New York Yankees

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.

Anthony Rizzo signed 2-year deal with #Yankees for 30-35 million.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 16, 2022

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.

Josh Donaldson is on the move to the Bronx in a headliner deal.

The New York Yankees acquired Donaldson, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan, MLB Network's Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic were the first to report the details of the deal.

Donaldson, 36, is entering his 12th MLB season. He hit .247 (.827 OPS) with 26 home runs and 72 RBI in 135 games for the Twins last year.

The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger had his best years with the Toronto Blue Jays.

In 2015, Donaldson won the American League MVP en route to leading the Jays to an AL East title and AL Championship Series appearance. He finished fourth in the MVP voting in 2016 when the Jays made a return trip to the ALCS.

From 2015 to 2017, Donaldson averaged 37 home runs and 100 RBI while hitting .285 (.946 OPS).

Injuries plagued Donaldson in 2018, but he enjoyed a resurgent 2019 season, smacking 37 homers and driving in 94 runners for the National League East-winning Atlanta Braves.

Donaldson signed a four-year, $92 million contract with the Twins as a free agent before the 2020 campaign. The bottom fell out on the 2019 and 2020 AL Central champions, though, as the team finished last at 73-89 in 2021.

Now he heads to a Yankees team that is surely in win-now mode and will benefit form his power as it looks toward the playoffs.

Kiner-Falefa is a slick-fielding infielder who can play multiple positions. He won a Gold Glove in 2020 and was a solid offensive contributor at times last year while slashing .271/.312/.357 with 20 stolen bases.

The trade cost New York some notable pieces.

Sanchez is a two-time All-Star who won a Silver Slugger in 2017 and has four seasons with 20 or more home runs. Urshela hit 21 home runs in 2019 and just slashed .267/.301/.419 with 14 long balls and 49 RBI last year.

The New York Yankees have been linked to free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa throughout the offseason, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today doesn't see it happening.

Nightengale told Vinny and Haynie of 105.7 The Fan (h/t Logan Mullen of Audacy) that you can "rule out" the Yankees signing Correa. 

"I think Correa is going to take a while [to sign somewhere]; I just don’t see a natural fit," Nightengale added. "The Dodgers can be an X-factor because Trea Turner only has one more year and you can always slide him over to second base."

Correa was one of the top overall players in free agency this offseason after hitting .279 with a .366 on-base percentage and 26 home runs last year. He also won a Gold Glove at shortstop while finishing fifth in MVP voting before helping the Houston Astros reach the World Series.

With three AL pennants on his resume and one World Series title, Correa could be a valuable addition for a Yankees squad looking to get over the top after falling short in recent seasons. New York has reached the playoffs in five straight years but lost before the World Series each time, including last season's Wild Card Game defeat to the Boston Red Sox.

Gleyber Torres also disappointed at shortstop last season, hitting .259 with nine home runs and just a .697 OPS.

Despite the apparent fit, cost could be a significant problem for the Yankees.

ESPN's Buster Olney previously reported Correa was offered a 10-year, $275 million deal by the Detroit Tigers earlier in the offseason but turned it down. 

The superstar will likely still seek this type of deal once the lockout ends, but teams could be restricted by new rules in the collective bargaining agreement. The Yankees already have the third-highest projected payroll for 2022 at $211.2 million, per Spotrac.       

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. 

The Ultimate Warrior. pic.twitter.com/wldIkgyjSq

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 22, 2022

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.'"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhXqhXBxExg?

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:

"If we get an extension done before the season starts that'd be great... If it doesn't happen and this is my last year, I had a lot of great memories." -Aaron Judge pic.twitter.com/l2hHM9H0Wm

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 17, 2022

"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.   

Former MLB outfielder Gerald Williams, a 14-year veteran who played two stints with the New York Yankees, has died at the age of 55 from cancer.

Former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter released a statement via The Players' Tribune after news of Williams' death:

“Gerald Williams passed away this morning after a battle with cancer. To my teammate and one of my best friends in the world, rest in peace, my brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Liliana, and their whole family.” —Derek Jeter pic.twitter.com/mVoaZ8BPrP

— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 8, 2022

The Yankees released a statement after the news of his death:

The Yankees mourn the passing of Gerald Williams. pic.twitter.com/3Vsb7eL0PA

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 8, 2022

Former teammate and four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams, who suited up with Williams from 1992 to 1996 and again in 2001 and 2002, also offered a remembrance: 

Bernie Williams on the passing of his former teammate Gerald Williams: pic.twitter.com/YVLXgV35nU

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 8, 2022

Williams carved out a career with the Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins and New York Mets.

His best offensive stretch occurred from 1998 to 2000, when he hit .280 (.780 OPS) and posted per 162-game averages of 16 homers and 67 RBI. Williams notably hit a career-high 21 home runs for Tampa Bay in 2000.

During that season, he was notoriously at the center of a massive benches-clearing brawl between Tampa Bay and the Boston Red Sox after starting pitcher Pedro Martinez hit him on the left wrist during an at-bat.

