Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez prior to the trade deadline during the 2021 season. All three were fan favorites who cemented their legacies with the organization by helping it break a 108-year drought with a World Series championship in 2016.

Alas, Rizzo decided to return to the team that acquired him from Chicago.

At his best, the power-hitting first baseman was one of the most productive players in the league. He is a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover who has a Silver Slugger on his resume and finished in the top 20 in MVP voting five straight years from 2014 through 2018.

He wasn't quite at that level in 2021, but he was still solid with a .248/.344/.440 slash line to go with 22 home runs and 61 RBI in 141 games for the Cubs and Yankees.

Rizzo is also durable and has managed to play through back problems that have hampered him at times. He appeared in 140 or more games in each of the last eight seasons not counting the shortened 2020 campaign, when he played 58 of 60 games.

The 32-year-old brings power, the ability to drive in runs with four seasons of more than 100 RBI, an excellent glove, veteran leadership and postseason experience to a team that is familiar with what he can do on the field.

While he may be somewhat past his prime, the Yankees clearly believe Rizzo can remain a valuable piece in their lineup as they look to compete in a loaded American League East during the 2022 campaign.

Paul O'Neill will become the 21st player in New York Yankees history to have his jersey retired. 

The Yankees announced they will add O'Neill's No. 21 jersey to their collection in Monument Park in a ceremony before their Aug. 21 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

O'Neill was originally drafted in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Reds in 1981. The Ohio native spent the first eight years of his MLB career with the Reds from 1985-92. He was part of the 1990 squad that swept the Oakland Athletics in the World Series and was named to the National League All-Star team in 1991. 

The Yankees acquired O'Neill from the Reds in a trade for outfielder Roberto Kelly before the 1993 season. He was named to the American League All-Star team and finished in the top 15 of AL MVP voting four times in five seasons from 1994-98.

During his eight seasons in New York, O'Neill posted a .303/.377/.492 slash line with 185 homers and 858 RBI in 1,254 regular-season games. 

In 76 playoff games for the Yankees, O'Neill hit .282/.355/.459 with 10 homers, 34 RBI, 32 walks and 38 strikeouts. He went 2-for-3 with a double in New York's 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in what turned out to be his final game. 

O'Neill will become the seventh member of the Yankees' teams that won four World Series titles in five years from 1996-2000 to have his jersey number retired by the team. 

Derek Jeter (No. 2), Joe Torre (No. 6, manager), Jorge Posada (No. 20), Mariano Rivera (No. 42), Andy Pettitte (No. 46) and Bernie Williams (No. 51) have already been honored by the organization.        

The jersey that Mickey Mantle wore for his final game with the New York Yankees is up for auction.

Per the official listing from Heritage Auctions, the No. 7 jersey is from Sept. 28, 1968, when the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-3.

This is the same jersey that Mantle wore in the 1968 All-Star Game and for home runs Nos. 534 and 535.

The jersey also comes with an inscription that reads, "To Tom, A Great Friend Always, 'The Mick.'"

According to Heritage Auctions, this is the third time the Yankees jersey has been up for auction. It previously sold for $486,000 in 2017 and $850,000 in 2020.

According to TMZ Sports, it could sell for over $1 million this time around.

Mantle only had one at-bat in the final game of his career, when he hit a pop-out in the top of the first inning and was replaced by Andy Kosco. The three-time American League MVP didn't officially retire until March 1, 1969.

"I'm not going to play baseball anymore," Mantle said at the press conference, via Alex Coffey of BaseballHall.org. "That's all I know. I can't play anymore. I don't hit the ball when I need to. I can't steal when I need to. I can't score from second when I need to."

Mantle hit the 536th and final home run of his career at Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox eight days before his last MLB game.

The Yankees retired Mantle's No. 7 on June 8, 1969. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge feels good about his situation heading into the final year of his contract.

Judge discussed his options after the 2022 season on R2C2:

"I've been lucky enough to play in the best organization out of all of them," Judge said, "so who wants to go anywhere else?"

Judge added that he would be "honored to wear pinstripes" for several more years if they work out an extension, although he would accept going elsewhere if he hits free agency.

"If it doesn't happen and this is my last year, I had a lot of great memories," Judge said of the Yankees.

The 29-year-old is coming off a huge 2021 season where he hit .287 with 39 home runs and 98 RBI, earning his third career All-Star selection while finishing fourth in voting for MVP. He also stayed relatively healthy while playing 148 games, a significant change after missing at least 30 games in each of the previous three seasons.

It should lead to a hefty new contract for Judge, whose .940 career OPS would rank second among active players with enough plate appearances to qualify, trailing only Mike Trout.

The Yankees are currently unable to negotiate with Judge because of the ongoing lockout, and the new collective bargaining agreement could have a major impact on the outfielder.

Recent proposals from MLB have featured a forfeiture of draft picks for teams that go over a salary threshold, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic. 

