NEW YORK (AP) — After a season marred by narrow defeats, Jacob deGrom became a runaway winner.The New York Mets ace easily won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, a reward for a historically fruitless season in Flushing. The right-hander had just 10 victories, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter.The AL prize also reflected a change in voters' values, with Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly beating out past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first Cy Young. Snell pitched just 180 2/3 innings, fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter. Over full seasons, Snell is the second starter to win the award with fewer than 200 innings after Clayton Kershaw logged 198 1/3 in 2014."I definitely think the game has changed in that aspect," deGrom said."I feel like it's just turning more into quality of work and what did you accomplish in those innings," Snell said. "I think that's just the way it's going."DeGrom easily beat out Washington's Max Scherzer,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — After a season marred by narrow defeats, Jacob deGrom became a runaway winner.The New York Mets ace easily won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, a reward for a historically fruitless season in Flushing. The right-hander had just 10 victories, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter.The AL prize also reflected a change in voters' values, with Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly beating out past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first Cy Young. Snell pitched just 180 2/3 innings, fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter. Over full seasons, Snell is the second starter to win the award with fewer than 200 innings after Clayton Kershaw logged 198 1/3 in 2014."I definitely think the game has changed in that aspect," deGrom said."I feel like it's just turning more into quality of work and what did you accomplish in those innings," Snell said. "I think that's just the way it's going."DeGrom easily beat out Washington's Max Scherzer,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Cora brought a new voice and culture to the Boston Red Sox that helped propel them to their latest World Series title.The Red Sox rewarded him for bringing home a championship in his first year with the team by giving him a new contract with an additional guaranteed year through the 2021 season.The deal containing the extension was announced Wednesday by Boston also includes a club option for 2022.In his rookie season as a major league manager, Cora guided the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 victories and the team's fourth championship in 15 seasons.He finished second in the AL Manager of the Year voting announced Tuesday."We have consistently been impressed by Alex at every turn," Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said in a statement. "His knowledge of the game, ability to connect with our players, and his incredible instincts and decisiveness led us to an historic championship season. We know we are in good hands and could not be more pleased to know he will be with us... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — After a season marred by narrow defeats, Jacob deGrom became a runaway winner.The New York Mets ace easily won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, a reward for a historically fruitless season in Flushing. The right-hander won just 10 games, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter.DeGrom easily beat out Washington's Max Scherzer, who was seeking a third straight Cy Young and fourth overall. DeGrom got 29 first-place votes and 207 points from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Scherzer had the other first-place vote.Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly beat out past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first AL Cy Young after leading the majors with 21 victories.In his first season after chopping off his distinctive long hair, deGrom cut down hitters from start to finish despite little help from teammates. He had a 1.70 ERA, the lowest in the NL since Zack Greinke's 1.66 mark in 2015. Yet the 30-year-old right-hander... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets has easily won the National League Cy Young Award, and Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays has edged out two past winners for the American League prize.DeGrom won just 10 games, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter. He got 29 first-place votes and 207 points in voting announced Wednesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Washington's Max Scherzer got the other first-place vote and finished second while seeking a third straight Cy Young and fourth overall.Snell narrowly beat Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first AL Cy Young after leading the majors with 21 victories.In his first season after chopping off his distinctive long hair, deGrom cut down hitters from start to finish despite little help from teammates. He had a 1.70 ERA, the lowest in the NL since Zack Greinke's 1.66 mark in 2015. Yet the 30-year-old right-hander went 10-9, eclipsing the low bar among starters set by Seattle's Felix Hernandez when he... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays has won his first AL Cy Young Award in a tight race over past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber.Snell got 17 first-place votes and 169 points in voting announced Wednesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to 13 firsts and 154 points for Verlander. Boston's Chris Sale was third with 59 points.The left-hander nicknamed Snellzilla led the majors with 21 victories, and his 1.89 ERA was tops in the AL. The 25-year-old left-hander pitched just 180 2/3 innings, 33 1/3 fewer than Verlander, but his dominance was enough to sway the electorate.Verlander led the AL with 290 strikeouts while going 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA for AL West champion Houson. This is his third second-place finish since winning the Cy Young and MVP in 2011 with Detroit.Kluber was attempting to win his second straight Cy Young and third overall. He went 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA for AL Central champion Cleveland and led the AL with 215 innings.The NL prize was to be announced later Wednesday.