ronze medallist suffered the first defeat of his professional career when his corner pulled him out in the eighth round of a mid

NEW YORK -- Brian McCann still wanted to catch, a lot. Alvin Williams Jersey . So with his options limited in the New York Yankees lineup, the seven-time All-Star gladly accepted a new opportunity in Houston.McCann waived his no-trade clause and was sent, along with $11 million, to the Astros on Thursday for a pair of young minor league pitchers.The Yankees acquired right-handers Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.It had to be the right fit, McCann said on a conference call. It wasnt going to be just anywhere.McCanns playing time diminished in the second half of the season as rookie Gary Sanchez emerged as a power hitter behind the plate. Sanchez hit 20 home runs in just 53 games.It was like nothing Id ever seen before. He was the best player in the game, McCann said.The 32-year-old McCann hit .242 with 20 homers and 58 RBI this year.We entered the offseason with the acquisition of a catcher as a primary focus, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said in a statement.Brian McCann is a great fit for the Astros as he is not only a good defensive catcher, he is also a left-handed hitter with proven run-producing ability, he said. His experience and his ability to impact his teammates will be a significant benefit to our team.Jason Castro made the most starts at catcher for the Astros last year, batting .210 with 11 homers and 32 RBI.Evan Gattis, known more for his slugging than his catching, also saw time at the spot.Houston and the Yankees met in the AL wild-card game in 2015. They both went 84-78 this year and missed the playoffs.Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the trade gives the team financial flexibility for potential free agents and trades.Houston stepped up and I think all parties got what we wanted, he told reporters.McCann made 86 starts at catcher last season, his fewest since he was a rookie with Atlanta in 2005. He figured next year in New York likely would mean catching once a week, plus some platoon time as a designated hitter.I wanted to catch every day, he said. I feel like I still have a lot of good years left.McCann also likes what he sees in the Astros, praising a lot of great young pieces.I wanted to be a part of it, he said.McCann hit 24 homers in 2006 and has hit at least 18 home runs in every season since then. He has 245 career homers with 888 RBI while batting .266.This was McCanns third season in New York after signing an $85 million, five-year deal as a free agent.McCann is due $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and the Yankees will pay $5.5 million both years.The Yankees had a $15 million option for 2019 with no buyout. The option became McCanns if he had at least 1,000 plate appearances combined in 2017 and 2018, had at least 90 starts at catcher in 2018 and didnt end up that season on the disabled list.The 21-year-old Abreu was a combined 3-8 with a 3.72 ERA for two teams in Class A. The 20-year-old Guzman was a combined 3-4 with a 4.05 ERA with two rookie-level teams. Skal Labissiere Jersey . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Damian Lillard Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. https://www.cheapblazersonline.com/1178i...ey-blazers.html . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Anthony Ogogo hopes to continue his career next year after revealing he has a double fracture of his eye socket.Great Britains 2012 Olympic bronze medallist suffered the first defeat of his professional career when his corner pulled him out in the eighth round of a middleweight bout against Craig Cunningham in Birmingham on Saturday.Ogogo (11-1, 7 KOs), who was knocked down by a right hook in the second round, had been suffering from blurred vision and an eye specialist confirmed on Monday the Lowestoft boxer may have sustained the injury before fighting Cunningham.After seeing an eye specialist today it turns out that I have fractured my eye socket in two places, Ogogo said. Given this my vision and balance were affected to the point that I had too be pulled out. Wayne Cooper Jersey. As soon as I went back to the corner after the first round I realised something was wrong, although at the time was unaware of the extent of it.Ogogo, 27, is now ruled out until the latter half of 2017 at least after the latest setback in a career blighted by injuries.This is obviously an incredibly tough time for me, said Ogogo. I have overcome a lot of adversity previously and now face an uncertain time in terms of my eyesight with now another mountain to climb.However, I am ready for the challenge and will be giving everything I have to get back in the ring and to achieve my full potential. ' ' '