Entering Thursday, Tampa Bay had shifted 44 times in its three games against New York—the second-most in baseball—and the Yankees ranked sixth with 26. That’s 70 freaking infield shifts. To provide some context, the Cubs—a great defensive club—shifted just four times over their first three games and the Red Sox shifted three times. So, it’s not like the entire league was shifting over 30 times, this was an exceptionally high amount of shifts for a three game series to see.

And, for the most part, they were pointless. The Rays surrendered 12 hits against their 44 shifts (a .273 batting average) while they picked up nine hits against New York’s 26 (.346).

The biggest beneficiary of this trend was Chase Headley—a career spray hitter—who decided to just go the other way on a few occasions when Tampa Bay shifted him:

Headley’s case seemed to the public to be a perfect example of why not to shift a player based on recent trends. The switch-hitting third baseman actually pulled under 42% of his batted balls last season, his lowest mark since 2011. He certainly favored the right side as a left-handed hitter, particularly as the season came to an end, but displayed the ability to go the other way on countless occasions:

Put bluntly: The Rays and Yankees overmanaged the living daylights out of their opening series, and shifted more times than they needed to. Headley was the most drastic example of a player benefitting against the shift, but as the Rays’ .346 average against the shift showed, there were plenty of hits to go around.

Now, to be fair to both teams, it’s not like every one of the hits they allowed against the alignment was a total failure. Their totals count every single shift, so technically this stumble by Tampa Bay’s Brad Miller qualifies. The shift actually put him in position to make this play.

And, there’s nothing the Yankees were going to do to stop this line drive up the middle:

That said, however, the latter shift was completely unnecessary, because a line drive up the middle is going to be a hit nine times out of 10. There’s been a rise in the number of shifts each of the past five seasons, so we’re going to start seeing a lot more of these unnecessary adjustments. The key to defensive shifting is to pick your spots; you ultimately want to prevent more hits than you surrender, and by shifting over 40 times over a three-game series you’re putting that goal further out of reach.

This is a small sample, and the overall success of these two clubs when shifting will ultimately take shape over the course of the entire season. But if this is a sign of things to come, we’re going to see an enormous amount of defensive shifts from these two in 2017.

Photo: Brett Davis/USATSI

Clint Frazier was the “mystery caller” on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” on Monday, and told Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian that he was notified of his trade to New York when he got back from using the restroom one morning.

“Honestly, man, I just got up to go to the bathroom one morning,” Frazier said, “and when I got back I checked my phone and I had a text from my friend within the agency that said ‘Call me.'”

It’s around the 1:50 mark below.

I wonder if they also told him he’d be heading to the Yankees with Justflush Sheffield.

With Dellin Betances bobbling the closer’s workload, the Yankees were in the market for a closer this off-season. They got their top target, who was reportedly seeking a six-year, $100 million deal and had an offer from the Marlins. At an average of $17.2 million a season, this certainly didn’t come at a discount.

His deal will also include a no-trade clause:

Source: Chapman deal includes three-year opt-out, full no-trade for first three years, limited no-trade for final two.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 8, 2016

Details of Aroldis Chapman deal: no-trade for 3 years, and cannot be to a team located in California

— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) December 8, 2016

Since Chapman was not extended a qualifying offer, he won’t cost the Yankees a draft pick, which is preferable. New York acquired its top prospect, Gleyber Torres, from Chicago as part of a prospect package. When you consider the fact that the team got Chapman at a discount after his domestic violence incident last off-season, secured a lucrative package after owning him for half a season, and then got him back, it seems like a strategical win for the Yankees. It will cost them a lot, though—it’s a record deal for a closer—and the lefty is entering his age-29 season.

The Yankees, it seems, still have an offer out to Kenley Jansen, though this will probably convince him to sign elsewhere. It’s the team’s second major signing of the winter, after they inked Matt Holliday to a one-year deal.

Photo: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today Sports

New York agreed to send McCann—and more importantly, money to cover his salary—to Houston in exchange for right-handed pitchers Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman, they announced on Thursday night.

Abreu, 21, has had a steady beginning to his career in the lower-minors, owning a 3.16 ERA in 216 1/3 innings. He’s pitched at high-A, but Guzman, 20, has not—completing last season at rookie ball. Both are raw, live arms, with Abreu owning four pitches. That would mean he projects out as a starter down the road.

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees will pay just $5.5 million of the $11.5 million that McCann’s owed next season. That’s not bad.

