New York Yankees

Joey Gallo has a new home.

The New York Yankees upgraded their lineup by acquiring the Texas Rangers slugger as well as left-handed pitcher Joely Rodriguez ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Texas receives shortstop Josh Smith (New York's No. 14 prospect, per MLB.com), second baseman Ezequiel Duran (No. 15), second baseman/outfielder Trevor Hauver (No. 23) and right-handed pitcher Glenn Otto (No. 28).

Levi Weaver of The Athletic initially reported the deal.

Gallo is one of baseball's most dangerous power hitters. He's well on his way to his third 40-home run season, hitting .223 with 25 homers, 55 RBI, 57 runs and an .869 OPS. He ripped 41 homers in 2017 and 40 in 2018, though injuries limited him to 79 games in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 campaign short. 

The 27-year-old has generally played in the outfield but also could serve as the Yankees' DH.

Gallo is arbitration-eligible for one more season before he hits free agency ahead of the 2023 offseason. That factor, along with the Rangers stumbling to a putrid 36-65 record, made him a trade candidate.

"In my head and in my heart, I believe I will be a Ranger," he told reporters July 13. "But at the end of the day, I know it is a business and if the team feels it is fit better elsewhere, I will understand it."

The Rangers moved on as they stockpile young players and assets ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. The Yankees will be glad they did.

The 52-47 Bronx Bombers have been a disappointment, given the talent they've accumulated. But a lineup with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu and Gary Sanchez shouldn't struggle to score runs. And Gallo should provide a major upgrade in left field, with Brett Gardner and Clint Frazier toiling this year. 

Gallo may not cure all of New York's ills, but he'll help.

The trade market for Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story "has become more active in last 24 hours," according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Morosi added the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants are among the teams interested in Story prior to Friday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Oakland Athletics are acquiring Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins for Jesus Luzardo. With Marte off the board, Story is arguably the best position player available.

However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported some around MLB "are alarmed by his poor throwing." His throws from short have less velocity compared to years past, and his six throwing errors are one away from tying a career high.

The 28-year-old went on the injured list with right elbow inflammation in late May. While he was back on the field by June 10, it's fair to wonder whether his elbow is still causing him trouble.

Story's struggles aren't limited to defense. Through 87 games, he's batting .240 with a .733 OPS.

According to FanGraphs, his strikeout rate (23.8 percent) is on pace to be a personal best, so it isn't a simple case of whiffing more frequently. For whatever reason, the power isn't there—a .182 isolated power—relative to his usual production.

Rosenthal went on to say the Rockies may hold on to Story through the deadline so they can receive a compensatory draft pick after they extend a qualifying offer in the offseason and he presumably signs elsewhere. Colorado would be willing to take that step rather than agree to what the front office believes would be a lackluster return.

Perhaps that's a way to drive up the price for Story, since the Rockies have seen his value continue to fall as the season unfolds. 

The Athletic's Nick Groke argued that a missed opportunity to trade Story would be a "significant failure" given that the organization would not have anything to show for what was once a prized asset.

The New York Yankees have made a trade offer to the Colorado Rockies for two-time All-Star Trevor Story, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Heyman added there was "no evidence of any traction there at this point," and that Colorado hasn't resigned itself to moving the shortstop prior to Friday's MLB trade deadline.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported last Thursday that the Yankees had "checked in" on Story, and the Milwaukee Brewers have done the same, per Heyman.

Because they're 19 games back of the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West, one would expect the Rockies to move Story by the end of the week. They could instead keep him through the rest of the year, extend him the qualifying offer, and then receive a compensation pick in the event he signs elsewhere.

The Athletic's Nick Groke labeled an inability to trade Story as a "significant failure" from Colorado's perspective.

The 28-year-old's performance might be complicating matters. Through 85 games, he has 12 home runs, 46 RBI and a .737 OPS. That last number is on pace to be a career low.

Story battled right elbow inflammation earlier in the year, which can perhaps explain his underwhelming production at the plate. Still, there's no getting around the fact his value has gone down from where it was in the offseason.

Heyman didn't provide specifics regarding the Yankees' offer, but the lack of an agreement between the two teams would seemingly indicate it wasn't up to the Rockies' expectations.

