December 13, 2018 12:02 AM PST
The New York Yankees are reportedly the "clear front-runner"
when it comes to landing Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Zach Britton in a
trade with the July 31 non-waiver deadline approaching.Ken Rosenthal of The
Athletic reported the news
Tuesday [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-ervin-santana-jersey]Ervin
Santana Jersey[/url] , noting the Yankees scratched right-handed pitcher Dillon
Tate from his Double-A start. Rosenthal added more context to the Tate portion
of the news:Ken Rosenthal Ken_RosenthalDouble A RHP Dillon Tate, #Yankees鈥?No. 9
prospect per MLBPipeline will indeed headline Britton deal with #Orioles if
completed, per source. Fourth overall pick by TEX in 2015, traded to NYY for
Carlos Beltran at 2017 deadline.What's more, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reported the
two American League East teams were "close" to a trade involving Britton.Jon
Heyman of MLB Network added more details, noting the deal was "close to done"
and would include "multiple prospects" from New York.Britton was an All-Star in
2015 and 2016 and one of the best closers in baseball during that span. That was
especially the case in 2016 when he posted a sparkling 0.54 ERA and 0.84 WHIP
with 47 saves and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings.However, he has dealt with
injuries since and pitched a mere 37.1 innings in 2017 and 15.2 thus far this
season. He has a 3.45 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this season as he attempts to rediscover
his form as a dominant southpaw.To his credit, Britton hasn't allowed a run in
seven innings in July, and all six of the earned runs he's allowed this season
since his debut on June 12 came in two ugly outings. He appears to be finding
his touch on the mound again and would provide another talented left-handed arm
in the backend of the Yankees bullpen alongside Aroldis Chapman.Britton and
Chapman pitching at their best would allow New York to shorten games in the
postseason when the bullpen becomes all the more important.It is not difficult
to envision a formidable lineup with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton seizing
early leads in playoff games, setting the table for Britton and Chapman to shut
down opposing lineups. TORONTO (AP) — John Gibbons said he wasn’t going to cry,
but the veteran manager struggled to contain his emotions in his final home game
with the Toronto Blue Jays.The Blue Jays gave Gibbons a winning home send-off
Wednesday with a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros, who broke out the bubbly
anyway.The World Series champion Astros actually clinched their second straight
AL West title when Oakland lost in extra innings at Seattle well past midnight
Tuesday. Several of the Astros partied at a hotel meeting room, but they held a
more traditional clubhouse celebration — complete with rain jackets and goggles
— despite this loss. Houston opens their best-of-five Division Series matchup
against Cleveland at home on Oct. 5.“This is a great moment, a great moment for
the Houston Astros organization,
myself [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-miguel-sano-jersey]http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-miguel-sano-jersey[/url] ,
all my teammates,” ace Justin Verlander said. “This is something to
cherish.”Before the game, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins announced that
Gibbons will not return next season. The 56-year-old Gibbons has one season left
on a two-year contract extension he received in April 2017.“We are going to have
a new voice. We are going to have a new approach,” Atkins said.After getting the
final out, Blue Jays closer Ken Giles gave the ball to Gibbons and the Rogers
Centre crowd of 22,828 rose for a standing ovation.“I’ve been here a long time,”
said Gibbons, who first joined the Jays in 2002. “I’ve had some great times and
I’ve had some tough times. It’s sad in a way, but it brought back a lot of good
memories. I never cry, I’m not going to cry, my lip might shake a little
bit.”Gibbons was in the midst of a postgame interview on the field when
outfielder Kevin Pillar came out and doused his manager with a cooler.Randal
Grichuk hit a two-run homer and rookie Reese McGuire added a solo shot as the
Blue Jays won with only three hits.Grichuk said he was happy to be part of a
winning effort for Gibbons.“He rightfully deserves it,” Grichuk said. “Great
manager, easy to talk to, goes about things the right way. He definitely can
help young guys and he’s there for the veteran guys. He’s definitely going to be
missed here.”Pillar, the longest-tenured Blue Jays
player [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jason-castro-jersey]Jason
Castro Jersey[/url] , stood at the back of a packed news conference to hear
Gibbons’ pregame announcement in person.“What I learned from being in that
