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MLB

Mets slugger Pete Alonso wins National League Rookie of the Year
Pete Alonso began the 2019 season fighting just to make the New York Mets' Opening Day roster. He ends it as the National League Rookie of the Year after slugging a rookie record 53 home runs, driving in 120 runs and becoming a cult hero for Mets fans for his energy and enthusiasm and one memorable bare-chested postgame interview.

Houston Astros phenom Yordan Alvarez wins AL Rookie of the Year
Across two levels this season, Alvarez hit .324 with a .690 slugging percentage, 50 home runs and 149 RBIs in 143 games. His 1.067 OPS in the majors was the highest ever by a rookie with at least 350 plate appearances. Alvarez's consistency was remarkable: He had an OPS of 1.140 at home and .985 away, 1.083 against righties and 1.038 against lefties, and at least .999 in each of the four months in which he appeared in the majors.

Tampa Bay Rays GM Erik Neander voted MLB Executive of the Year
Tampa Bay was 96-66, the second-most wins in team history, despite a big league-low payroll of $66 million. The Rays beat Oakland in the American League wild-card game, then lost to Houston in a five-game AL Division Series.

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The 2019 World Series
Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals​

2019 MLB Playoffs: Latest news and full postseason coverage


Game 1:
Juan Soto, Nationals top Cole, Astros 5-4 in World Series opener.
A 20-year-old prodigy with a passion for the big moment, Soto homered onto the train tracks high above the left field wall and hit a two-run double as the Nationals tagged Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros 5-4 Tuesday night in the World Series opener.

Game 2:
Stephen Strasburg stars as Nats rout Astros 12-3 for 2-0 Series lead
Making his Series debut Strasburg allowed a tw0-run homer to Alex Bregman in the first before throwing five shutout inning to improve to 4-0 this postseason

Game 3:
Jose Altuve, Astros show up in World Series, win Game 3 in DC 4-1
Springer had two of Houston's four steals, Altuve doubled twice before scoring each time, Zack Greinke repeatedly worked out of trouble, and the Astros made sure they wouldn't go quietly despite looking listless twice at home.

Game 4:
Urquidy, Bregman lead Astros over Nationals 8-1, tie Series 2-2
Unheralded rookie Jose Urqiuidy outpitched all those big-name aces who preceded him. Bregman busted out of his slump with a go-ahead single in the first inning and a gram slam in the seventh.

Game 5:
Cole, powerful Astros hammer Nats 7-1, lead World Series 3-2
Handed the ball for what was supposed to be a high-stakes showdown against Max Scherzer, Cole gave Houston a firm grip on the Series by beating the Nationals 7-1 Sunday night for a 3-2 lead.

Game 6:
Strasburgh, Nationals top Astros 7-2, force World Series Game 7
Seizing the October spotlight he missed out on as a youngster, Strasburgh pitched another postseason gem into the ninth inning.

Game 7:
Nationals rally past Astros in Game 7 to win franchise's first World Series
Kendrick and Rendon homered in the seventh inning as the Nationals overcame a two-run deficit, rocking Houston 6-2 Wednesday night to win the first title in franchise history. The Nationals became the first wild-card team to win the Series since Madison Bumgarner and the Giants in 2014. Starting with San Francisco's win, the past six champs have clinched on the road.


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Mike Shildt edges Craig Counsell as NL Manager of the Year
The St. Louis Cardinals Mike Shildt was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday, despite receiving fewer first-place votes than the Milwaukee Brewers Craig Counsell.

Twins' Rocco Baldelli, 38, named AL Manager of the Year
He narrowly beat out Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees. Both received 13 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed Tuesday night, but Baldelli got more second-place nods.

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Astros' Justin Verlander wins second career AL Cy Young Award
Verlander, 36, became the 20th pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards. He won in 2011 with Detroit after a season for which he also took home AL MVP honors. Since then, he'd been a runner-up three times. The eight years between Cy Young wins is the longest span in the history of the award.

Mets' Jacob deGrom 7th in NL to win 2 straight Cy Youngs
DeGrom, 31, joins Randy Johnson, Tim Linncecum, Clayton Kershaw, Scherzer, Greg Maddux and Sandy Koufax on the list of NL back-to-back winners, and he had to rebound from a slow start to the season to capture his second award.

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Angels' Mike Trout edges Astros' Alex Bregman for AL MVP
At age 28, Trout is a three-time MVP. Barry Bonds, who won seven total and accumulated four of the awards after the age of 35, is the only man with more. Trout set a career high with 45 home runs, capitalizing on a season in which a record number of homers were hit. He led the majors in on-base percentage (.438) and paced the sport in weighted runs created plus (180).

