Morning sports update: What the Yankees’ reported signing of Troy Tulowitzki means for Manny Machado
Also: The Bruins' "Peaky Blinders" look at the Winter Classic, and a near miss mascot fight.
The Bruins relished their appearance in the latest NHL Winter Classic, played at Notre Dame Stadium. Boston defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-2.
The Celtics face the Timberwolves tonight at TD Garden, with tipoff set for 8 p.m.
Signing Troy Tulowitzki doesn’t rule the Yankees out of the Manny Machado sweepstakes: The Yankees reportedly agreed to a deal with a 6’3″ shortstop on Tuesday, though it wasn’t Manny Machado. Pending a physical, New York will sign former All-Star Troy Tulowitzki, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Free agent shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is in agreement on a deal with the New York Yankees pending a physical, league sources tell ESPN. Tulowitzki is expected to join the Yankees on a league-minimum deal, with the Toronto Blue Jays paying the remainder of his $20 million salary.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 2, 2019
While this might appear to be a signal that the Yankees are no longer pursuing Machado (one of the year’s most sought after free agents), that doesn’t actually seem to be the case. As has been pointed out, Tulowitzki is still owed $38 million from the Blue Jays, who surprisingly released him in December. This means New York will only have to pay the 34-year-old a Major League minimum salary of $555,000.
Meanwhile, Machado is still a strong candidate to end up in pinstripes, though the White Sox and Phillies are also involved.
The #Yankees take no risk gamble by signing shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who’s still being paid by the #Bluejays, per @JeffPassan. The #Yankees still want Manny Machado, who will begin fielding offers this week with #Whitesox and #Phillies still in the mix.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 2, 2019
More from Boston.com:
- 3 predictions for each Boston sports team in 2019
- Kyrie Irving questionable for Celtics-Timberwolves with eye irritation
- 3 takeaways from the Bruins’ Winter Classic win over the Blackhawks
- Bruins display their own version of the Four Horsemen at the Winter Classic
- The Notre Dame leprechaun took a spill on the Winter Classic ice
- 10 photos from the Bruins’ Winter Classic win
- 11 superlatives from the Patriots’ regular season
- FX secures rights to Globe’s Aaron Hernandez podcast, ‘Gladiator’
The Bruins showed up to the Winter Classic looking like “proper gangsters,” a reference to the BBC drama series “Peaky Blinders.” Brad Marchand offered a little more on the backstory after the game.
Look good, feel good, play good.#WinterClassic☘️ | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/haIKA4ghr0
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 1, 2019
The NHL commissioner alluded to a possible “marquee event” coming to Boston:
Bettman said the league will have discussions with the Bruins after the renovations at TD Garden are complete about bringing a marquee event back to Boston.
— Joe McDonald (@JoeyMacHockey) January 1, 2019
U.S. soccer player Christian Pulisic will join Chelsea (via Dortmund): The two European clubs agreed to a transfer fee of $73 million, more than three times the record for any American player in history. The promising 20-year-old will play the rest of the season with his current club in Germany. In the summer, he will join his new team in London.
Welcome to Chelsea, @cpulisic_10! https://t.co/bgiLbAtXrl
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 2, 2019
The mascots almost got into it during the Texas-Georgia Sugar Bowl on Tuesday. Texas prevailed in the game, 28-21.
LOOK OUT, UGA! pic.twitter.com/DAIB0teajU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2019
On this day in 1994: The Patriots defeated the Dolphins in the regular season finale, 33-27. Speculation hung in the air over the team’s future, as rumors spread that the Patriots could potentially leave for St. Louis. Luckily for New England fans, Robert Kraft wound up buying the franchise later in January, ensuring that the local NFL team stayed in Foxborough.
Daily highlight: David Pastrnak scored in the Winter Classic, and followed with what turned out to be an attempted LeBron James celebration.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1080228423119896577
