Yankees finalize trade for Andrew McCutchen - MLB

11:46 AM: The deal is official. The Yankees have acquired Andrew McCutchen from the San Francisco Giants along with cash considerations in exchange for minor league infielder Abiatal Avelino and minor league righty Juan De Paula.

The cash considerations are no small matter. McCutchen is not owed much for the remainder of the year — only about $2.5 million — but as both the Giants and the Yankees are very close to the luxury tax threshold and do not wish to exceed it, they needed to split that money up in a pretty precise way.

McCutchen will be with the Yankees for the season’s final month and, as it appears likely, the Wild Card game. If they proceed beyond that it’ll be the playoffs followed by free agency for the 2013 NL MVP. For now, he’ll look like this, absent the beard of course:

It's August 31st and Andrew McCutchen is a New York Yankee. pic.twitter.com/yuIWnZrkeo

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 31, 2018

THURSDAY: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Yankees have acquired outfielder Andrew McCutchen from the Giants in exchange for a pair of prospects. One of those prospects is middle infielder Abiatal Avelino, Sherman notes. The other prospect is not yet known.

Aaron Judge has taken longer than expected to recover from a fractured wrist, so McCutchen gives them some extra punch until Judge comes back.

McCutchen, 31, has hit .255/.357/.415 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI in 568 plate appearances this season with the Giants. He’s owed the remainder of his $14.75 million salary and is a free agent after the season.

Avelino, 23, is rated as the No. 23 prospect in the Yankees’ system. This season, between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Avelino hit .287/.333/.446 with 15 home runs and 66 RBI across 501 trips to the plate.

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CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.