With New York ranking third in the majors with a 2022 payroll of $211.2 million, the team might not want to add too much to the cost. It could force Judge to find a new home in 2023.   

The Tampa Bay Rays will have to abandon their plan to split an MLB season between St. Petersburg, Florida, and Montreal.

The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin reported MLB has struck down the idea, an outcome that is "sure to frustrate and stun team officials." The Rays were expecting to move forward with the strategy and pursue new open-air stadiums at both sites.

Almost everybody agrees the Rays deserve better than Tropicana Field.

The location is less than ideal since it's not actually in Tampa, Florida, and forces fans to put up with traffic coming to and from games. The venue itself isn't really suited for baseball, either, which anybody who has seen a ball carom off the catwalks can attest to. 

Constructing a new stadium in Tampa is proving difficult, however. The process has been ongoing for years with little in the way of tangible progress.

The "Sister City" plan emerged as an alternative. Team owner Stuart Sternberg told Topkin in December 2019 he had lost hope in remaining in the Tampa region on a full-time basis:

I'm open to any conversation. They'd have to show me why it would work. We did work previously, we spent years on it. Some of the really solid business leaders, earnestly, and in a caring fashion, tried to make it work. But if there's a genie in a bottle somewhere that wants to show me why it would work—I just can't envision it. You never say never, but I can’t envision it. It's less than highly unlikely.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred endorsed the plan in February 2020.

"People continue to believe that the two-city alternative they’re exploring is viable and could be a really good solution for keeping baseball in Tampa Bay," he said, per Topkin.

Manfred added he's "100 percent convinced and, more importantly, the other owners have been convinced by Stu, that this is best way to keep Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay."

However, the split-season approach has always been met with a measure of skepticism.

Playing in Tampa and Montreal presents obvious logistical questions because of the significant distance between the two cities and the fact they're in separate countries. Fans in both cities may never feel the Rays are truly theirs, too, given the dual loyalties.

Then there's the matter of constructing two new stadiums. Topkin reported each venue was estimated to cost around $500 million or $600 million, and Sternberg said the Rays were projecting to average 25,000 fans in each city.

According to Topkin, it's unclear whether MLB's decision will lead Rays ownership to pursue relocation.

The New York Yankees have reportedly come to terms on a contract with the No. 1 international prospect in baseball.

According to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, the Yankees and shortstop Roderick Arias have agreed to a deal that will pay him $4 million.

Once the pact becomes official, it will account for most of the $5,179,700 that the Yanks have available to them in their base signing pool.

Arias is a 17-year-old native of the Dominican Republic who will stand as the Yankees' biggest international prospect signing since now-18-year-old outfielder Jasson Dominguez in 2019.

Dominguez, who is also from the Dominican Republic, signed for over $5 million and is considered one of the most promising prospects in baseball.

Per Sanchez, scouts believe Arias is an above-average fielder with a plus arm, as well as a player who possesses quality discipline at the plate and power from both sides as a switch-hitter.

Arias also has above-average skills as a baserunner with a 60-yard dash time of 6.5 seconds.

In August, MLB Pipeline ranked the Yankees in the middle of the pack in terms of farm system strength at No. 19 overall.

Arias is set to join an organization that already has some quality shortstops rising through the ranks, as MLB.com has Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza as the first and third overall players in New York's prospect rankings.

The Yankees have a long history of success at shortstop, with Derek Jeter, Phil Rizzuto and Joe Sewell being among those who reside in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tampa Bay Rays bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez's death has been ruled a suicide. 

Per TMZ Sports, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner announced Ramirez's cause of death. 

The Rays announced on Tuesday that Ramirez died at the age of 28. 

Ramirez's family issued a statement after the medical examiner's report was released, via Adam Berry of MLB.com:

The loss of our son has been the most excruciating experience we have lived. Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t see the signs. Struggling in silence is not OK. It is our commitment to honor our son’s life by helping other families. No parent should have to endure the loss of their child. We are very grateful to the Tampa Bay Rays organization, whom we consider our family, for their love and support. Our son felt loved by all of you. Thank you to our family, friends and everyone else far and near for the outpouring of love and support. God bless you! Rays Up in Heaven

A 28th-round pick by the Rays in the 2016 MLB draft, Ramirez played three seasons in the minors before being released after the 2018 season. He joined Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash's staff in 2019. 

Speaking to Josh Tolentino of The Athletic in April 2019, Ramirez expressed hope that one day he would get the opportunity to manage in the big leagues. 

"Hopefully, at some point, I will get a chance to manage a team or be a bench coach or carry on an important role like that, even if it’s something like coordinator," Ramirez said. "That’s what my goal is—to get into a coaching role like that and stay there for a long time."

Ramirez was part of the Rays staff during their run to the World Series in 2020. They also won back-to-back AL East titles the past two seasons, including winning a franchise-record 100 games in 2021.