Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he tried to obtain pitcher Jack Flaherty from Detroit ahead of the trade deadline but backed away from some front-line players who were available “only if an astronomical price was met that maybe exceeded their values by a lot.”

Cashman expressed confidence in New York closer Clay Holmes and said the roles of Anthony Rizzo and Jasson Domínguez were unclear following injuries.

New York’s moves ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline were to acquire Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has provided an injection of offense and energy, and right-handed relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos.

New York lost 23 of 33 games before a five-game winning streak and headed home from a three-game sweep of Philadelphia with a 65-45 record, a half-game behind AL East-leading Baltimore (65-44).

Cashman confirmed he spoke with the Tigers about Flaherty, who was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He would not directly address a report by The Athletic that the Yankees backed away from a trade over medical concerns.

“I would have brought Jack Flaherty in if I could have matched up, and I had difficulty matching up and that was the reason I don’t have him,” Cashman said. “I tried to import him and I had trouble matching up on the values.”

Braves launch Hank Aaron week

The Atlanta Braves launched Hank Aaron Week on Wednesday when the U.S. Postal Service dedicated a commemorative forever stamp honoring Aaron during a ceremony at Truist Park.

The stamp was announced on April 8, the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run.

On April 8, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred helped honor Aaron in Atlanta by joining the Braves in announcing a $100,000 endowment of a scholarship at Tuskegee University, a historically Black university in Aaron’s home state of Alabama.

The 2024 Hank Aaron Invitational Showcase will be played at Truist Park on Saturday. The game will feature 44 athletes from diverse backgrounds who competed during the two-week Hank Aaron Invitational series held at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida.

Aaron’s 715th home run topped the record 714 hit by Babe Ruth in a career from 1914-35. Aaron hit 755 home runs from 1954-76, a mark that stood until Barry Bonds hit 762 from 1986-2007, a feat assisted by performance-enhancing drugs.

Aaron was elected to the hall in 1982. A 25-time All-Star, he set a record with 2,297 RBIs. He also continues to hold the records of 1,477 extra-base hits and 6,856 total bases.

Holliday hits slam in first game back

A day after the trade deadline, the Baltimore Orioles made another big addition.

And boy did he deliver.

Jackson Holliday connected for a fifth-inning grand slam for his first major league home run after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday for his second shot at the major leagues. Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, made his big league debut earlier this season, but went 2 for 34 at the plate with 18 strikeouts and was sent back down.

After grounding out his first two times up, Holliday hit a 439-foot drive to right field that was so obviously gone he paused a bit before starting his trot. Holliday then took a bit of a curtain call, waving to the crowd from the dugout.

The Orioles went on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-4 in Baltimore.

“As best as I can hit a ball,” Holliday said. “That’s about all I got.”

It was plenty. Holliday’s hit was the seventh homer this season to reach Eutaw Street in front of the warehouse at Camden Yards. He became the third Orioles player — and first since Fritz Connally in 1985 — to hit a grand slam for his first major league homer.

The 20-year-old Holliday is also the youngest Oriole to hit a grand slam.

Orioles lose Westburg to broken hand

Baltimore lost All-Star third baseman Jordan Westburg to a broken right hand Wednesday after he was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning.

Manager Brandon Hyde said he hopes Westburg can be back by the end of the regular season but wasn’t able to give a sense of how likely that is. The 25-year-old Westburg, who made his big league debut last year, is batting .269 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs.

“They just X-rayed it,” Hyde said after Baltimore’s 10-4 victory over Toronto. “How it heals and those type of things is way beyond my expertise.”

Ramón Urías also plays third base for Baltimore, but the Orioles have a top corner infield prospect at Triple-A Norfolk right now. Coby Mayo has hit 20 home runs in 75 games for Norfolk this year, with an OPS of .944.