Cody Bellinger 1st Dodger to win NL MVP since Clayton Kershaw in 2014
Bellinger, 24, batted .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs and 15 stolen bases through what became a breakout season in 2019, ultimately becoming the first Dodgers position player to win the MVP since Kirk Gibson in 1988.



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Yasmani Grandal, White Sox agree to four-year, $73M deal
After signing a one-year, $18.25 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, the switch-hitting Grandal posted career highs in homers (28) and RBIs (77) and earned his second All-Star appearance. He walked over 100 times to post a .380 OBP, which ranked first among major league catchers. He also led all catchers in games played (153) and was second in extra-base hits (56), total bases (240) and RBIs.

Yankees release Jacoby Ellsbury, DFA Greg Bird
Ellsbury, who has not played since 2017, was released to clear a 40-man roster spot as the Yankees added seven players to protect them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Bird went on the injured list with a left plantar fascia tear April 16, three days after what turned out to be his final game. He hit .171 in 10 games with one RBI, an Opening Day home run off Baltimore's Paul Fry.
 
Jose Abreu agrees to 3-year, $50 million contract with White Sox
Abreu, who made his third All-Star team in six seasons with the White Sox, led the American League with 123 RBIs in 2019 while batting .284 with 33 home runs. Under the new deal, Abreu will receive a $5 million signing bonus, $11 million in 2020, $16 million in 2021 and $18 million in 2022. Abreu also has a full no-trade clause in 2020 and a limited one in 2021,

Sources: Mariners, Double-A player Evan White agree to 6-year, $24M deal
White, 23, spent all of last season at Double-A with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League. No player at that level has ever received a long-term extension. In three minor league seasons, White has a .296 batting average with 32 home runs and 133 RBIs.

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Way-too-early 2020 Power Rankings: Can Nationals stay on top?
The Washington Nationals are 2019 World Series champions. And what about the Houston Astros, who fell just short in losing Game 7 to the Nats? The Los Angeles Dodgers had a disappointing end to this campaign, but will 2020 finally be the season they end their long title drought?

No.1: Los Angeles Dodgers
No.2: Houston
No.3: New York Yankees
No.4: Atlanta
No.5: Tampay Bay

No.26: Kansas City
No.27: Miami
No.28: Pittsburgh
No.30: Detroit - Baltimore

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Sources: Yankees say Jacoby Ellsbury got unauthorized medical treatment
According to multiple reports, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman sent a letter to Ellsbury and his agent, Scott Boras, informing them that the team had converted his contract to a nonguaranteed deal. Ellsbury, who has not played since 2017 because of myriad injuries, was treated by Dr. Viktor Bouquette of Progressive Medical Center in Atlanta without the team's permission, according to multiple reports.

Cubs acquire pitcher Jharel Cotton in trade with Athletics
Cotton, 27, went 11-10 with a 4.95 ERA in 29 starts for the Athletics over the 2016 and '17 seasons. He had the procedure to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow prior to the 2018 season.

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Rays acquire Brian O'Grady from Reds, cut Jesus Aguilar
O'Grady, 27, spent most of last season with Triple-A Louisville, where he hit .280 with 28 home runs, 77 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He also made his major league debut, hitting .190 with two homers and three RBIs in 28 games over three stints with the Reds.

Padres deal Luis Urias, Eric Lauer to Brewers for Trent Grisham, Zach Davies
Urias, 22, was a consensus top-25 prospect entering the 2019 season and was outstanding at Triple-A El Paso, batting .315 with 19 home runs in 73 games. But he struggled offensively in 71 games with the Padres, batting just .223. Lauer, 24, was 14-17 with a 4.40 ERA in 53 games, 52 starts over two seasons with San Diego. He went 8-10 with a 4.45 ERA last season.

Grisham, 23, also was widely rated as a top-50 prospect entering the 2019 season and was one of the Brewers organization's best minor league hitters, batting .300 with 26 homers and 71 RBIs in 97 combined games at Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A San Antonio. Davies, 26, went 10-7 with a career-best 3.55 ERA in 31 starts last season. He had spent his entire five-year career with the Brewers, going 43-42 with a 3.91 ERA in 111 starts.

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10 players (not named Mookie Betts or Francisco Lindor) who could get traded this winter

The big names involved in trade rumors this offseason are Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor and the entire Cubs lineup, but let's shift away from those players and focus on 10 other veterans -- lesser names, but all good players -- who could be traded between now and opening day. There is a chance that none of them actually will be traded, but there are solid reasons all 10 players should be traded. Let's review the pros and the cons for trading them (with their season age for 2020 included in parentheses).