interview room was that he was four games above .500 for his career and if we
could get one win he’d finish his tenure here as a winner,” Pillar said. “You
want to come through that line and give your manager a handshake after a win and
it was extra special knowing it was his last one at home.”Atkins said Gibbons
can decide whether to take a new role in the organization. Gibbons didn’t rule
that out, but also said he’d like to manage in the big leagues again.“These jobs
are hard to come by,” Gibbons said. “But we’ll see. It’s not going to destroy me
if I don’t. But time is on my side, age-wise, I think. I’d like to try it
again.”Gibbons is 791-787 in 11 seasons during two stints managing Toronto, his
1,578 games second only to Cito Gaston’s 1,764. Gibbons also trails Gaston (913)
in career wins with Toronto.Gibbons replaced Carlos Tosca in August 2004, was
fired in June 2008 and returned ahead of the 2013 season.Two years later, the
Blue Jays won the AL East and ended a 22-year postseason drought, buoyed by the
addition of slugger Josh Donaldson. They lost the AL Championship Series in six
games against Kansas City, which went on the win the World Series.“We finally
became relevant in baseball again,” Gibbons said. “It had been a long time.”A
wild-card winner in 2016, the Blue Jays lost to Cleveland in a five-game AL
Championship Series.Gibbons feared me might lose his job when former GM Alex
Anthoplouos left the Blue Jays at the end of 2015 and Mark Shapiro became
president [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-phil-hughes-jersey]http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-phil-hughes-jersey[/url] ,
bringing Atkins on as GM.“To be honest with you, I thought I was probably gone
then,” Gibbons said. “I can’t thank (Atkins) enough for keeping me around. That
doesn’t always happen. He put a lot of money in my pocket. That’s not bad,
either.”Grichuk connected off right-hander Chris Devenski in the first, his
career-best 25th home run. McGuire led off the fifth with a blast to right, the
first of his big league career.Joe Biagini (4-7) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the
win and Giles, the seventh Toronto pitcher of the game, needed just five pitches
to wrap it up in the ninth, earning his 25th save in 25 opportunities.Devenski
(2-3) allowed two runs and one hit in two innings.Atkins said he will discuss
the future of Toronto’s coaches this the weekend as the Blue Jays finish the
season with three games at Tampa Bay.In between his stints with the Blue Jays,
Gibbons served three seasons as a bench coach with the Royals, working alongside
managers Trey Hillman and Ned Yost. Gibbons also spent one season managing his
hometown team, the Double-A San Antonio Missions, a minor league team in the San
Diego Padres organization.A first-round draft pick by the New York Mets in 1980,
Gibbons hit .220 with one home run and two RBIs in 18 career games as a catcher,
eight of them in New York’s World Series-winning season in 1986. He became a
minor league instructor in 1991 and got his first managerial job with the Mets’
Appalachian League team in 1995.Gibbons is the second big league manager to lose
his job this month. Texas fired Jeff Banister last Friday.GOODIES FOR
GIBBYBefore the
game [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jose-berrios-jersey]Jose
Berrios Jersey[/url] , Toronto Mayor John Tory issued a statement declaring
Sept. 26, 2018, to be ‘John Gibbons Day’ in the city. Maple Leafs president
Brendan Shanahan honored his sporting colleague too, sending a jersey with
Gibbons’ name and number 5 to the departing manager.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: SS
Carlos Correa returned after missing six games because of a sore back and
started as the designated hitter. He went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts. His hit
was an RBI single in the fourth. … RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (right elbow) struck
out one in one perfect inning, his first career relief appearance in the regular
season. McCullers Jr. last pitched Aug. 4 at Los Angeles against the
Dodgers.Blue Jays: 2B Devon Travis (left knee) will miss the rest of the season.
Toronto selected INF Jon Berti from Double-A New Hampshire and transferred INF
Brandon Drury (broken left hand) to the 60-day DL. Berti made his first big
league start at second base and batted ninth. He is the 63rd player used by
Toronto this season, extending a club record.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Gerrit Cole
(15-5, 2.92) starts Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at Baltimore.
Cole has won five straight decisions. RHP David Hess (3-10, 5.14) starts for the
Orioles.Blue Jays: Toronto is off Thursday. LHP Thomas Pannone 94-1, 3.58)
starts Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay. Pannone has won
three straight starts, including a victory over the Rays last Saturday. RHP
Tyler Glasnow (2-7, 4.23) starts for the Rays.
