New York Yankees president Randy Levine has joined the board of Serie A football giants Milan, it was revealed on Saturday.

The move tightens the connection between the two sporting titans, with Yankee Global Enterprises, which owns the Major League Baseball team, having acquired a minority stake when investment firm RedBird Capital took ownership of Milan last August in a €1.2billion deal.

In a statement, Milan said: "AC Milan today announced that Randy Levine, president of the New York Yankees, has joined the club's board of directors.

"Mr Levine has been the president of the New York Yankees for over 20 years and is recognised globally as one of the most accomplished executives in the sports and entertainment industries."

Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni said of Levine: "His experience and expertise will integrate with ours, contributing to the growth path of the club and creating opportunities to expand its global appeal.

"The appointment of Randy will help us develop new synergies at a global level, in line with RedBird's strategic vision, opening new horizons for the club and its fans."

Forbes last year listed the Yankees, owned by the Steinbrenner family, as the fourth most valuable sports team in the world, with an estimated value of $6billion.

Seven-time European champions Milan won Italy's Serie A title in 2021-22, ending an 11-year wait. They entered this weekend sitting second in the 2022-23 championship, with Napoli the leaders.

The New York Yankees have hired former Mets general manager Omar Minaya as a senior advisor to baseball operations.

Minaya is the second former general manager to join the Yankees front office this week. The team hired onetime San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean on Tuesday to work as an executive advisor to GM Brian Cashman.

The 64-year-old Minaya served as GM of the Mets from 2004 to 2010 after becoming Major League Baseball's first Hispanic general manager when he held that role for the Montreal Expos from 2002 to 2004.

Minaya returned to the Mets in 2017, following a three-year stint as an advisor for the MLB Players Association, as an assistant to then-GM Sandy Alderson.

He left that post following the 2020 season but was rehired by the organisation in 2021 as a team ambassador.

The New York City native also worked as the San Diego Padres' vice-president of baseball operations from 2011 to 2015 and spent the 2022 season as an amateur scouting consultant for MLB.

Minaya is the third former general manager currently employed by the Yankees. Former Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been with the club since 2012 as a special assignment scout.

The New York Yankees made an addition to their front office on Tuesday, hiring Brian Sabean as executive advisor to senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman.

Sabean, who began his career in major league baseball with the Yankees nearly four decades ago, spent the last 30 years with the San Francisco Giants and was the architect of the franchise’s World Series championship dynasty over the last decade.

The 66-year-old Sabean served as the Giants’ GM from 1996 to 2014 before being promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations – a position he held until after the 2018 season, when he stepped down to serve as a scout.

During his 18 years of service as the Giants’ GM, the franchise won the 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series championships, four NL pennants and five division titles.

The Giants released a statement thanking him for his services.

“The San Francisco Giants would like to extend its deepest gratitude to Brian Sabean for his enormous contributions to our organisation and wish him the best of luck in his new position with the New York Yankees.”

Sabean’s first job in MLB was for the Yankees, working as a scout in 1985. The following year he was promoted to director of scouting and by 1990 he we named vice president of player and development.

He held that position through the 1992 season before being hired by the Giants as assistant to the GM and vice president of scouting/player personnel.

Aaron Judge has been named as the 16th captain in New York Yankees franchise history after signing a blockbuster contract.

The 31-year-old put pen to paper on a record-breaking nine-year, $360million deal on Tuesday to extend his stay with the Yankees and has now become the first franchise captain since Derek Jeter retired in 2014.

Crowned AL MVP last month, Judge broke the single-season Yankees and AL home-run record, reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set in 1961. He became the fourth Major League player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season.

Judge has set his sights high in his new position, plotting a course for multiple championships.

"It's a blessing and an honour. Getting a chance to continue something the Yankees are so big on, which is legacy, getting a chance to continue my legacy here in pinstripes in the best city in the world, the best baseball city in front of the best fans, this is an incredible honour," he said during a press conference.

