Yankees news: Josh Donaldson headed to New York in blockbuster trade involving Gary Sanchez

The Yankees and Twins have agreed to exchange sluggers, with Josh Donaldson hitting the Big Apple and Gary Sanchez going to Minneapolis.

Sunday night, the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins have reportedly reached an agreement to swap sluggers. The Yankees have agreed to send Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins for former All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the deal.

Catcher Ben Rortvedt is headed to the Yankees along with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, sources tell ESPN. Catcher Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela are going to Minnesota.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2022

Major League Baseball has been a bit of a frenzy ever since news broke that the MLB Lockout was finally ending after 99 days. A number of big-name free agents have penned onto their new teams, but this piece of news is every bit as big as the rest.

Donaldson is a former American League MVP back in 2015 with the Toronto Blue Jays. That season, he hit 41 home runs, scored 122 runs and drove in 123. Donaldson's numbers began to descend after that until 2019, when he had a resurgent year in Atlanta when he hit 37 home runs.

Last season in Minnesota, Donaldson posted a .247 batting average while hitting 26 home runs. His elite power is likely behind him, as is his ability to post All-Star numbers. But in the Yankees lineup, he will see plenty of pitches to hit.

The other side of the trade sees Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela going to the Twins. Sanchez was once thought of as future center piece in New York. In 2017 and 2019, he hit over 30 home runs each season as the backstop. That masked his mid-to-low .200's batting average. But the last two years, it became downright painful to watch.

Sanchez barely hit above the mendoza line, batting .204 last season while hitting 23 home runs. The year prior, he hit .147, albeit in only 49 games played. Clearly, the Yankees could no longer justify starting Sanchez.

Urshela has also been in decline. In 2019, he posted career highs in home runs, batting average (.314), RBI's and runs scored. The last two seasons combined he barely reached those numbers while hitting .267 last season.