As the deadline inches closer, potential suitors may feel a level of desperation creeping in. But it's difficult to see how Colorado's leverage will improve significantly between now and then.

The New York Yankees reached out to the Colorado Rockies about star shortstop Trevor Story ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Story has 11 home runs, 43 RBI and a .739 OPS through 82 games this season.

The 28-year-old is due to be a free agent in the offseason, and the Rockies already traded away one of the greatest players in franchise history, Nolan Arenado, who has the ability to opt out of his contract after this year and next.

Considering Colorado is 42-54 and fourth in the National League West, it seems inevitable that Story will be on a new team by the end of the month.

In June, ESPN's Jeff Passan surveyed the trade landscape and questioned whether the market for Story would be robust since the many of the contending teams don't need a shortstop. He referenced the Yankees in the piece but wondered whether New York take a big swing on a potential one-year rental when making the playoffs is looking like an uphill battle.

The Bronx Bombers have a a 43.9 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason on FanGraphs. They're also only 3.5 games out of the second wild-card spot in the American League. That provides some reason to think a major addition could tip the scales in their favor.

Gleyber Torres hasn't performed well—a .241/.328/.339 slash line—but Story would likely be replacing Rougned Odor. Torres has plenty of experience at second base and probably wouldn't have much trouble going back there. 

Story's performance this year and his home and road splits—a .971 OPS at Coors Field and .747 OPS away from Denver—raise general concerns about the impact he'd have elsewhere in the second half.

But it's easy to understand why the Yankees might think a change of scenery and the opportunity to push for the playoffs again could result in a healthy bump to his production.

The New York Yankees have signed their first-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft, with shortstop Trey Sweeney agreeing to a $3 million signing bonus, per Carlos Collazo of Baseball America.

The deal is $242,900 under the slot for the 20th overall pick.

As Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com noted, the team is hoping to save money to sign third-round pick Brock Selvidge, who will likely need more than the $637,000 slotted for him at 92nd overall. The high school pitcher is committed to LSU and could choose college if New York doesn't reach his asking price.

As Collazo previously reported, the Yankees have already signed their second-, fourth-, ninth- and 10th-round picks for under slot deals.

The Yankees are at least able to get Sweeney under contract after an impressive year at the plate for Eastern Illinois. The 6'4" shortstop hit .382 with 14 home runs, flirting with a .400 batting average for the season before a tough final day of the season. 

He also tallied 46 walks in 48 games while striking out just 24 times on his way to winning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.

The approach at the plate helped him rate as the No. 55 overall player in the 2021 class by MLB.com.

Defense could be a question mark at the next level, but the Yankees expect him to remain at shortstop going forward. 

"We really see him as being able to play shortstop," Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Domestic Amateur Scouting, told reporters after the draft. "He's smooth, he's got good hands, he runs well enough, his range is good and he's got a plus arm. So realistically he has all the tools and the intangibles to be a shortstop."

New York will now determine his best path to have a successful major league career.

Starling Marte may be on the move prior to the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Houston Astros are interested in the Miami Marlins outfielder "who seems likely to be traded." Heyman noted that Miami is willing to offer Marte more than the three-year, $30 million contract numbers that have circulated, but added there is still a "sizable gap" in contract discussions.

Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported Marte and the Marlins are no longer engaged in contract talks.

Marte, 32, is a free agent following this season, and moving him would help the Marlins get something in return before he could sign elsewhere.

Still, he is a productive piece in the team's lineup who brings the ability to hit for average and power, as well as speed and an impressive glove. He is slashing .285/.387/.444 with seven home runs, 22 RBI and 19 stolen bases for a Marlins squad that is in last place in the National League East.

Marte, who played the first eight years of his career on the Pittsburgh Pirates before splitting the 2020 campaign with the Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks, was a 2016 All-Star and has two Gold Gloves on his resume.

At his best, he launched 23 home runs in 2019 and stole 47 bases in 2016. He has five seasons of 30 or more steals and may add a sixth this year if he continues at his current pace.

New York is trying to remain afloat in the American League East at 47-44 and eight games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. Adding someone like Marte would help it do just that, although the Astros (first place in the AL West) and Phillies (two games back of the New York Mets in the National League East) are in better position.