"It goes without saying what an honour that is. I look back at the list of Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, that's a pretty good list right there.

"Not only great baseball players, but great ambassadors of the game and great ambassadors of the New York Yankees, how they pride themselves on the field day in and day out, how they take pride in what they do off the field to represent this organisation and represent these pinstripes.

"This is an incredible honour that I don't take lightly and I'm going to continue to try to be the same leader that I've been the last six years, continue to lead by example.

"I know there's probably going to be a couple more responsibilities with this, but I'm here to embrace every single obstacle and continue to lead this team and this city to not one but multiple championships down the road."

The Yankees finished last season as AL East champions for the first time since 2019 but have not competed in the World Series since 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

The home run ball hit by New York Yankees star Aaron Judge to set the new American League record this season sold for $1.5million on Saturday via collectables marketplace Goldin.

Judge hit his 62nd home run on October 4 at Texas to break a tie with former Yankee Roger Maris, who hit 61 homers in 1961.

Cory Youmans caught Judge’s 62nd home run in the left field seats at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and turned down a $3million offer before deciding to put the ball up for auction.

The ball is the second-most expensive sold at auction behind the $3.05million paid by comic book artist Todd McFarlane for Mark McGwire’s 70th homer in 1998 when he was with the St Louis Cardinals.

"Multiple players have hit more home runs in a season, but in many people's eyes, Aaron Judge is the true record-holder," Ken Goldin, the executive chairman and founder of Goldin, told ESPN.

"The fact that this is the second-highest total ever paid for a baseball speaks to the respect that fans and collectors have for Aaron.

"That's the magic of sports – this ball didn't only change Aaron's life, it changed the life of the fan who was in the stadium that night, too.

"We're so proud to have been trusted by Cory to present this piece of history for public auction."

Judge was named the American League Most Valuable Player after batting .311 with 62 homers and 131 RBIs in 157 games.

He agreed to a nine-year, $360million contract with the Yankees earlier this month, making Judge the highest-paid position player in Major League Baseball history at $40million per season.

The New York Yankees have added a key piece to their rotation by agreeing with left-handed free agent Carlos Rodon on a six-year, $162million contract.

The move bolsters the Yankees' starting rotation, which already had Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino – along with a variety of other depth options.

Rodon, 30, was named an All-Star in each of the past two seasons and played last year for the San Francisco Giants. He opted out of his deal with the Giants – which would have paid him $22.5m in 2023 – and declined the $19.65m qualifying offer a few days later to become a free agent.

Rodon played seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the first six of which were marred by inconsistency and injury. Rodon broke out in 2021, his final year on the South Side.

Over the past two seasons with Chicago and San Francisco, Rodon has amassed a 27-13 record with a 2.67 ERA, averaging 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Rodon has a career 3.60 ERA and 56-46 record in 147 starts.

The Yankees are hoping that Rodon can help them improve on a 2022 season that produced a 99-63 record and an American League East title, but ended in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.

With the exception of Rodon, the Yankees plan on fielding largely the same team that fell just short of the World Series last season, with most of this offseason’s attention going toward retaining AL MVP and home run champion Aaron Judge for nine years and $360m.

Aaron Judge has reportedly agreed a nine-year, $360million deal to stay with the New York Yankees.

The contract surpasses the $330m deal signed by Bryce Harper with the Philadelphia Phillies, making it the largest free-agent agreement in MLB history.

The slugger, who last season broke the American League record for home runs in a single season with 62, was the top prize on the market in MLB this offseason.

Chatter at MLB's winter meetings had indicated on Tuesday that Judge could be headed to the San Francisco Giants.

Judge was born in Northern California in Sacramento and grew up a Giants fan.

However, the four-time All-Star has eschewed the chance to play for his boyhood team and will now instead remain in the Bronx.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal each reported the terms of the deal, which is pending a physical.

A first-round pick of the Yankees in 2013, Judge has 220 home runs since making his MLB debut in 2016.

Only Nolan Arenado (229) has more home runs in that span.