The New York Yankees are reportedly the "clear front-runner"
when it comes to landing Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Zach Britton in a
trade with the July 31 non-waiver deadline approaching.Ken Rosenthal of The
Athletic reported the news
Tuesday [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-ervin-santana-jersey]Ervin
Santana Jersey[/url] , noting the Yankees scratched right-handed pitcher Dillon
Tate from his Double-A start. Rosenthal added more context to the Tate portion
of the news:Ken Rosenthal Ken_RosenthalDouble A RHP Dillon Tate, #Yankees鈥?No. 9
prospect per MLBPipeline will indeed headline Britton deal with #Orioles if
completed, per source. Fourth overall pick by TEX in 2015, traded to NYY for
Carlos Beltran at 2017 deadline.What's more, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reported the
two American League East teams were "close" to a trade involving Britton.Jon
Heyman of MLB Network added more details, noting the deal was "close to done"
and would include "multiple prospects" from New York.Britton was an All-Star in
2015 and 2016 and one of the best closers in baseball during that span. That was
especially the case in 2016 when he posted a sparkling 0.54 ERA and 0.84 WHIP
with 47 saves and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings.However, he has dealt with
injuries since and pitched a mere 37.1 innings in 2017 and 15.2 thus far this
season. He has a 3.45 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this season as he attempts to rediscover
his form as a dominant southpaw.To his credit, Britton hasn't allowed a run in
seven innings in July, and all six of the earned runs he's allowed this season
since his debut on June 12 came in two ugly outings. He appears to be finding
his touch on the mound again and would provide another talented left-handed arm
in the backend of the Yankees bullpen alongside Aroldis Chapman.Britton and
Chapman pitching at their best would allow New York to shorten games in the
postseason when the bullpen becomes all the more important.It is not difficult
to envision a formidable lineup with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton seizing
early leads in playoff games, setting the table for Britton and Chapman to shut
down opposing lineups. TORONTO (AP) — John Gibbons said he wasn’t going to cry,
but the veteran manager struggled to contain his emotions in his final home game
with the Toronto Blue Jays.The Blue Jays gave Gibbons a winning home send-off
Wednesday with a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros, who broke out the bubbly
anyway.The World Series champion Astros actually clinched their second straight
AL West title when Oakland lost in extra innings at Seattle well past midnight
Tuesday. Several of the Astros partied at a hotel meeting room, but they held a
more traditional clubhouse celebration — complete with rain jackets and goggles
— despite this loss. Houston opens their best-of-five Division Series matchup
against Cleveland at home on Oct. 5.“This is a great moment, a great moment for
the Houston Astros organization,
myself [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-miguel-sano-jersey]http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-miguel-sano-jersey[/url] ,
all my teammates,” ace Justin Verlander said. “This is something to
cherish.”Before the game, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins announced that
Gibbons will not return next season. The 56-year-old Gibbons has one season left
on a two-year contract extension he received in April 2017.“We are going to have
a new voice. We are going to have a new approach,” Atkins said.After getting the
final out, Blue Jays closer Ken Giles gave the ball to Gibbons and the Rogers
Centre crowd of 22,828 rose for a standing ovation.“I’ve been here a long time,”
said Gibbons, who first joined the Jays in 2002. “I’ve had some great times and
I’ve had some tough times. It’s sad in a way, but it brought back a lot of good
memories. I never cry, I’m not going to cry, my lip might shake a little
bit.”Gibbons was in the midst of a postgame interview on the field when
outfielder Kevin Pillar came out and doused his manager with a cooler.Randal
Grichuk hit a two-run homer and rookie Reese McGuire added a solo shot as the
Blue Jays won with only three hits.Grichuk said he was happy to be part of a
winning effort for Gibbons.“He rightfully deserves it,” Grichuk said. “Great
manager, easy to talk to, goes about things the right way. He definitely can
help young guys and he’s there for the veteran guys. He’s definitely going to be
missed here.”Pillar, the longest-tenured Blue Jays
player [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jason-castro-jersey]Jason
Castro Jersey[/url] , stood at the back of a packed news conference to hear
Gibbons’ pregame announcement in person.“What I learned from being in that
interview room was that he was four games above .500 for his career and if we