Here’s what they bring to the table, according to Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper:

Albert Abreu has 4 pitches, touches 99. Jorge Guzman is better when he gears down to 97-99, touches 102-103. Good pickups for Yanks.

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) November 17, 2016

This ends the McCann era at catcher, after he signed a five-year deal back in 2013 to be the team’s everyday backstop. It’s Gary Sanchez’s job now.

The trade also means that the team will need to fill the DH spot in the lineup, considering McCann was expected to play the majority of his games there. They’ll either rotate between a hefty bunch of players, or go out and sign a big bat. There are plenty.

With two more intriguing arms in the bullpen, it’s hard to believe general manager Brian Cashman won’t be calling around on some of the league’s top players on the right side of 30. The team could theoretically make a deal for Chris Sale and keep enough prospects to maintain a top-five farm system. Time will tell what the team decides to do, and if they will stick to their commitment to youth.

The Yankees backstop picked up just four of 30 first-place votes, to Fulmer’s 26. With 23 second-place votes, though, he was the runaway runner-up, for what it’s worth. Sanchez is the fifth Yankee to finish second, joining Whitey Ford in 1950, Kevin Maas in 1990, Hideki Matsui in 2003 and Robinson Cano in 2005.

There was a strong case for Sanchez, which Rory Masterson made back in September, but a late call-up killed his chances.

Gary Sanchez picks up just four first place votes to Michael Fulmer’s 26. pic.twitter.com/eymC5EDLMB

— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) November 14, 2016

Congrats to @MFulmer12. Deserves all the praise he is getting. #IamGary

— Gary Sanchez (@ElGarySanchez) November 15, 2016

Voters ultimately decided Fulmer’s shiny 3.06 ERA, amassed over 159 innings, was more substantial than Sanchez’s hot two months, which saw him club an incredible 20 home runs. If Gary was unable to sway voters to reconsider a widespread belief that a late-season call-up can’t win the award, then it does not appear any player will. Could three months have done it? The world will never know.

Photo: Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

The 19-year-old Torres, who earned Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, hit an absolute moonshot in the third inning off Braves prospect Chris Ellis. It was his third dinger of the season, and left his bat at 100 mph according to Statcast. Behold:

Not to be outdone, Bird picked up his first homer in the AFL with a laserbeam 403-foot blast to right that left his bat at 103 mph. I forgot how sweet this swing is.

Tim Tebow, their teammate, was 1 for 4 with three strikeouts. The more you know.

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports

With Baltimore’s 4-0 win in Toronto, there are now just four teams left in contention for a wild card spot–the Blue Jays, Orioles, Tigers and Mariners. No Yankees.

So, Thursday marked one of four meaningless games they’ll play until their season concludes on Sunday. It went rather swimmingly, with CC Sabathia working 7 1/3 dominant innings, giving up just a run on four hits with eight strikeouts. The offense pieced together eight hits, six of which came off the bat of Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury. It culminated in a 5-1 victory.

The biggest thing the Yankees accomplished on Thursday would probably be holding David Ortiz hitless for a third straight game. He was lifted from his final game at Yankee Stadium after walking in the fourth, and finished the series 0 for 10 with four strikeouts. The Yankees gave him a nice painting before the game, and he was given a rousing ovation by a crowd of about 70% Red Sox fans.

It was also a nice send-off for Sabathia, who had a pretty great season, all things considered.

The Play: Ellsbury’s RBI double (+.166 WPA)

Top Performers

Yankees: CC Sabathia (7 1/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K)

Red Sox: Xander Bogaerts (1 for 4, HR)

Notes

– Gary Sanchez did not homer in this game, but he did rip two ridiculous shots to left that were just foul.

– Ronald Torreyes came in for Starlin Castro the half-inning after the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays. I suspect we won’t see much of Castro going forward, who could barely run in this game.

– Brian McCann cited CC Sabathia’s low exit velocity when discussing how good he’s been this season. Entering the game, it was 85.4 mph on average, good for second in the league (minimum 200 batted balls).

The Highlight: Didi Gregorius makes a new friend

Next Up

The Yankees welcome the Orioles to the Bronx for a three-game set to finish the season. With a sweep, there’s a shot they could knock Baltimore out of playoff contention. It’ll be Michael Pineda against Yovani Gallardo at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Photo: Brad Penner/USA Today Sports

After a big 11-5 win in Tampa on Wednesday, New York fell to rookie Blake Snell and company, 2-0. Snell was on for five innings, striking out five and allowing just five hits, and old friend Chase Whitley had an easy go of it in building a bridge to closer Alex Colome.