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians traded one of their extra pieces. They're keeping their bigger ones — for now.Cleveland began what could be a busy offseason on Wednesday by dealing versatile infielder Erik Gonzalez to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a five-player swap.The AL Central champions sent the 27-year-old Gonzalez, who appeared in 81 games for the Indians last season, along with minor league right-handers Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza to the Pirates for outfielder Jordan Luplow and infielder Max Moroff.Gonzalez batted .265 with one homer and 16 RBIs last season for Cleveland, which signed the Dominican native in 2009. And while he filled a valuable utility role, he was not going to crack the starting lineup behind All-Stars Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez."That was a tough thing for us," Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "We've had multiple conversations with Erik about it. He's done so many things to impact the organization in his time with us, from... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Flush with cash, the New York Yankees may take a run at Manny Machado.But first, the slugging infielder would have some explaining to do.Arriving in Atlanta for two days of owners meetings at a hotel next to the Braves' SunTrust Park, Hal Steinbrenner discussed the state of a team that has one of baseball's most dynamic young rosters but came up short in the playoffs the last two seasons.The Yankees owner has plenty of money to spend after coming in under the luxury tax threshold last season for the first time since the penalty took effect in 2003. While the top priority is starting pitching, New York is also mentioned as a contender for one of the winter's biggest free-agent prizes.Machado is a dynamic player but comes with plenty of baggage, including the reputation as a dirty player and his admission that he's "not the type of player that's going to be Johnny Hustle " after he jogged out a groundball during the NL Championship Series."Certainly, those comments are troubling,"... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians traded versatile infielder Erik Gonzalez to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a five-player swap.Cleveland sent Gonzalez, who appeared in 81 games for the AL Central champions last season, and right-handers Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza to the Pirates for outfielder Jordan Luplow and infielder Max Moroff.Gonzalez batted .265 with one homer and 16 RBIs last season for Cleveland, which signed the Dominican native in 2009. Gonzalez filled a utility role for the Indians, but was not going to be able to get into the starting lineup behind All-Stars Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.The 25-year-old Luplow brings needed depth to Cleveland's outfield, which was decimated by injuries last season. He appeared in 64 games over the past two seasons with the Pirates, who named him their top minor league player in 2017.Moroff has split the last three seasons between Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, appearing in 26 games for the Pirates in 2018.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Bob Melvin's job was a lot different as a rookie manager with Seattle in 2002, and even when he was voted Manager of the Year with Arizona in 2007 and Oakland in 2012."Organizations and certainly front offices are more a part of it now, and you have to understand that," Melvin said Tuesday after winning his third manager award.Melvin won the American League honor after leading the Athletics to the playoffs despite the lowest opening-day payroll in the major leagues.Atlanta's Brian Snitker won the National League award following a surprising first-place finish, a reward for a 63-year-old baseball lifer who has spent 42 seasons with the Braves. He thought back to how he returned to the minor leagues in 1986, 1991 and 2004 after stints on the staff of the big league Braves."Hey, I've been recycled three times from the major leagues as a coach," he said. "Everything that I've been through I think has prepared me better to understand what these guys go through and what this job... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Oakland's Bob Melvin was voted Manager of the Year for the third time, winning the American League honor Tuesday after leading the Athletics to the playoffs despite the lowest opening-day payroll in the major leagues.Atlanta's Brian Snitker won the National League award following the Braves' surprising first-place finish.Melvin received 18 first-place votes, 19 seconds and one third for 121 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He is the eighth manager to win three or more times and is one shy of the record shared by Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa. Melvin won with Oakland in 2012 and took the NL honor with Arizona in 2007.His A's went 97-65 — a 22-win improvement over 2017 — even with a $68.6 million payroll when the season began. They overcame a 34-36 start to go a big league-best from June 16 on, even though Jharel Cotton, A.J. Puk, Sean Manaea, Brett Anderson and several other starting pitchers got hurt. They lost to the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright has had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for an injury that kept him out of the World Series.The team says Dr. Riley Williams operated Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Williams also performed a debridement to remove damaged tissue.Wright was removed from the Division Series roster following the opener against the New York Yankees, a day after reinjuring his left knee during a workout.An All-Star in 2016, Wright started the 2018 season late following recovery from left knee surgery and a 15-game domestic violence suspension. The 34-year-old right-hander made four starts and six relief appearances, went back on the disabled list in late June because of the knee, then returned in September.Wright went 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA in four starts and 16 relief appearances.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. woke up in Japan to news he had been named National League Rookie of the Year.Acuna was a runaway choice for the award over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds."I'm just flattered, I'm so honored," Acuna said through a translator. "My career is just starting. There are so many things I need to do to be a better player. I'll take advice from anyone who will help me improve."Acuna received 27 first-place votes and three seconds for 144 points. Soto got two firsts and 89 points, and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler was next with one first and 28 points.Both Acuna and Soto are in Japan with a major league All-Star team.Acuna started the season at Triple-A and made his debut on April 25, the youngest player in the majors then at 20 years, 128 days at the time. The Venezuelan hit .293 with 26 homers, 64 RBIs and 16 steals with a .917 OPS. He set a Braves record with eight leadoff homers... