Confirmed deal : All Yankees  Star singns with division rival

 

 

A former All-Star for the New York Yankees is returning to the AL East.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Saturday that free agent catcher Gary Sanchez is signing with the Baltimore Orioles. Sanchez will be getting a one-year deal from Baltimore worth $8.5 million, Heyman adds.

The righty-hitting Sanchez, 32, began his MLB career with the Yankees and was a two-time All-Star with them as well as a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2017. But since leaving New York after the 2021 campaign, Sanchez has become a mercenary, bouncing around teams on year-to-year deals. The Orioles will now be Sanchez’s fifth MLB team in three seasons.

Sanchez hit .220 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs in 89 last season for the Milwaukee Brewers. Now he will head to an Orioles team that already nabbed a player away from another division rival earlier in the day.

 

 

The 29-year-old outfielder is coming off one of the best seasons of his career.

In his lone season with the Boston Red Sox, O’Neill batted .241 with 31 home runs. His .847 OPS was the second-highest mark of his career. O’Neill’s best season came in 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals when he batted .286 with a .912 OPS, 26 doubles and 34 home runs.

O’Neill was awarded with a Gold Glove in 2020 and 2021. He also finished 8th in NL MVP voting in 2021.

The Orioles went 91-71 last season, and their offense was fourth in MLB with a .751 team OPS. The team traded away Austin Hays last season and went with Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad in left field. O’Neill, Cowser, Kjerstad and Cedric Mullins should give Baltimore plenty of options in the outfield. The signing of O’Neill probably means Anthony Santander will not return to the team in 2025.

 

SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee offered some strong comments on Saturday night regarding his team’s status as a contender for the College Football Playoff. SMU came back from down 24-7 to Clemson at halftime of the ACC Championship game…