A potential bidding war is the best the Marlins can hope for if they aren't going to re-sign Marte, with multiple contenders potentially driving the cost up as the deadline approaches.

The New York Yankees and MLB have given a lifetime ban to the fan who threw a baseball at Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.

The Yankees announced the decision Sunday in a statement:

While the Yankees appreciate the spirit and passion of our fans in our various rivalries—especially with the Red Sox—reckless, disorderly and dangerous behavior that puts the safety of players, field staff or fellow fans in jeopardy will not be tolerated. There is absolutely no place for it at Yankee Stadium. The safety of everyone at Yankee Stadium, including guests in the stands and players on the field, will always be the top priority for the Yankees organization every time we open our doors.

The incident came in the sixth inning of Saturday's game between the Yankees and Red Sox. According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Verdugo tossed a ball into the stands in between innings and a fan later threw it back during play, hitting the outfielder in the back.

Security caught the fan, and he was ejected from the game.

Verdugo was clearly upset during the incident, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora took his team off the field until everyone calmed down.

"There’s no reason to ever throw stuff back on the field, ever," Verdugo told reporters after the game. "There really isn’t. As fans, bro, y’all gotta be better. It’s just that simple. I don’t care how much you hate a team or how much of a rivalry [there] is, you don’t throw s--t at people, man."

The Yankees' ban continues the trend of recent punishments against fans who have crossed the line at sporting events.

In the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers banned a fan who dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook, while the New York Knicks banned a spectator who allegedly spit on Trae Young.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge will miss time after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list, the team announced Friday.

Backup catcher Kyle Higashioka and third baseman Gio Urshela also landed on the list, where teammates and pitchers Nelson Cortes and Wandy Peralta have already been since Thursday. Relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga has also been on the list since last Saturday.

Players who are found positive for COVID-19 must isolate for a minimum of 10 days, per MLB.com.

The Yankees' COVID-19 outbreak forced the postponement of their home game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The two teams will return to the field Friday at Yankee Stadium.

As for Judge, aside from missing some time because of "general soreness in the side," as manager Aaron Boone described, Judge was able to stay on the field during the first half of the season.

Injuries remain a concern for Judge, who played just 28 of 60 possible games during the shortened 2020 campaign. He also missed 60 games in 2019 and 50 games in 2018 with various ailments.

It has slowed down a promising career that started with a Rookie of the Year award and two All-Star selections in his first two full seasons in the majors. He finished second in voting for the MVP award in 2017 after leading the league with 52 home runs.

Judge has played well when healthy in 2021 with 21 home runs, 47 RBI and a .282 batting average (.901 OPS).

The 29-year-old remains one of the sport's best power hitters and is capable of carrying the Yankees lineup for stretches at a time. The challenge for him has been staying on the field.

For now, the Yankees must traverse without him. The depleted Yankees' healthy outfield options include Brett Gardner, Tyler Wade and Tim Locastro. New York also just called up Trey Amburgey and Greg Allen to the 26-man MLB roster.

MLB announced Friday's game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will be played as scheduled, with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.

Thursday's game between the two AL East clubs was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the Yankees clubhouse. Six players tested positive for the coronavirus.

New York will place six players—Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, Kyle Higashioka, Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta—on the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Friday's game, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. There's no minimum time requirement on the COVID IL, so the players can return whenever they've cleared health and safety protocols.

The Yankees' outbreak comes despite the club reaching MLB's targeted 85 percent vaccination threshold to ease coronavirus restrictions, per ESPN. General manager Brian Cashman said the majority of those who tested positive were asymptomatic after receiving a vaccine.

Thursday's game was MLB's first COVID-19 postponement since the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics on April 19.

CNN's Dakin Andone and Madeline Holcombe reported Friday that COVID-19 cases have risen in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., over the past week, including 38 states with at least a 50 percent increase amid the "growing prevalence of the Delta variant." States with lower vaccination rates are seeing higher rates of the virus.

MLB confirmed Thursday's game would be made up Aug. 17 as part of a doubleheader.

The Yankees and Red Sox remain scheduled to play three games this weekend, including national broadcasts Saturday on Fox and Sunday on ESPN.

Boston (55-36) leads the AL East, with New York (46-43) eight games back in fourth place.