Williams authored one of the most iconic plays of the Yankees' 1996 season when he snagged a long fly ball off the bat of then-Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez in the first inning en route to Dwight "Doc" Gooden's no-hitter on May 14, 1996.

The outfielder then doubled off Darren Bragg at first base. Gooden took over from there, twirling a 134-pitch masterpiece.

Williams was a beloved teammate, and Jeter wrote about what his presence meant to him as he was working his way up the minor leagues in his 2000 book, The Life You Imagine.

"I felt like I had been the last kid on the playground waiting to be picked for a game, and finally someone had selected me," Jeter said of Williams taking him out to dinner after other teammates had hazed him (h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).

"From that first meal, I knew that Gerald was someone whom I would befriend. He speaks softly and thoughtfully and is more like a philosopher than a baseball player.

"You could sit down next to Gerald on a plane, take a three-hour flight, talk the whole time, and never, ever guess that he played baseball. Gerald would talk to you about politics, religion, health care, the judicial system, anything. He is a person who thrives on life. He always finds positives and has told me that he doesn’t think he could ever overuse the word positive."

Williams is also just one of three Yankee players in franchise history to have six hits in a game, with the other two being Johnny Damon (2008) and Myril Hoag (1934). Williams accomplished his feat in a 15-inning, 11-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on May 1, 1996.

The New York Yankees are reportedly "expected to take a run" at superstar free agent Freddie Freeman once the lockout ends, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. 

Per that report, the Yankees have bigger needs than first base but would "love to fit one of the game's best lefty hitters into their lineup. With the Atlanta Braves not quickly wrapping up their star, all are options are on the table for Freeman."

Freeman, 32, followed his 2020 NL MVP with an excellent 2021, hitting .300 and posting 31 homers, 83 RBI, 120 runs and an .896 OPS. The five-time All-Star helped lead the Braves to a title. 

But Atlanta couldn't lock up the superstar first baseman to a long-term contract extension and he hit free agency, though the lockout ended any courtships. Once the players and owners agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, however, he'll be one of the top players on the market. 

As for New York, the Yankees aren't exactly wanting for power bats, as Aaron Judge (39 homers in 2021), Giancarlo Stanton (35 homers), Joey Gallo (38 homers between the Yankees and Texas Rangers) and Gary Sanchez (23 dingers) are holding things down.

They also have Luke Voit—who hit 43 homers across the 2019-20 seasons (174 games) before injuries and the addition of Anthony Rizzo limited him to 68 contests last season—available at first base. 

And the Yankees have bigger needs, namely in the rotation, bullpen and at shortstop. 

But first base is nonetheless something of a question mark, especially if the Yankees have lost faith in Voit, and adding another left-handed bat to balance the lineup would make sense. 

So the Yankees will have an interesting decision once free agency resumes. Freeman will help any team he's on, but New York's money might be better spent addressing other holes.

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.

Major League Baseball's lockout will obviously have to end first, but the New York Yankees may yet plug their hole at shortstop with a big-name free agent.

The Yankees' one-year, $2 million deal with reliever Joely Rodriguez represents their one and only major league signing before the lockout, yet ESPN's Buster Olney reported that some agents believe the team will be "aggressive" when the market reopens.

Specifically, on their radar could be two All-Star shortstops: Carlos Correa and Trevor Story.

Notably, this runs contrary to a November report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That one claimed the Yankees won't be paying for a top-tier shortstop, in part because they don't want to block top prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.

And yet, the anticipation that the Yankees will be aggressive makes some sense.

Any team on a win-now mission—which they most definitely are—can't afford to be deficient at a position as important as shortstop. And unless Volpe or Peraza is going to blossom right out of the gate in 2022, deficient is what the Yankees are at shortstop as long as Gio Urshela is the default starter. He is, after all, a 30-year-old best known for playing third base.

As for whether Correa or Story suits the Yankees better, let's break it down by price and talent and then come to a conclusion.

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One of These Guys Is Much More Expensive Than the Other

Back in November, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reported the Houston Astros sought to retain Correa by offering him a five-year deal worth $160 million.

Even then, however, that was about half what Correa was hypothetically worth on the open market. And in the form of Corey Seager's 10-year, $325 million pact with the Texas Rangers, Correa now has an actual target to match or exceed.

Though Correa and Seager are both 27, the former is a seasonal age younger. Correa has also been significantly more productive, outproducing Seager by 12.8 rWAR since their respective debuts in 2015 and by 3.5 rWAR just in 2021. That's not counting Correa's work in the postseason, where he's already top-10 all-time with 18 career home runs.

So, never mind just 10 years and $325 million. In Correa's mind, a fair deal might be more like the $340 million contracts that fellow shortstops Fernando Tatis Jr. and Francisco Lindor signed earlier this year.

Story, meanwhile, is in a different spot.

Even if he's a two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger in his own right, it matters that Story isn't coming off a particularly good season. Though he was worth a respectable 4.2 rWAR for the Colorado Rockies, that came paired with the second-lowest OPS+ of his career (103).

It didn't help that, in a sort of recurrence of what happened to him in 2018, Story dealt with an elbow injury. And at 29, he's more middle-aged than young by baseball's modern standards.