His incredible efforts last season propelled the Yankees to a 99-63 record, the second-best in the American League.

However, they were swept by the team with the league's best record, the Houston Astros (106-56), in the ALCS. The Astros went on to beat the Phillies in the World Series.

Aaron Judge remains the New York Yankees' top priority in free agency, says general manager Brian Cashman, as they look to tie down the 2022 American League MVP.

The four-time All-Star has spent his entire MLB career at Yankee Stadium, but failed to agree a new long-term deal ahead of last season, instead penning just a short-term contract.

With the 30-year-old out of contract, his options are open after a season that saw him shatter the single-season American League home run record with 62.

Cashman says owner Hal Steinbrenner has met with Judge over his future, and hopes they will be able to convince the outfielder to re-sign with them sooner rather than later.

"We'd love to have our player back," he said. "We would love to continue to call him our player every step of the way as he follows what looks like a career path that will lead him to [Hall of Fame home] Cooperstown.

"I appreciate being in a position to have a conversation with a player of Judge's magnitude The ownership here has allowed us to stay in the game on a big-ticket item.

"That's great. I'm sure there's a lot of teams that would love to have access to a player of his calibre but can't participate because the asks are going to be so immense."

Cashman acknowledged there are risks to waiting on Judge's call, both for whoever may otherwise sign him and how it will shape the Yankees going forward.

But he believes the wait will be worth it if they can bring him back into the fold, adding: "It's not like we've missed time in my opinion.

"I understand the longer things go, the more at risk you are. It's easier if we are driving, but we're not driving it."

Aaron Judge is resigned to being an intrigued observer when the ball he struck for a record-breaking 62nd home run goes up for auction – declaring he cannot afford to join the bidding race.

The 30-year-old set a single-season Yankees and AL home-run record by reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set 61 years ago in 1961.

Judge became the fourth major league player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season, and his feat belongs in baseball legend, making the ball that saw him set the record on October 4 especially valuable.

It occurred at the home of the Texas Rangers in Arlington, with the spectator at Globe Life Field that caught the ball striking lucky by guaranteeing himself an apparent fortune.

According to ESPN, that man, Cory Youmans, decided to put the ball in the hands of Goldin Auctions "after weeks of a lot of deep conversations" with his wife and lawyer.

Youmans said: "It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it. As a fan, I'm curious to see what it's worth, who buys it and what they do with it."

Youmans is said to have already turned down $3million for the ball, with his lawyer, Dave Baron, suspecting the final selling price could be "significantly higher based on New York, the New York fan base and how crazy it could get at an auction".

That rules Judge out of contention, as he said the ball is "out of my price range right now".

The ball is listed with a starting bid of $1million, with the auction due to get under way on November 30.

Judge said of the seller's choice: "He caught the ball, he's the one that made the play out there in left field, so it's his right to do what he wants with it. Hopefully he's making the right decision for him and his family.''

The ball's value will not have been harmed by Judge winning the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award ahead of Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday.

Aaron Judge has capped his historic season after being crowned the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) ahead of Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday.

St Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt was also voted the NL MVP, beating out Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres and teammate Nolan Arenado for the award.

Judge's MVP, the first in his career, came after he broke the single-season Yankees and AL home-run record, reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set 61 years ago in 1961. He became the fourth major league player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season.

The Yankees outfielder led the AL in home runs (62), RBIs (131), slugging percentage (.686), on-base percentage (.425), OPS (1.111) and total bases (391), while he chased an AL Triple Crown down the stretch, but ultimately fell short as Minnesota Twins' utility Luis Arraez (.316) won the batting title.

Judge received 28 first-place votes for 410 points, ahead of Ohtani (280) and Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez (232).

The 30-year-old already had two top-five MVP finishes on his resume, in 2017 and 2021, winning Silver Slugger awards in both years.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said: "I’m grateful that I got to witness it first-hand and share in his magical year, especially given how much respect I have for him as a player and as a person."