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was rewarded for a Ruthian season at the plate — and on the mound.Baseball's best two-way player since the Babe at the dawn of the live-ball era a century ago, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year on Monday despite an elbow injury that stymied his switch from Japan to the major leagues and likely will prevent him from pitching next year."I was just kind of disappointed I wasn't able to play a full season," he said through a translator. "I feel like every player should be able to play a full year and help out the team. So that's something I need to work on, and that's going to be one of my goals, to stay healthy for a long full season and be able to the team win from day one."Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway choice for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A singular sensation who earned a chorus of praise for his dual success, Ohtani became the first player... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was rewarded for a Ruthian season at the plate — and on the mound.Baseball's best two-way player since the Babe at the dawn of the live-ball era a century ago, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year on Monday despite an elbow injury that stymied his switch from Japan to the major leagues and likely will prevent him from pitching next year."I was just kind of disappointed I wasn't able to play a full season," he said through a translator. "I feel like every player should be able to play a full year and help out the team. So that's something I need to work on, and that's going to be one of my goals, to stay healthy for a long full season and be able to the team win from day one."Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway choice for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A singular sensation who earned a chorus of praise for his dual success, Ohtani became the first player... [More]

New York Mets minor leaguer Tim Tebow has another offseason job.The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback will host "Million Dollar Mile," a 10-episode high-stakes physical competition show on CBS.Contestants will have a chance to win $1 million every time they run the Million Dollar Mile. In their way stands a challenging course and a group of elite athletes who are out to stop the contestants from winning the money at all cost.Tebow says watching people compete at their highest ability is inspirational to him.He currently serves as a college football analyst for ESPN.Tebow will start next baseball season with Triple-A Syracuse. He hit .273 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 84 games this year for Double-A Binghamton. His season was cut short by a broken bone in his hand.Los Angeles Chargers play-by-play announcer Matt Smith and ESPN reporter Maria Taylor will serve as commentators.The series announced Monday is being produced in Los Angeles. No debut date was announced. Among the producers is Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his partner Maverick Carter of SpringHill Entertainment.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Yes, the narrative of Joe Mauer's career was missing a championship chapter. That plotline stalled for a few years while the star was set back by injuries.Still, this story of the Minnesota native with the smooth left-handed swing who played for the Twins the entire time sure was made for a movie.Six weeks after Mauer symbolically donned his catcher's gear for one last crouch behind the plate in the final inning of the season , Mauer formalized his goodbye to the game at a tear-filled-yet-cheerful news conference to wrap up a 15-year major league career at age 35."I've been fortunate enough to have the personal accolades, and I really do believe that's a byproduct of how the team does, and those things just come along with it," Mauer said. "But I'd want to be known as a great teammate, a great person, and a guy who gave it everything he had."Even the closing credits were memorable.Mauer carefully flipped through a stack of note cards over a 15-minute thank-you on Monday... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was a singular sensation in voting for AL Rookie of the Year.A standout on the mound and at the plate for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth a century ago with 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season.Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway pick for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A 24-year-old right-hander who joined the Angels last winter after five seasons with Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani received 25 first-place votes and four seconds for 137 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Monday.A pair of New York Yankees infielders followed. Miguel Andujar was second with five firsts and 89 points, and Gleyber Torres was next with 25 points.Ohtani was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts,... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Starter Dallas Keuchel has declined the one-year qualifying offer the Houston Astros offered him.Keuchel could still sign with the Astros, but if he signs with another team before next year's draft the Astros will receive a compensation draft pick in the 2019 draft.Monday was the deadline for players who received qualifying offers to accept or decline them.Keuchel, the 2015 American League Cy Young winner, was drafted by the Astros in 2009 and has spent his entire career in Houston.He went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA in an AL-leading 34 starts last season and is 76-63 with a 3.66 ERA in 192 games in his career.The 30-year-old left-hander's best season came the year he won the Cy Young when he won a career-high 20 games with a career-low 2.48 ERA in 33 starts.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was a singular sensation in voting for AL Rookie of the Year.A standout on the mound and at the plate for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth a century ago with 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season.Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway pick for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A 24-year-old right-hander who joined the Angels last winter after five seasons with Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani received 25 first-place votes and four seconds for 137 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Monday.A pair of New York Yankees infielders followed. Miguel Andujar was second with five firsts and 89 points, and Gleyber Torres was next with 25 points.Ohtani was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts,... [More]