By way of Javier Baez's six-year, $140 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, this winter's market does offer some precedent for what a risky 29-year-old shortstop like Story might expect in his next deal. If a similar offer doesn't materialize, it's perhaps not outside the realm of possibility that Story will choose to bet on himself in a one-year deal.

But while this means that Correa and Story present two entirely different investment outlooks for the Yankees, they do have at least one thing in common.

According to Roster Resource, the Yankees are already looking at a $226.4 million luxury-tax payroll in 2022. That's already over the $210 million threshold from 2021, and less than $15 million in average annual value from the MLB Players Association's preferred threshold of $240 million for 2022.

Put another way, there's no deal the Yankees can make with either Correa or Story that would keep them from running afoul of the luxury tax next season.

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These Are Two Really Talented Shortstops

To the extent that Correa leads not only Seager, but also Story and indeed all shortstops in rWAR over the last seven years, pretending like he has any peers at his position is a fool's errand.

It used to be possible to quibble about Correa's glovework, but not so much now. His defensive runs saved have consistently been in the black, and this year's Gold Glove and Platinum Glove triumphs are backed by a league-high 20 DRS and 12 outs above average.

This alone is something that the Yankees should cherish about Correa. Even going off his OAA readings, he'd still be a massive upgrade for a position that's tied for 26th with minus-12 OAA over the last two seasons.

Correa has been more up and down offensively, with red flags including subpar production in 2018 and 2020 and a career year in 2017 that comes with a nefarious explanation. That was the season of the Astros' banging scheme, from which Correa benefited more than most.

Even still, there's only so much you can do to explain away numbers like a career 127 OPS+ and 133 home runs.

In particular, the notion that Correa's excellence in 2017 was a product of the banging scheme doesn't hold up. He's topped a 130 OPS+ twice since then, including in 2021 as he operated with above-average walk, strikeout and hard-hit rates.

Correa even took a step toward becoming an ideal fit for Yankee Stadium. The right-handed swinger hit a career-high 48 fly balls to the opposite field. Had he actually been a Yankee, he'd have collected more home runs on those:

Correa does have some injuries in his past, but not in the last two years, as he played in all but 14 of Houston's regular-season contests. That might not be a coincidence, as he reportedly improved his conditioning and nutrition ahead of the 2020 season.

As for Story, the elbow injury that he sustained earlier in 2021 could explain why he landed in the red defensively with minus-four outs above average. It might not have helped that his arm was further taxed by a deeper starting position (145 feet from home) than usual.

Or, this might just be noise. Story did salvage nine defensive runs saved, after all, which is also a category where he has even Correa beat since debuting in 2016.

On the other side of the ball, Story's primary claim to offensive fame is a home run stroke that's produced a shortstop-high 158 long balls over the last six seasons. And even when accounting for Coors Field, he's the only other shortstop besides Correa who has four seasons with at least a 120 OPS+ out of the last six.

Though Story missed hitting that mark once again in 2021, he might not have if he hadn't been so unlucky. By Statcast's estimates, he missed out on more home runs than any other player this season. Further, he had nearly the same expected slugging percentage on balls in play as Correa:

• Correa: .610 xSLG
• Story: .602 xSLG

What's more, Story's swing might be even more tailored for Yankee Stadium than Correa's. The fellow righty swinger hit even more opposite-field fly balls in 2021, a handful of which would have cleared the short right-field porch in the Bronx:

In addition to power, Story also offers speed and a better bat-to-ball skill than you might think. He's third among shortstops in stolen bases over the last four years, and his lowest strikeout rates have come in the last two seasons.

So even though he figures to cost half as much as Correa, Story has upside as a shortstop who's at least as good.

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What We'd Do

With free agents, it's not all about dollars and ability. There's also the matter of fit, which is where Correa has question marks that Story doesn't. 

The big one, of course, is whether there are any lingering hard feelings in a Yankees clubhouse that's still populated by guys who remember how the Astros beat them and then won the World Series in 2017. One of them is super-slugger Aaron Judge, who said of the Astros: "You cheated and you didn't earn it."

That could make things awkward for Correa if he were to come to New York. Plus, some Yankee fans might understandably be miffed about Correa's recent disparaging remarks about Derek Jeter's defense. They kinda like that guy in New York.

Given that Jeter was his favorite player when he was growing up, you're not likely to hear anything like that from Story. And even if Story doesn't have anything resembling Correa's postseason credentials, it might mean something to the Yankees that the ones he does have aren't marred by scandal.

Nonetheless, we'd still sign Correa if we were the Yankees.

The choice here is essentially between a riskier contract and a riskier player, with Correa as the former and Story as the latter. Story makes sense if the Yankees' primary goal is to spend money wisely, but Correa is the better bet if their goals are entirely on the field.

That's where they should always be, but especially now. As much as the Yankees like to fancy themselves as an exceptional team, they simply haven't been in recent years. They've won a single American League East title in the last nine years, with a World Series drought that's been going since 2009. By traditional Yankees standards, this is intolerable stuff.

Besides, the Yankees are due plenty of payroll relief after 2022. All the more reason to get the best player money can buy now and worry about the rest later.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.