NEW YORK (AP) — Mariano Rivera
Masahiro Tanaka Jersey , Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada returned to the Bronx on Saturday for the New York Yankees‘ celebration of their 1998 World Series championship team.Darryl Strawberry and former manager Joe Torre also attended the ceremony before New York’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Derek Jeter did not make the trip because of his daughter Bella’s first birthday, but sent a video message for the fans.Jeter, a one-time fixture at Yankee Stadium ceremonies, hasn’t made a public appearance at his longtime home since becoming the chief executive officer of the Miami Marlins.The 1998 Yankees finished with a then-AL record 114 wins and added 11 more in the postseason to set a major league record with 125 victories. New York swept San Diego to win the World Series.The 1906 Chicago Cubs hold the National League record with 116 wins, but they lost to the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. The Seattle Mariners broke New York’s record just three seasons later, matching the Cubs’ total, but they were eliminated by the Yankees in the AL Championship Series in five games.Of the top 11 teams on baseball’s single-season wins list, Seattle is the only one to fall short of the World Series.The impressive 1998 season for the Yankees “wasn’t the big thing for me,” Rivera said. “The next 11 wins was the thing to wrap up everything. Seattle won 116, but they didn’t win the championship. The season is there but is erased.”So that is the challenge for Boston as it threatens the wins record this year. Members of the 1998 Yankees say it doesn’t mean very much without a title.“At the end of the day, if you don’t win, you don’t remember.” Posada said.The major league-leading Red Sox began the day with an 87-36 record. They need 30 wins over their last 39 games to break the record.“They’re a great team. They’ve been playing really well,” said Torre
Miguel Andujar Jersey , who managed the Yankees for 12 seasons, winning four championships. “But I tell you what, when you get to postseason, there is a whole lot of pressure on you. As proven by Seattle in ’01, you have to remind people that they did that because they didn’t go anywhere. They won the division, but they didn’t beat us.” Greg Fiume/Getty ImagesA massive divide exists between contending MLB teams vying for a postseason berth and struggling teams playing out the string.That is most notably the case in the American League, where MLB.com only gives six of 15 teams a three percent chance or better to make the postseason.The competition is a bit more balanced in the National League, but four teams in the senior circuit are 15 games under .500 or worse.Due to that imbalance, many players on non-contending teams have been involved in trade rumors. You can take a look at the latest news on four of them below.Zach BrittonThe Baltimore Orioles sit 40.5 games in back of the Boston Red Sox for first place in the American League East. They need to undergo a massive rebuild and started that process by trading superstar shortstop Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers for five prospects.Left-handed reliever Zach Britton appears to the next Orioles on the move, and he has no shortage of teams after him, perJerry Crasnick of ESPN:Jerry Crasnick jcrasnickThe #Orioles are barreling ahead with Zach Britton trade talks now that they鈥檝e moved Machado and officially declared a rebuild. #Cubs, #Yankees, #Redsox
http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-khris-davis-jersey , #SfGiants, #Astros and #Phillies are among the teams in the mix.Britton has battled forearm and Achilles injuries over the past two years, which has caused regression after a phenomenal three-year stretch (2014-2016) in which he posted a 1.38 ERA, per Baseball Reference.However, the southpaw has thrown seven straight scoreless frames dating back to late June, allowing just three hits during that time. While he may not return to that old 2014-2016 form this year, a healthy Britton would undoubtedly be an asset to any team's pen.On the Orioles' side, they have to be happy knowing that the Cleveland Indians traded for the other big left-handed reliever name on the block in Brad Hand, formerly of the San Diego Padres. That may increase the asking price for Britton, who is clearly the best southpaw reliever left (and arguably the best one overall).Of note, keep an eye on the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, two teams fighting for the NL East crown who have below-average bullpens (the Phils rank 17th in ERA, while the Braves are 19th). It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Britton pitching for one of them down the stretch. Adrian BeltreWith the Texas Rangers sitting in last place in the American League West
Kendall Graveman Jersey , it seems inevitable that a few players will find new homes before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.However, one of their stars doesn't look like he will be headed anywhere, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com:"The Rangers aren't expected to trade veteran third basemanAdrian Beltreunless circumstances change drastically. They would prefer to keep Beltre for his leadership qualities and try to re-sign him for next season. Beltre has also indicated a willingness to return, and Daniels made it clear that the future Hall of Famer's value to the Rangers is above what they normally would consider in a trade situation."Beltre was a key member of the 2011 American League pennant-winning Rangers team that was one out away from beating the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. He's been phenomenal ever since joining the team prior to that campaign, hitting .307 with an .869 OPS. Although the 39-year-old is now in the twilight of his career, he is still effective, hitting .286 alongside a .739 OPS.As Sullivan noted, Beltre's value to the team is more than a typical third baseman hitting .286. He's one of the best players in team history and will forever be a legend in Arlington, Texas. Although the Rangers would likely get a decent return for Beltre, who could help a contending team down the stretch with his solid bat and glove, they may be better off keeping him.Jacob deGrom and Noah SyndergaardAfter starting the season 11-1, the New York Mets have gone 29-54 over their past 81 games, dropping them into last place in the National League East. They are 13.0 games behind in the NL wild-card race and need to make some moves as they look toward the future.Starting pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard have been talked about in trade rumors
http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-jose-canseco-jersey , andJames Wagner of theNew York Times said:Jerry Crasnick jcrasnickThe #Braves have talked to the #Orioles about Zach Britton, so you can add them to the list of teams in the mix. Atlanta needs bullpen help and has a lot of talent in the system. A lot depends on how deep Alex Anthopoulos is willing to dig for a rental player.The Mets' stance makes perfect sense: At their best, deGrom and Syndergaard are two of the best pitchers in the league. DeGrom is in top form right now, pitching to a 1.68 ERA over his first 19 starts this year. He's also struck out 149 batters in 123.1 innings.During his five-year career with the team, deGrom has never had worse than a 3.53 ERA, and he's also struck out more than one batter per inning in four of his five seasons.Thor is phenomenal at his peak: In 2016, he struck out 218 batters in 183.2 innings and posted a 2.60 ERA. He has battled injuries over the past two years and has started only 19 games since April 2017, but Syndergaard still has a solid 2.97 ERA during that time.While the Mets may be better off trading one (or both) in order to restock the farm system and start a complete rebuild, they shouldn't do so unless they receive excellent offers in return.