Around the Empire: Yankees news - 12/25/19

New York Post | Mollie Walker: Like Didi Gregorius before him, it was expected that the Yankees would be parting from Dellin Betances after a lack of interest in negotiating with him in free agency. The separation became final on Tuesday when the Mets announced that they had signed Betances to a one-year deal worth $10 million, keeping him in the city where he’s spent his major-league career so far. Losing Betances was expected but still unfortunate, as the reliever was one of the best when he was on point.

New York Daily News | Bradford William Davis: The Yankees bringing in Gerrit Cole automatically made him their number-one starter, but it also spawned a more heated debate. Who has the best pitcher in town, the Yankees or the Mets? Jacob DeGrom is the reigning two-time Cy Young man, but Cole has him edged in some categories. It’s an argument that has its merits on both sides, but until we see them pitching again it will likely go unresolved.

ESPN | Sam Miller: Baseball is a great sport. It’s great for so many reasons, but one of the best things about it is that there are so many stories that get buried only to be uncovered years later for a new generation of fans to enjoy. Sam Miller did his homework on the history of the game, uncovering some surprising stories that include a few familiar faces, like Mickey Mantle’s emotional response to striking out and Hideki Matsui phoning a former coach over in Japan to have him listen to the sound of his swing.