could get one win he’d finish his tenure here as a winner,” Pillar said. “You
want to come through that line and give your manager a handshake after a win and
it was extra special knowing it was his last one at home.”Atkins said Gibbons
can decide whether to take a new role in the organization. Gibbons didn’t rule
that out, but also said he’d like to manage in the big leagues again.“These jobs
are hard to come by,” Gibbons said. “But we’ll see. It’s not going to destroy me
if I don’t. But time is on my side, age-wise, I think. I’d like to try it
again.”Gibbons is 791-787 in 11 seasons during two stints managing Toronto, his
1,578 games second only to Cito Gaston’s 1,764. Gibbons also trails Gaston (913)
in career wins with Toronto.Gibbons replaced Carlos Tosca in August 2004, was
fired in June 2008 and returned ahead of the 2013 season.Two years later, the
Blue Jays won the AL East and ended a 22-year postseason drought, buoyed by the
addition of slugger Josh Donaldson. They lost the AL Championship Series in six
games against Kansas City, which went on the win the World Series.“We finally
became relevant in baseball again,” Gibbons said. “It had been a long time.”A
wild-card winner in 2016, the Blue Jays lost to Cleveland in a five-game AL
Championship Series.Gibbons feared me might lose his job when former GM Alex
Anthoplouos left the Blue Jays at the end of 2015 and Mark Shapiro became
president [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-phil-hughes-jersey]http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-phil-hughes-jersey[/url] ,
bringing Atkins on as GM.“To be honest with you, I thought I was probably gone
then,” Gibbons said. “I can’t thank (Atkins) enough for keeping me around. That
doesn’t always happen. He put a lot of money in my pocket. That’s not bad,
either.”Grichuk connected off right-hander Chris Devenski in the first, his
career-best 25th home run. McGuire led off the fifth with a blast to right, the
first of his big league career.Joe Biagini (4-7) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the
win and Giles, the seventh Toronto pitcher of the game, needed just five pitches
to wrap it up in the ninth, earning his 25th save in 25 opportunities.Devenski
(2-3) allowed two runs and one hit in two innings.Atkins said he will discuss
the future of Toronto’s coaches this the weekend as the Blue Jays finish the
season with three games at Tampa Bay.In between his stints with the Blue Jays,
Gibbons served three seasons as a bench coach with the Royals, working alongside
managers Trey Hillman and Ned Yost. Gibbons also spent one season managing his
hometown team, the Double-A San Antonio Missions, a minor league team in the San
Diego Padres organization.A first-round draft pick by the New York Mets in 1980,
Gibbons hit .220 with one home run and two RBIs in 18 career games as a catcher,
eight of them in New York’s World Series-winning season in 1986. He became a
minor league instructor in 1991 and got his first managerial job with the Mets’
Appalachian League team in 1995.Gibbons is the second big league manager to lose
his job this month. Texas fired Jeff Banister last Friday.GOODIES FOR
GIBBYBefore the
game [url=http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jose-berrios-jersey]Jose
Berrios Jersey[/url] , Toronto Mayor John Tory issued a statement declaring
Sept. 26, 2018, to be ‘John Gibbons Day’ in the city. Maple Leafs president
Brendan Shanahan honored his sporting colleague too, sending a jersey with
Gibbons’ name and number 5 to the departing manager.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: SS
Carlos Correa returned after missing six games because of a sore back and
started as the designated hitter. He went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts. His hit
was an RBI single in the fourth. … RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (right elbow) struck
out one in one perfect inning, his first career relief appearance in the regular
season. McCullers Jr. last pitched Aug. 4 at Los Angeles against the
Dodgers.Blue Jays: 2B Devon Travis (left knee) will miss the rest of the season.
Toronto selected INF Jon Berti from Double-A New Hampshire and transferred INF
Brandon Drury (broken left hand) to the 60-day DL. Berti made his first big
league start at second base and batted ninth. He is the 63rd player used by
Toronto this season, extending a club record.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Gerrit Cole
(15-5, 2.92) starts Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at Baltimore.
Cole has won five straight decisions. RHP David Hess (3-10, 5.14) starts for the
Orioles.Blue Jays: Toronto is off Thursday. LHP Thomas Pannone 94-1, 3.58)
starts Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay. Pannone has won
three straight starts, including a victory over the Rays last Saturday. RHP
Tyler Glasnow (2-7, 4.23) starts for the Rays.