Jon Gray, Rockies (age 28)
2019 stats: 3.84 ERA, 150 IP, 147 H, 56 BB, 150 SO, 4.5 WAR
Under team control though: 2021

Whit Merrifield, Royals (age 31)
2019 stats: .302/.348/.463, 16 HR, 112 OPS+, 4.0 WAR
Signed through: 2023

Mitch Haniger, Mariners (age 29)
2019 stats: .220/.314/.463, 15 HR, 109 OPS+, 1.4 WAR
Under team control though: 2022


CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

CeeJay/BLACKFOOT
 
Source: Catcher Yan Gomes agrees to 2-year, $10M deal with Nationals
Gomes was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in a four-player trade in November 2018 and started 90 of 93 games he played last season while splitting duties behind the plate with Suzuki. He hit .223 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 43 RBIs while throwing out 30% of attempted base stealers. The 32-year-old has a .245 average with 99 homers and 351 RBIs in seven big league seasons.

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Wilpons negotiating to sell controlling stake in Mets to hedge fund manager
Steve Cohen, a billionaire who owns a small percentage of the New York Mets, is negotiating an agreement to increase his investment, a move that could signal that Fred and Jeff Wilpon's longtime control of the franchise will be over within five years. Sterling Partners, the company that runs the Mets, and Cohen released a statement on Wednesday, confirming the talks. The announcement said that as part of the agreement "Fred Wilpon will remain in the role of the Control Person and CEO for five years and Jeff Wilpon will remain in his role of Chief Operating Officer for the five-year period as well."

In 2013, Cohen's former firm, SAC Capital, pleaded guilty to insider trading charges and paid a record $1.8 billion penalty. Cohen was accused of failing to adequately oversee an employee and was not personally fined. The Wilpons have been majority owners of the team since 2002, when they bought out Nelson Doubleday for $135 million. Wilson and Doubleday had bought the team from former owner Joan Payson in 1980 for $21 million. The Mets have been to the playoffs just three times under the Wilpons, in 2006, 2015 and 2016. They lost to the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series.
 
Mets acquire OF Jake Marisnick in trade with Astros
Marisnick, 28, a smooth-fielding center fielder, wasn't an everyday player for the Astros because of his inconsistency at the plate. He batted .233 with 10 homers and 34 RBIs for the Astros last season in 73 starts. Marisnick is a career .227 hitter, with 54 home runs and 178 RBIs in seven seasons with the Marlins and Astros.

South Korean players Kwang-Hyun Kim and Jae-Hwan Kim made available to MLB teams
Kwang-Hyun Kim was 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 30 starts and one relief appearance last season. He has a 136-77 record with a 3.27 ERA in 12 seasons with the Wyverns. Jae-Hwan Kim hit .283 with 15 homers and 92 RBIs, down from career-bests of 44 homers and 133 RBIs in 2018. He has a .307 average with 144 homers and 507 RBIs in nine years with the Bears.
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Chicago Cubs agree to 1-year contract with reliever Dan Winkler
The 29-year-old right-hander is 8-2 with two saves and a 3.68 ERA in 117 relief appearances over five seasons with Atlanta. He was 3-1 with a 4.98 ERA in 27 outings for the Braves last year before getting traded to San Francisco for pitcher Mark Melancon on July 31. Winkler spent the rest of the season in the minors.

Yankees GM rappels building, gets fan's message on Gerrit Cole
The Yankees have made signing Cole their clear offseason priority and have ownership-level approval to offer him a record-setting deal. Cole was 20-5 with an American League-best 2.50 ERA and a big league-high 326 strikeouts this year for the AL champion Astros. He was originally drafted by the Yankees with the 28th overall pick in 2008, but he declined to sign a contract and opted to attend UCLA.
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Offseason: MLB free agency, trade news and hot stove analysis
The MLB offseason is starting to pick up steam. What's next for big free agents like Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon? Will big names like Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor and Kris Bryant be traded before spring training arrives? And what other surprising blockbusters will have us all talking this winter?

Key upcoming offseason dates
Dec. 8: Hall of Fame's Modern Baseball committee vote announced.
Dec. 9-12: MLB Winter Meetings (San Diego).
Dec. 12: Rule 5 Draft.
Jan. 10, 2020: Players and teams exchange salary arbitration figures.
Feb. 3-21: Arbitration hearings.
Feb. 12: Pitchers and catchers report
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Sources: Stephen Strasburg stays with Nats on $245M deal
The 31-year-old right-hander won two games against the Astros in the World Series, including a pivotal Game 6 on the road in which he became the first pitcher to go at least eight innings in a World Series start since Matt Harvey did so in Game 5 in 2015. The following night, Washington won Game 7 and Strasburg became the first No. 1 overall draft pick to be named World Series MVP.
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