Goldschmidt looked like the NL MVP since the All-Star break, batting .317 while leading the NL in OPS (.982) and slugging percentage (.578).

The Cardinals first baseman's 35 home runs finished one off his career-high, set in 2013 and equalled in 2017, giving him his seventh season with at least 30 dingers.

Goldschmidt won the MVP with 380 voting points, ahead of Machado (291) and Arenado (232). It is the sixth time in 35-year-old Goldschmidt's career that he has finished in the top-six for the award.

"I think definitely as you age, you have to adapt, and that's some of what I've tried to do. I've tried to get ahead of it," Goldschmidt told MLB Network. "I think it was my best season."

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge collected the first of many individual awards set to come his way when he was named winner of the American League's Hank Aaron Award.

Paul Goldschmidt of the St Louis Cardinals was named the National League winner of the award, which honours the player in each league who had the best offensive season.

Judge, 30, enjoyed the best year of his career as he broke the single-season Yankees and American League home run record, reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris' 61 – set 61 years ago in 1961.

Making his fourth All-Star game, Judge also set career-highs in batting average (.311), slugging percentage (.686) and on-base percentage (.425) – leading the majors in the latter two metrics.

With two top-five MVP finishes on his resume already – in 2017 and 2021, winning Silver Slugger awards in both years – Judge is considered a lock to top the votes and claim his first this time around.

Meanwhile, Goldschmidt has looked like the NL MVP since the All-Star break, and was rewarded with his second Hank Aaron Award after also winning it back in 2013 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Goldschmidt, 35, is set for his sixth top-six finish in MVP voting, batting .317 while leading the NL in on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) at .981.

His 35 home runs finished one off his career-high, set in 2013 and equalled in 2017, giving him his seventh season with at least 30 dingers.

Goldschmidt has two years remaining on his contract with the Cardinals, while Judge is set to enter free agency for the first time in his career.

Brian Cashman strayed away from confirming whether the New York Yankees have held contract talks with Aaron Judge.

Star slugger Judge opted to enter free agency, turning down a seven-year contract with the Yankees before the season started.

His stock has risen since then, with Judge having scored a record-breaking 62 home runs in the regular season and racked up 131 RBIs.

Yankees general manager Cashman on Friday gave little away when asked about the possibility of Judge returning next season.

"When you make these commitments on players, you know he's a fan favourite," Cashman said during a press conference.

"He interacts with our fans extremely well. He's respected within that clubhouse, handles his business as good as you possibly can. He's an elite performer – among the game's best, if not the best player. With all that being said, those are the types of players you want to retain and have as long as you possibly can."

Cashman added: "As George Steinbrenner [the former Yankees owner] said, he puts fannies in the seats. People want to go watch that guy play, and you want to put great teams on the field that they want to come here to watch compete and win.

"Certain individual players transcend the team and everything stops when they're at the bat or they have the ball in their hand. He's one of those types of talents."

Cashman, whose future is also unclear after his contract expired, has no issue with Judge biding his time.

"[Judge is] going to dictate the dance steps to his free agency and he has worked extremely hard to earn this position, so we'll see how this plays out," Cashman said. "It can tie you up a little bit along the way, but he's not the only guy that we're needing to deal with.

"He's the most important, but if he came in here today and said, 'Oh, man, I'm signing up, let's go,' there's still a lot of work to be done."

Aaron Boone spoke to Judge in his office after the Yankees missed out on the World Series when they were subjected to a clean sweep by the Houston Astros.

The Yankees boss reiterated that he hopes Judge will be back to lead the team.

He said: "Of course I hope he's back and a Yankee forever. I can't think of a better guy that you want to be leading your team and leading your organisation, and hopefully that all works out.

"But my conversations with him now are just communicating with him through the winter and hoping that it works out. But obviously, that's above me."

Aaron Boone's future as the New York Yankees manager appears assured with owner Hal Steinbenner stating he does not see a need for change.

The Yankees' long wait to reach their first World Series since 2009 extended after their clean sweep ALCS defeat to the Houston Astros concluded their season on Sunday, having gone 99-63 across the regular season.

