On Sunday, the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins pulled off a huge blockbuster deal.
New York acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson, catcher Ben Rortvedt, and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins and sent third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Gary Sanchez back to Minnesota in exchange.
On Twitter, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported that both teams seemed very pleased about how the trade played out, noting that the Twins managed to save $50 million by sending Donaldson to the Bronx and having the Yankees take on the rest of his salary, and that the Yankees had finally managed to get Sanchez the change of scenery they felt he needed.
Not sure I’ve ever seen both teams so pleased by a trade: Yankees upgraded at 3B and SS (well, they didn’t have a SS) and finally cut the cord on Gary Sanchez, who needed a change of scenery, while the Twins saved about $50M off the Donaldson deal to improve in multiple areas.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 14, 2022
A Mutually Beneficial Deal
This trade might just work out for both squads.
The Twins get a power hitting catcher in Sanchez, as well as a third baseman with some pop in Urshela.
The Yankees also are able to get rid of the problem they had with Sanchez, who underachieved during his time in New York, while bringing in a solid utility infielder in Kiner-Falefa, and of course, having the “Bringer of Rain” come to the Bronx.
For the Twins, this appears to be a move geared towards the future, while for the Yankees, it’s a win-now move.
Donaldson gives the Yankees an extra power bat in their lineup to go along with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
They also still have Joey Gallo and Gleyber Torres, and now look like a team that could very well compete for an AL East crown.
The AL East is going to be tough this year, and the Yankees just made a move to bolster their chances of coming out on top.
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