Yankees acquire former Blue Jay, AL MVP Josh Donaldson from Twins

The New York Yankees remade the left field of their infield, acquiring former AL MVP Josh Donaldson, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and and backup catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Minnesota Twins on Sunday night for catcher Gary Sanchez, third baseman Gio Urshela,

New York jettisoned Sanchez, a two-time All-Star who's been a defensive liability and slumped at the plate in four straight seasons.

Donaldson, yet another right-handed bat in the Yankees righty-heavy batting order, becomes a teammate of Gerrit Cole after suggesting last June that the Yankees ace had been trying to hide the use of unauthorized grip aides.

Kiner-Falefa was acquired by the Twins just on Saturday from Texas in a deal for catcher Mitch Garver. Earlier Sunday, Minnesota traded last year's first-round pick in the amateur draft, 18-year-old right-hander Chase Petty, to Cincinnati for starting pitcher Sonny Gray.

No cash was involved in this trade. The Yankees become responsible for Donaldson's $21 million US salary in each of the next two seasons plus a $16 million mutual option for 2024 with a $6 million buyout if declined by the team. He agreed to a $92 million, four-year contract with the Twins, the richest free-agent deal in franchise history.

Donaldson was the 2015 AL MVP with Toronto and was an All-Star in three straight seasons from 2014-16. Now 36, he hit .247 with 26 homers and 72 RBIs last year in his second season with the Twins.

New York is looking to retool an offence that scored two runs or fewer in 44 games and was shut out eight times. Right-handed batters filled 68.6% of New York's plate appearances last season (4,160 of 6,060).

Kiner-Falefa , who turns 27 on March 23, was a Gold Glove third baseman during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, then was moved to shortstop last year.

He became expendable when the Rangers signed Corey Seager on Dec. 1, the day before the lockout, and was traded Saturday to the Twns. He hit .271 with eight homers and 53 RBIs last season. Kiner-Falefa is eligible for free agency after the 2024 season.

Sanchez, 29, was an All-Star in 2017 and 2019 but has failed to match his production of 2017, when he hit .278 with 33 homers and 90 RBIs. He batted .204 with 23 homers and 54 RBIs last year

Sanchez led the AL in passed balls in three of the last five seasons. He had eight last season, when pitchers threw 60 wild pitches with Sanchez behind the plate, a career high.

He is eligible for free agency after this season.

Beside Sanchez, Ryan Jeffers is the lone remaining option at catcher for the Twins.

Urshela, 30, is a smooth fielder who hit 267 with 18 doubles, 14 homers and 49 RBIs last season. He is signed to a $6.55 million, one-year deal.

After trading their largest contract, the Twins could be setting themselves up to make a run at another high-profile, high-dollar player. They have a big hole at shortstop again, assuming Urshela will slide in at third base, and can certainly use more starting pitching.

Twins acquire Gray from Reds

The Minnesota Twins acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

The Twins also received minor league right-hander Francis Peguero in a trade that sent minor league right-hander Chase Petty to the Reds.

A two-time all-star, Gray went 7-9 with a 4.19 earned-run average in 26 starts in 2021, striking out 155 batters in 135.1 innings.

Entering his 10th season, Gray is 82-72 with a 3.61 ERA in 223 regular-season games (214 starts) with the Oakland Athletics (2013-17), New York Yankees (2017-18) and Reds.

The 32-year-old Gray was an all-star in 2015 and 2019, finishing third in the American League Cy Young Award voting in the former after going 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA for the A's.

Peguero, 24, is 2-6 with a 4.72 ERA and 17 saves in 74 relief appearances in the minors since 2017.

Petty, who turns 19 next month, was a first-round pick in 2021 and made two appearances in the Florida Complex League last season.

Mets get all-star righty Bassitt from A's

All-star right-hander Chris Bassitt, who made a remarkable recovery from a frightening line drive to the head last year, was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the New York Mets on Saturday for a pair of minor league pitchers.

The Mets sent right-handers J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller to the A's for Bassitt.

Bassitt gives the Mets a much-needed starter for the middle of the rotation, seemingly a good fit behind aces Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.

The 33-year-old Bassitt came back to make two starts in late September, just more than a month after he took a 100 mile-per-hour liner to the face on Aug. 17 in Chicago. Bassitt underwent surgery for three fractures in his right cheekbone.

Bassitt wound up 12-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 27 starts, including his first career complete game, and was a first-time all-star. He had been an AL Cy Young candidate when he got hurt. He was 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA and leading the American League in victories when he was injured.

Oakland, which won the AL West in the virus-shortened 2020 season, finished 86-76 and nine games behind the division champion Astros to miss the playoffs following three straight appearances. The small-budget A's have long been known for trading away their key players during the offseason.

The 22-year-old Ginn was a second-round pick by the Mets in 2020. He was a combined 5-5 with a 3.33 ERA in two levels of Class A ball last year.

Oller, 27, was a combined 9-4 with a 3.45 ERA in triple-A and double-A last year.

Rangers deal infielder Kiner-Falefa to Twins

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the starting shortstop for the Texas Rangers who was supplanted by the blockbuster addition of Corey Seager, was traded Saturday to Minnesota for catcher Mitch Garver.

Texas also sent minor league right-hander Ronny Henriquez to Minnesota a day before the mandatory reporting date for players following the end of Major League Baseball's 99-day lockout.

Kiner-Falefa was a Gold Glove third baseman during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, after which the Rangers said he would replace Elvis Andrus as their starting shortstop. Andrus, the starter for 12 seasons and only remaining player from their two World Series teams, was traded to Oakland before spring training last year.

Just before the MLB lockout began Dec. 2, the Rangers signed all-star shortstop Seager to a 10-year, $325-million contract and Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien to a seven-year deal worth $175 million.

Garver had a breakout season in 2019 with 31 homers in 93 games while winning a Silver Slugger award, but the 31-year-old catcher has had injury issues the past two years. He struggled through the pandemic season in 2020, then missed most of 2021 after taking a foul tip to the groin area and needing surgery.

Kiner-Falefa is a .265 career hitter over the past four seasons. The Rangers sometimes used him as a catcher when he first got to the major leagues as a way of getting him into the lineup. He hit .271 with eight homers and 53 RBI in 158 games last season.

Garver hit .256 with 13 homers and 34 RBI in 68 contests for the Twins in 2021.

Rangers president Jon Daniels said the intention is for Garver to be their starting catcher, but he could also get some time at first base and designated hitter.