News & Neuigkeiten » McKenzie and powerful No.8 Akira

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- With two moves here on Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox filled their needs for an eighth-inning reliever and a left-handed hitter to help replace David Ortizs production.Oh, and they renewed their faith in Pablo Sandoval.By day, the Red Sox acquired right-handed reliever Tyler Thornburg from the Milwaukee Brewers in a multiplayer trade that sent first baseman/third baseman Travis Shaw, infield prospect Mauricio Dubon and Class A pitcher Josh Pennington to Milwaukee.And by night -- after completing a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox for ace lefty Chris Sale, no less -- the Red Sox agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent first baseman Mitch Moreland, a source confirmed to ESPN.com. The deal is worth $5.5 million, a source confirmed to ESPN.?Moreland, 31, is coming off a season with the?Texas Rangers?in which he batted only .233 with 22 homers and a .720 OPS, the second-lowest mark of his career. But he won a Gold Glove at first base and, along with Sandovals return to third base, could contribute to making up for last seasons 38 homers and 127 RBIs that Ortiz took with him into retirement.Ortiz, in fact, is a Moreland fan. In a conversation last week at his charity golf event in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz asked who won the AL Gold Glove at first base. Told it was Moreland, Ortiz said, I always believed that kid could be special. It depends on how much [a team] plays him.Thornburg, a hard-throwing 28-year-old, posted a 2.15 ERA, 13 saves and 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 67 appearances last season, taking over as Milwaukees closer after Jeremy Jeffress was dealt to the Rangers?at the trade deadline. Boston manager John Farrell cited a lower arm slot as the primary reason for Thornburgs breakthrough as a power pitcher, while Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski called Thornburgs curveball a dominant pitch.We feel like were getting a guy at the absolute right time, Farrell said.But Thornburg also dealt with elbow issues that caused him to get shut down midway through the 2014 season. He received a plasma-rich platelet injection that year and hasnt encountered any recurrence of the injury over the past two seasons.The Red Sox were looking for an eighth-inning upgrade, an addition that Dombrowski labeled a necessity. Koji Uehara and Brad Ziegler, who shared the role at times last season, are both free agents. Dombrowski said Monday that the Red Sox preferred to find a setup reliever with closing experience to pitch in front of closer Craig Kimbrel.Thornburg fills that description. He also is inexpensive, no small detail for a Red Sox team that is trying to keep its payroll below $195 million for luxury-tax purposes. Thornburg made $513,900 this year and is eligible for arbitration for the first time. The Red Sox will control him through the 2019 season.We scouted him very thoroughly last year. He has nasty stuff, Dombrowski said. We feel hes a guy that projects to be a quality eighth-inning individual for us that can also close a game, if needed. He was what we were looking to try to find.Thornburg joins a bullpen that includes Kimbrel, right-handers Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly and Heath Hembree, and lefties Robbie Ross Jr., Robby Scott and Fernando Abad. Right-hander Carson Smith is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could be ready to pitch by June 1, if not sooner.You see what clubs have been getting for closers and setup guys, Dombrowski said. Really, [Thornburg] could be a closer in many situations. Its a very either expensive dollar market or its an expensive acquisition market.And the Red Sox paid a steep price in talent, in particular by trading Dubon.Dubon, 22, batted .323 with six homers and an .840 OPS between Class A Salem and Double-A Portland this year, putting him squarely on the prospect map. Dubon is primarily a shortstop, though, and was blocked by Xander Bogaerts, the 24-year-old All-Star who isnt eligible for free agency until after the 2019 season. The Red Sox also have utility man Brock Holt, Marco Hernandez and Deven Marrero to back up Bogaerts.The decision to include Shaw in the trade underscores what Dombrowski and Farrell said Monday, namely that the Red Sox intend to trust Sandoval with third base after he missed almost all of 2016 because of shoulder surgery.Sandoval, signed by the Red Sox to a five-year, $95 million contract two seasons ago, struggled in 2015, reported to spring training out of shape and lost the third-base job to Shaw. And although Shaw faded after the All-Star break, he still finished with 16 homers in 480 at-bats, production from the left side of the plate that cant be discounted in a lineup that will lean right-handed now that Ortiz is retired.On Monday, Farrell called Sandoval one of the keys for us and a left-handed bat who is a proven guy and has every opportunity to make a major impact on our team this year.At no point did Farrell mention Shaw, an omission that is now more easily understood. Ivan Barbashev Jersey . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Blues Jerseys China . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. https://www.cheapblues.com/1394z-roman-turek-jersey-blues.html . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Robert Thomas Jersey . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. Tony Twist Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Todd Clever has been handed the captaincy ahead of the U.S. Eagles match against the NZ Maori on Friday night in Chicago at Toyota Park.?Clever heads up a team which includes Saracens prop Titi Lamositele and Newcastle second-row Nick Civetta.The team is void of Toulons Samu Manoa as the match falls outside the international window but Madison Hughes, the U.S. Sevens captain, could make his first appearance for the Eagles if he is given his chance from the bench.?The Eagles will come up against a Maori side packed with Super Rugby experience including the brilliant Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie and powerful No.8 Akira Ioane.?Culturally the Maori All Blacks bond extremely well and have their own spirit and ethos as a result of their wonderful Maori culture, USA coach John Mitchell said. Theyve also got the British & Irrish Lions tour next year to look forward to, so a lot of these layers will be looking to impress.ddddddddddddThe boys have a tough job ahead of them but theyve trained smarter and we have challenged them in the decision-making space, and they are motivated for this match against arguably the best non-test team in the world.USA Eagles:?Mike Teo, Martin Iosefo, Bryce Campbell, Folau Niua, Matai Leuta, Will Holder, Nate Augspurger; Titi Lamositele, James Hilterbrand, Chris Baumann, Nate Brakeley, Nick Civetta, Todd Clever (captain), Tony Lamborn, Danny BarrettReplacements: Joe Taufetee, Angus MacLellan, Alex Maughan, Matthew Jensen, Al McFarland, Stephen Tomasin, Shalom Suniula, Madison Hughes ' ' '