Boone has been Yankees manager since succeeding Joe Girardi in December 2017, losing twice in the ALCS and twice in the ALDS during his tenure along with a disappointing Wild Card exit last year.

Despite the Yankees' Wild Card exit in 2021, Boone signed a three-year contract in October with the club option for 2025.

"As far as Boone's concerned, we just signed him and for all the same reasons I listed a year ago, I believe he is a very good manager," Steinbrenner told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't see a change there."

The Yankees' 2022 season promised much more, having started 61-23 with Aaron Judge in MVP form before injuries impacted their run home, losing D.J. LeMahieu (toe) and Andrew Benintendi (wrist).

Boone's side went 38-40 to end the regular season after their bright start, before a hard-fought 3-2 ALDS win over the Cleveland Guardians and their sweep defeat to the Astros.

"We didn't get the job done... it's time to get it done," Steinbrenner said. "Any time we don't win a championship, it's a disappointing year.

"We had a lot of good ups, we had some downs, we had some injuries like everybody else."

Judge's future at the Yankees remains a hot topic after his record-breaking 62-homer regular season but Steinbrenner would not be drawn on his status.

The outfielder turned down a seven-year contract prior to the season starting, meaning he is eligible for free agency after the World Series.

"We haven't talked about anything yet," Steinbrenner said. "Cash [general manager Brian Cashman] and I had some preliminary conversions."

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone says being subjected to a clean sweep by the Houston Astros "stings" after they suffered an "awful ending" to their season.

The Astros will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series after beating the Yankees 6-5 to win the American League on Sunday.

Houston remain unbeaten in the MLB postseason, having seen off the Yankees 4-0 to pile the pressure on Boone.

The Yankees were missing DJ LeMahieu due to a toe injury and Andrew Benintendi, who is recovering from wrist surgery.

Boone reflected on a painful conclusion to the campaign and was left to rue the absence of key men.

"It's an awful day, just an awful ending. It stings. It hurts," Boone said. "Obviously we had some key contributors missing that I think would have been difference-makers for us potentially."

Aaron Judge may have played his last game for the Yankees, having turned down a seven-year contract to stay eligible for free agency.

Judge failed to deliver in the postseason, but Boone defended the outfielder.

He said: "It's baseball, man. I mean, it happens all the time where the greatest of greats go through a struggle. It's a game of failure. You’re going to have some ups and downs."

The Astros and the Phillies start the World Series at Minute Maid Park on Friday.

The Houston Astros advanced to their fourth World Series in six years after completing an ALCS sweep of the New York Yankees with a 6-5 victory at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

Alex Bregman delivered the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning before Ryan Pressly closed it out for the Astros, who improved to 7-0 this postseason having already swept the Seattle Mariners.

Houston are only the third team to have swept both the Divisional and Championship Series in MLB history, following the Colorado Rockies (2007) and Kansas City Royals (2014) whom both lost in the World Series. The Astros will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, after they completed a 4-1 NLCS triumph earlier on Sunday.

The Astros rallied from a 3-0 deficit after two innings, with Jeremy Pena's three-run blast over left field leading their four-run third-inning rally.

The Yankees regained their lead with Harrison Bader's two-out solo homer in the sixth inning - his fifth blast of the postseason - only for Houston to rally again with a two-run seventh from Yordan Alvarez's RBI single followed by Bregman's go-ahead RBI, with a shot into right-center field to drive in Pena.

It marked the fourth time the Yankees, who had a 99-win regular season, have been swept in a best-of-seven series in franchise history.

The Astros' pitching staff were pivotal again, as they have been all postseason, with starter Lance McCullers Jr having six strikeouts across five innings, while the bullpen was stingy.

Second baseman Jose Altuve, who had not had a postseason hit until Game 3, re-discovered some touch with two hits and a walk, scoring two runs.

Astros manager Dusty Baker has the chance to end his record of most games managed without winning the World Series.