Josh Donaldson

The trade: The New York Yankees acquire 3B Josh Donaldson, IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa and C Ben Rortvedt from the Minnesota Twins for C Gary Sanchez and IF Gio Urshela. Maybe Sunday's late-night trade between the Yankees and Twins isn't going to knock March ...

He has played a bit of third base (nine starts) but hasn't played the hot corner in six years. It's that last question that may be the most interesting of all, and we can't answer it yet, or even know for sure it's one we are right to ask. Then there is Donaldson, who brings elite power, a history of injuries, an intense personality and a fat contract with him to New York. At 36, he's the oldest player in the deal by more than a half decade. Now he appears to slot in nicely as the Yankees' every-day shortstop. Frankly, this feels like the kind of thing the Yankees would have done in 1984, when if an aging, overpriced slugger was there to be had, you always knew New York would be the first in line to grab him. To wit: Of the 209 qualifying hitters in baseball last season, Kiner-Falefa's WOBA was in the 11th percentile when he hit the ball in the air, per TruMedia. He's also a former Gold Glover at third base and even has some spot duty in the majors behind the plate. However it shakes out, we can at least start with this: It's a good old-fashioned baseball trade, with two teams trying to improve themselves for the season to come and both moving quality veterans in a deal that has numerous ramifications for the rosters of both teams. In the aggregate, since 2017, Sanchez has hit .201/.299/.444 and has driven Yankees fans up a wall with his defensive shortcomings. He hits from the left side, so if New York sees enough potential in his bat, then maybe they see him as holding down the heavy part of a platoon with returnee Kyle Higashioka, a righty hitter. He had a second-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year balloting, an All-Star appearance, a Silver Slugger award and even a few MVP votes. Maybe Sunday's late-night trade between the Yankees and Twins isn't going to knock March Madness brackets and the return of Tom Brady from the front of the sports fan's mind, but it was a stunner and a headliner in its own right.

With Josh Donaldson and Gerrit Cole now Yankees teammates, the pair sat down with manager Aaron Boone on Monday for a "productive" conversation after ...

"When you watch him pitch, he competes and he wants to learn. "I think it's gonna be a nonissue. Donaldson said June 9 ahead of the second game of a three-game series between Yankees and Twins. "Is that possible? In addressing his previous comments on Cole's diminished spin rate, implying the pitcher had been using foreign substances for a significant increase, Donaldson added: "Whatever happened, happened. And both of us are in the same clubhouse now and that is what we're going to do." "We did talk and I don't think there was anything that needed to really be squared away, just a little bit of listening from both sides."

Given their past history with comments over sticky stuff, can Josh Donaldson and Gerrit Cole get along with the Yankees? They say it's not an issue.

“And that’s to win a World Series.’’ “And not have to strike out against him more.’’ I think it already is. “After that, you didn’t hear from me’’ on the subject. Boone said it was “a frank dialogue,’’ and “I think it’s going to be a non-issue. “At the end of the day, I’m happy to be on the same team,’’ Donaldson said.

The last time Gerrit Cole and Josh Donaldson crossed paths, they were engaged in a public battle over pitchers using illegal foreign substances last summer.

“I think the overall feel for us is that it settled a lot of interests on our end with one transaction, with one particular team,” Cashman said. “That was what I said about Gerrit Cole. I said I thought this was a league problem. “The three of us sat in my office for a while,’’ Boone said. “It’s not all that uncommon for [Cashman] to fill me in on stuff before it hits the wire,’’ Cole said. If it is an issue, it’s something we’ll have to work through.’ He’s like, ‘I’ll be fine.’ He was excited about the opportunity to upgrade in a lot of areas.” One of the next calls was from Donaldson to Aaron Boone, since he wanted to clear the air with Cole, if necessary.

The Yankees bolster their infield by acquiring 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela.

Donaldson, 36, is a three-time All-Star who hit 41 homers and drove in 123 runs for the A's in 2015, when he won MVP honors. Sanchez, the runner-up for AL rookie of the year honors in 2016, is a two-time All-Star and could take over behind the plate for the Twins, who traded starting catcher Mitch Garver to Texas last week in a deal for Kiner-Falefa. The New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins have agreed to a five-player trade that will bring former AL MVP Josh Donaldson to the Bronx.

This one surprises me. The Yankees and Twins make a deal. Going to the Yankees: Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt.

He played 39 games for the Twins last year, hitting .169/.229/.281. The Yankees’ hair rules might be an issue for him. Rortvedt is a catcher. Donaldson is owed $21.75 million for the next two seasons, with an option for 2024 at $16 million and an $8 million buyout. Urshela had a rough time with the Blue Jays but had two excellent seasons with the Yankees and then didn’t do well last year, hitting .267/.301/.419. He has a pretty good glove at third. The Yankees and Twins make a deal.