Sometimes, there’s only so much you can do. Luis Cessa had one of his best outings of the year, striking out six over six innings of two-run ball, but Snell was simply better. He flashed the repertoire that will likely torment Yankee hitters for years to come.

The Yankees can take little solace in winning this series two games to one, as their odds of making the postseason continue to get skinnier. They now sit three games back in the wild card.

The Play: Brad Miller’s RBI single in the first (+.127 WPA)

The first inning was Cessa’s worst, and it was highlighted by this mistake to Brad Miller. It’s 1-1 and Sanchez calls for a low fastball on the black. Instead, Cessa elevates it to Miller’s belt, and catches a lot of plate. Miller easily deposits it through the wide hole on the left side created by Didi Gregorius holding the runner on to score Logan Forsythe from second.

Top Performers

Yankees: Luis Cessa (6 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 6 K)
Rays: Blake Snell (5 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K)

Notes

— Luis Severino came on in relief of Cessa to throw two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and striking out three. He continues to be effective out of the bullpen.

— Gary Sanchez walked twice. Even against a tough pitcher having a great night, he managed to have good at-bats and reach base twice. Rory Masterson wrote today why he should win AL Rookie of the Year.

— Aaron Hicks picked up a couple of hits and is now 3 for 8 with a walk in his two games since returning from injury.

— The Yankees traded Phil Coke to the Pirates before the game for cash considerations.

The Highlight: Sanchez nabs Kiermaier

Next Up

The Yankees head to the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre for a three-game set with the Blue Jays. Bryan Mitchell is tasked with winning a game against the highly-volatile Francisco Liriano.

Photo: Kim Klement / USA Today Sports

It wasn’t Gary Sanchez, Starlin Castro or even Aaron Judge doing the damage; Chase Headley and Austin Romine drove in four of the five runs. The Yankees needed runs in a bad way heading into the most crucial 10-game homestand of the season that will most likely determine their postseason fate. New York entered the day with a 3.1% chance to make it, according to Baseball Prospectus, so they’ll probably need to win all 10 of those.

Michael Pineda made it into the fifth, but didn’t record an out, and Luis Severino came in and left the bases loaded. From there, the bullpen shut the door.

The Play: Romine singles in a pair (+.144 WPA)

Romine really went down to get this one, and put the Yankees out in front for good.

Notes

– The Yankees now sit 6 1/2 games back in the AL East and 3 1/2 back in the wild card. That’s not that many games!

– Gary Sanchez is now 1 for his last 8. Waive him.

– Tyler Clippard was hit in the side by a line drive. He stayed in the game.

The Highlight: Severino leaves ‘em loaded

Up Next

The Yankees return home for a 10-game homestand, beginning with the Blue Jays. It’s Masahiro Tanaka against R.A. Dickey at 1:05 p.m. ET on Monday at the Stadium.

Photo: Evan Habeeb / USA Today Sports

Before Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, manager Joe Girardi dropped a pair of hints that young Gary Sanchez will take over for Brian McCann as the team’s everyday catcher going forward. It’s a role he’s essentially held for a week or two now, but no one has ever really acknowledged it.

“Well, we’re still going to see Mac DH-ing. I’m going to catch Sanchie,” Girardi said, bestowing a new role and a new nickname on his 23-year-old backstop.

Sanchez is clearly the Yankees’ catcher of the future, and the present, slugging four home runs in his first 49 plate appearances this season. He earned a promotion to cleanup on Wednesday, hitting ahead of Aaron Judge.

In the field, he’s been the best of the bunch too, showcasing his strong arm.

“I think all of the guys have done a good job. You’re asking me to judge a guy that’s caught 10 games. I think that’s kind of difficult to do,” Girardi said of his catching defense. “But I will say something: In those 10 games, he’s played extremely well.”

McCann could very well be dealt after clearing waivers, considering New York tried and failed to trade the veteran at the deadline. Girardi did say that he expects him to catch again this season, but he won’t play first base.

All that’s left is for Tyler Austin to take over as the team’s primary first baseman, which could wind up happening should Mark Teixeira’s knee flare up again. Then, the Yankees would have installed all their big-league ready youngsters in regular roles.