Rockies acquire catcher Lucroy
The playoff-contending Colorado Rockies acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Texas Rangers on Sunday night for a player to be named.
The deal was announced while the Rockies were playing the second game of a day-night doubleheader against Washington. Colorado had a solid lead for an NL wild-card spot.
Monday is the deadline for teams to make trades without waivers.
Lucroy hit .242 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 77 games with Texas this year. While he made 65 starts at catcher, the Rangers also have Robinson Chirinos and Brett Nicholas on their big league roster.
Lucroy had been with the Rangers for almost a full year, since they acquired him from Milwaukee last Aug. 1 the trade deadline day last season.
The 31-year-old Lucroy, a two-time All-Star with the Brewers, hit .276 with 11 homers and 31 RBIs in his 47 games at the end of last season with the Rangers, who won the AL West title.
Lucroy has thrown out 13 of 44 would-be base stealers this year. He has caught a major leaguemost 159 runners trying to steal since 2011.
Garcia to Yankees
While discussing a possible trade to acquire Sonny Gray from Oakland, the Yankees made a more modest move Sunday and obtained Jaime García from the Minnesota Twins for minor league pitchers Zack Littell and Dietrich Enns.
A 31-year-old left-hander, Garcia went 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA in 18 starts for Atlanta, was dealt to Minnesota last Monday and won his only start for the Twins, giving up three runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings at Oakland on Friday.
Garcia took a red-eye flight Saturday night from California to Atlanta to get some of his belongings. He is to make his Yankees debut on Thursday at Cleveland.
“It’s what we need. It’s an awesome add for this team. I’ve heard only good things about him as a clubhouse guy and I’m excited,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said.
Garcia takes the No. 5 slot in the rotation filled since the All-Star break by Caleb Smith and Bryan Mitchell. Michael Pineda’s elbow injury, which required Tommy John surgery, caused the Yankees to search for more starting pitching.
New York will in effect pay only $184,180 in salary to Garcia, a prorated share of the $535,000 minimum.
Atlanta agreed to pay the Twins cash to cover most of the remainder of his $12 million salary, and Minnesota in turn will pass the cash on to the Yankees. He is eligible for free agency after the World Series.
At the time of last week’s trade, the Twins were 4948 and trailed AL Central-leading Cleveland by 2 games. Minnesota lost four of its next five games, falling seven games back of first and four games out for the second AL wild card.
For now, New York says it has no limits on the innings of rookie Jordan Montgomery (113) and third-year pitcher Luis Severino (127 2/3). Montgomery has never thrown more than 139 1/3 in a season and Severino 161 2/3. Girardi doesn’t envision a six-man rotation, except for perhaps an occasional turn through the rotation to give the starters extra rest.
In the two weeks leading up to Monday’s deadline for trades without waivers, New York also has added third baseman Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle.
Cabrera to Royals
Looking to bolster their offense for a run for a playoff spot, the Kansas City Royals acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Chicago White Sox on Sunday for two minor-league pitchers.
The Royals entered the day three games behind the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians. Kansas City holds the second wildcard spot by 2 games over Tampa Bay.
The 32-year-old Cabrera was batting .288 with 13 homers and 56 RBIs for the White Sox. He’s also is tied for the majors’ lead with nine outfield assists.
In his 13th season in the majors, Cabrera, who also played with the Royals in 2011, is a switch hitter. He’s second amongst active switch hitters with a .286 career average.
Kansas City sent a pair of Single-A pitchers in the deal: 22-year-old righthander A.J. Puckett and 23-year-old left-hander Andre Davis. The White Sox also sent Kansas City cash considerations in the deal.
Tulowitzki has MRI
Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will see a specialist after being diagnosed with ligament damage in his sprained right ankle.
Tulowitzki was injured trying to beat out an infield grounder in the third inning of Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The veteran infielder rolled his ankle when he stepped on first baseman C.J. Cron’s foot, sending Tulowitzki stumbling in pain.
Tulowitzki is batting .247 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. He missed 31 games in April and May because of an injured right hamstring.
Toronto placed Tulowitzki on the 10-day DL Saturday and recalled infielder Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A Buffalo. Tulowitzki underwent an MRI exam Saturday afternoon, revealing the ligament damage.