What a catch: Toronto Blue Jays third baseman and 2015 MVP Josh Donaldson has joined Marucci Sports as an official partner, the Baton Rouge-based company has announced. Donaldson, who swings Marucci bats on the field, has chosen Marucci as his on-field glove for the 2018 MLB season. In addition to using Marucci products during games, Donaldson will join fellow partners like Albert Pujols and Andrew McCutchen to advise, test and approve upcoming products before going to market. Donaldson’s signature “Bringer Of Rain” wood bat line is slated to be released later this year.
On sale soon: The federal government will offer 77.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration and development on Aug. 15. The lease sale will include all 14,474 unleased tracts, an Interior Department statement says. Those tracts are in water 3 to 231 miles offshore, at depths ranging from 9 feet to more than 2 miles deep. From 1984 until last year, one sale covered areas off Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and one leased tracts off Texas. Dwindling numbers of bidders prompted consolidation. Read more.
One thing leads to another: China raised import duties on a $3 billion list of U.S. pork, apples and other products today in an escalating dispute with the Trump administration over trade and industrial policy. China President Xi Jinping says the country is responding to a U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum. Beijing is imposing a 25% tariff on U.S. pork and aluminum scrap and 15% on sparkling wine, steel pipe used by oil and gas companies, and an array of fruits and nuts including apples, walnuts and grapes. Read more.
