Drury gains edge as Yanks 3B
Newly acquired Brandon Drury is the now the favorite to be the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees.
BASEBALL
The Yankees acquired Drury from Arizona on Tuesday night in a threeteam deal that also involved Tampa Bay. Drury played mostly second base for Arizona, but came up through the minors at third.
“Nothing is going to be given to anybody, but going into the process he’s going to have a leg up given the fact that he’s had two years of major league experience that he can fall back on plus postseason experience,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said yesterday. “I think all those things will serve him well.”
Prospect Miguel Andujar was a leading candidate at third before the trade for Drury was completed.
The 25-year-old Drury also has experience in the corner outfield spots, but the Yankees are well stocked there. Drury hit .267 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 135 games for Arizona last season.
Drury is scheduled to work out with the Yankees today.
The Diamondbacks received outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from Tampa Bay and minor league righthander Taylor Widener from New York. The Yankees sent second baseman Nick Solak to the Rays.
During the offseason, the Yankees sent third baseman Chase Headley to San Diego in a cost-cutting swap, and fellow third baseman Todd Frazier signed with the crosstown Mets as a free agent.
Rasmus returns
Outfielder Colby Rasmus decided to return to baseball after walking away last summer, and has signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
Rasmus was in camp yesterday to finish up his physical. He got an invitation to big league spring training.
The 31-year-old Rasmus was with Tampa Bay in mid-July when the Rays said he was going to “step away from baseball.” Neither the team nor Rasmus offered an explanation, though he had been slowed by hip trouble.
Rasmus was hitting .281 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 37 games for the Rays when he left. He has hit 165 home runs and batted .242 in nine seasons with St. Louis, Toronto, Houston and Tampa Bay. He has hit more than 20 home runs in a season four times in his career.
The left-handed hitting Rasmus is expected to compete with Alex Presley, another left-handed hitting outfielder, for a spot on the Orioles bench.
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette said in a text that “Rasmus is a proven veteran player in the AL East, who is a versatile outfielder with good power and speed to make a meaningful contribution.”
The Orioles also finalized the deal with pitcher Chris Tillman to a $3 million, one-year contract that includes performance bonuses. Tillman was 1-7 with a 7.84 ERA in 19 starts and five relief appearances last year. He is the second starter added by the Orioles in the past week after righthander Andrew Cashner.
Nationals sign Benoit
The Washington Nationals say they agreed to a one-year deal with 40-yearold reliever Joaquin Benoit.
The team announced the move yesterday, along with placing pitcher Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in July.
Benoit is a right-hander who reached the big leagues in 2001. He has played for eight teams, finishing last year with Pittsburgh. He has 764 career appearances, going 58-49 with a 3.83 ERA and 53 saves . . . .
Outfielder Cameron Maybin signed a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins, rejoining the team where he played in 2008-10.
Maybin gives the young, rebuilding Marlins muchneeded experience, along with flexibility because he can play all three outfield positions. He was with the Angels and Astros last year and helped Houston win the World Series.
Maybin batted only .228 in 2017 but had 33 steals to rank second in the American League. He joined the Marlins for yesterday’s spring training workout.
Maybin, 30, is a .255 career hitter in 11 seasons with six teams. A firstround draft pick by Detroit in 2005, he originally joined the Marlins in the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers . . . .
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring training.
The 31-year-old Saunders hit a combined .202 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 73 games for Philadelphia and Toronto last season. Saunders was an AL All-Star in 2016 with the Blue Jays, hitting 24 homers with 57 RBI while batting .253 . . . .
The Texas Rangers traded minor league righthander Miguel Medrano to the Cincinnati Reds for money to sign international free agents.