Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Third baseman Chase Headley and pitcher Bryan Mitchell were dealt to San Diego on Tuesday for 28-year-old outfielder Jabari Blash, who made his big league debut in 2016 and has played in 99 games in the majors over two seasons.
Headley’s $13 million salary was assumed by the Padres, and the Yankees agreed to give San Diego $500,000 on Jan. 10 to defray part of Headley’s $1 million assignment bonus.
A day after finalizing their acquisition of NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton from Miami, the Yankees cut payroll to about $167 million for luxury tax purposes. Owner Hal Steinbrenner is intent on getting under the $197 million tax threshold next year, and New York still may attempt to re-sign left-hander CC Sabathia or trade for another starting pitcher such as Detroit right-hander Michael Fulmer, the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year.
“The biggest motivation from our end is it creates a lot more financial flexibility as we are going to reset that tax clock,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “It’s a mandate from above over the course of a number of years that we’ve been building towards.”
Cashman would not say whether other teams have shown interest in acquiring pricey Jacoby Ellsbury, who has dropped to a fifth outfielder behind Stanton, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks.
“We’re trying to be aggressive, as we always are,” he said.
Headley, who turns 34 in May, lost his third base job and shifted to first when the Yankees acquired Todd Frazier last summer. Miguel Andujar, a 21-year-old prospect, will compete for third base in spring training. Cashman has spoken with the agent for Frazier, a New Jersey native who relished playing in his home market and became a free agent.
Gleyber Torres, who turns 21 this week, could be a third base option or have a chance to take over at second following the trade of Starlin Castro to the Marlins in the Stanton deal. Torres has completed his rehabilitation from a torn ligament in his left (non-throwing) elbow, an injury sustained during a head-first slide into home plate at Triple-A in mid-June.
“I’m really excited about his long-term future with us,” new manager Aaron Boone said.
Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade also are infield options.
Umpire Scott Retires Over Concussions
Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
“I’m done,” he told The Associated Press.
The veteran crew chief missed nearly the entire 2017 season after a foul ball off the bat of Baltimore slugger Mark Trumbo in Toronto on April 14 caught him hard in the mask, causing Scott’s second concussion in nine months and fourth in five years.
Within a few days, while undergoing treatment for head, neck and shoulder injuries, Scott realized it was the end of a major league career that began in 1985 and included three World Series assignments, three All-Star Games and 91 postseason games.
“In fact, it was pretty easy,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on this year being the last one. But I thought, ‘This is a sign.’ ”
Scott worked 3,897 regular-season games and was a crew chief for 16 seasons, half his career.
Gehrig’s 1931 Contract Sold at Auction
New York
Gehrig played with the Yankees from 1923 to 1939, when he retired while suffering from ALS. He batted .340 with 493 home runs and 1995 RBIs, and helped the Yankees win seven World Series titles.
The 1931 contract was part of a Yankees Legends offering by Heritage Auctions that was availabe for bidding through Sunday.
“In addition to Gehrig’s offensive statistics, which sent him to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first available ballot, it was Gehrig’s bravery, reliability and quiet strength, which make him a favorite among the Yankee faithful,” Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions, said Tuesday. “And prices realized for memorabilia related to his Yankee career certainly reflect it.”
A scouting report on Derek Jeter from April 1992 sold for $102,000. The report was prepared by Yankees scout Dick Groch after he saw Jeter play in a high school game in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In his summation, Groch said about Jeter: “A Yankee! A five tool player. Will be a ML Star! +5!!”
The Yankees, who have won a record 27 world championships, selected Jeter with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 amateur draft. He went on to win Rookie of the Year honors in 1996 and helped the team win the World Series five times in his 20-year career before retiring in 2014.
“Similar to the contract that sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 establishing their first championship dynasty, this scouting report brought Jeter to the Yankees, which helped to establish a new championship dynasty for the current generation,” Ivy said.
The bat Gehrig used to hit his last two home runs, in an exhibition game in 1939, was also available, but the bidding did not exceed the reserve price and it was retained by the owner.
Other items that sold in the auction included: a baseball signed by Eddie Plank in 1915 ($228,000); a bat used by Mickey Mantle in his rookie season of 1951 ($168,000) and a glove he used in 1965 ($144,000); and baseballs signed by the Yankees championship teams from 1926 ($120,000) and the 1927 “Murderers Row” edition ($120,000).
___
More MLB baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball