Yankees sign former Orioles first baseman Mark ReynoldsIt had to the Yankees, didn’t it?

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that former Orioles hero Mark Reynolds, known around Baltimore as “The Sheriff” by people who enjoy bad nicknames, has signed with the New York Yankees. The 30 year old slugger was released by the Indians after hitting .207/.315/.373 in 384 plate appearances this season. Reynolds hit .098/.233/.098 in 60 plate appearances in July.

After being non-tendered by Baltimore last offseason, Reynolds signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cleveland Indians. Despite his power potential, the O’s moved on allowing Chris Davis to play full-time at first base and eliminating their strikeout leader.

When Reynolds hit the free agent market on Monday, I thought the Birds would bring him back to Baltimore on the cheap. The O’s could use a right handed bat in their lineup and their designated hitters have hit .212/.267/.394 this season, 22nd in the league.

As Patrick Guthrie pointed out on this week’s BSR Podcast, the Yankees have begun to heat up with the help of quality pitching from Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova. Now they’ll add a guy who crushed seven homers in 15 games against them last season.

The O’s play the Yankees seven more times this season, including a four game set in Yankee Stadium.