The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

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Wildcard Series Recap

Baltimore @ Kansas City

Game 1: Baltimore 4, Kansas City 5
Game 2: Baltimore 9, Kansas City 5
Game 3: Baltimore 5, Kansas City 7

MVP: Hunter Renfroe, Kansas City

Boston @ Texas

Game 1: Boston 3, Texas 4
Game 2: Boston 4, Texas 3 (F/11)
Game 3: Boston 4, Texas 0

MVP: Marcelo Mayer, Boston

Cincinnati @ Arizona

Game 1: Cincinnati 3, Arizona 2
Game 2: Cincinnati 0, Arizona 3
Game 3: Cincinnati 1, Arizona 7

MVP: Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona

Los Angeles @ New York

Game 1: LA Dodgers 9, NY Mets 10 (F/13)
Game 2: LA Dodgers 0, NY Mets 5

MVP: Brandon Nimmo, NY Mets

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ALDS/NLDS Recap

Cleveland vs Kansas City

Game 1: Kansas City 4, Cleveland 1
Game 2: Kansas City 1, Cleveland 12
Game 3: Cleveland 5, Kansas City 7
Game 4: Cleveland 6, Kansas City 4
Game 5: Kansas City 1, Cleveland 7

MVP: Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland

Milwaukee vs Arizona

Game 1: Arizona 2, Milwaukee 4
Game 2: Arizona 11, Milwaukee 12 (F/12)
Game 3: Milwaukee 0, Arizona 8
Game 4: Milwaukee 9, Arizona 2

MVP: Willy Adames, Milwaukee

Atlanta vs NY Mets

Game 1: NY Mets 2, Atlanta 5
Game 2: NY Mets 10, Atlanta 2
Game 3: Atlanta 1, NY Mets 3
Game 4: Atlanta 7, NY Mets 9

MVP: Mark Vientos, NY Mets

Toronto vs Boston

Game 1: Boston 9, Toronto 3
Game 2: Boston 2, Toronto 6
Game 3: Toronto 4, Boston 5
[b]Game 4:[b/] Toronto 3, Boston 5

MVP: Reese McGuire, Boston

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Championship Series Recap

Cleveland vs Boston

Game 1: Boston 0, Cleveland 1
Game 2: Boston 2, Cleveland 7
Game 3: Cleveland 2, Boston 12
Game 4: Cleveland 2, Boston 3
Game 5: Cleveland 0, Boston 6
Game 6: Boston 0, Cleveland 5
Game 7: Boston 5, Cleveland 6 (F/11)

MVP: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland

Milwaukee vs Arizona

Game 1: NY Mets 3, Milwaukee 6
Game 2: NY Mets 6, Milwaukee 8
Game 3: Milwaukee 1, NY Mets 4
Game 4: Milwaukee 3, NY Mets 6
Game 5: Milwaukee 0, NY Mets 4
Game 6: NY Mets 6, Milwaukee 2

MVP: Pete Alonso, NY Mets

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World Series Recap

Cleveland vs NY Mets

Game 1: NY Mets 11, Cleveland 4
Game 2: NY Mets 5, Cleveland 4
Game 3: Cleveland 1, NY Mets 7
Game 4: Cleveland 5, NY Mets 0
Game 5: Cleveland 3, NY Mets 2
Game 6: NY Mets 4, Cleveland 5 (F/10)
Game 7: NY Mets 6, Cleveland 5 (F/10)

MVP: Mark Vientos, NY Mets

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The Mets Are 2024 World Series Champions (11/01)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Mets celebrate third World Series title in team history

By MLB.com staff
11/01/2024

A MET-TASTIC FINISH IN FLUSHING
For the first time since 1986; and the third time in team history, the Mets have hoisted the World Series trophy as the last team standing at season's end. It was a memorable week-plus for Mark Vientos, who followed up being voted MVP of the NLDS against the Dodgers to winning World Series MVP. He went 9-for-25 (.360), hitting three homeruns and a double along the way. He also walked three times and scored eight runs.

His 4-for-4 performance in their 11-4 Game 1 victory marked a first in Mets lore, with Vientos becoming the first player in team history with four hits and four runs scored in their first World Series game. He was a triple short of the cycle in that contest.

"It's the cherry on top of the sundae," Vientos said on the field after the game when he was awarded with the MVP. "There's twenty-five other guys in the dugout that also help make this possible, so it also goes out to them."

Back to Game 7, Francisco Lindor's two-out single off Hunter Gaddis in the top of the 10th to score Francisco Alvarez proved to be the game-winner, as reliever Drew Smith worked around a two-out double from Kevin Kiermaier to bring the season to a dramatic close with the game-tying run 180 feet from home.

For Kiermaier, 34, it's the last time he'll set foot on an MLB diamond, as he had announced earlier in the season that this would be his last MLB season. He was asked after the game if getting so close to winning his first World Series ring would make him re-consider retiring, but flatly said 'no' with little further comment other than to say, "when you know, you know".

For the first three games, it looked like the Mets were going to get the first World Series sweep since 2012, when San Francisco rolled through Detroit in four games for their second of three titles in the early-to-mid 2010's. But Cleveland's Andres Gimenez hit a 432-foot homerun in the first inning of Game 4; and Triston McKenzie pitched the first World Series shutout since October 26th, 2014, blanking the Mets on four hits, striking out five with just one walk.

The pitcher that pitched a shutout on that day? Madison Bumgarner against the Kansas City Royals in Game 5 of the 2014 Fall Classic. He would go on to pitch just three days later, winning Game 7 with four innings of shutout relief.

In Game 5, Cleveland took a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning, and held on for a 3-2 victory with Emmanuel Clase picking up a two-inning save to send the series back to Flushing for the sixth game, where the Guardians forced the decisive Game 7 with another heroic hit from Gimenez, this time a walk-off single to score Kyle Manzardo with two outs in the bottom of the 10th.

"I had a ton of fun this season," said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt. "We won a heck of a lot of games, 102 of them to be exact, and we came within 180 feet of maybe making this a different result. I took this job thinking we would be competitive this season, but didn't have any idea that it would ever get to this point. We had a great group of guys and tremendous leadership, and I'm already pumped for next season."

Both teams have some critical choices to make heading into 2025 -- For the Guardians, they have a real tough decision to make on Shane Bieber, who went down after just two starts this season with an elbow injury, and will enter free agency later this month. They also have other key players such as Josh Naylor who are entering their final year of arbitration, and decisions to extend key free-agents-to-be such as Carlos Estevez and outfielder Victor Robles, both acquired via trade prior to the deadline.

New York also still has the albatross on the table of working out an extension with Pete Alonso, but there hasn't been a lot of movement on that front recently after talks were pretty hot prior to the season starting. They'll also have a number of other notable players set to hit the market, including four starting pitchers in Sean Manaea, Nick Martinez, Jose Quintana, and Luis Severino. Ace Kodai Senga is the only starting pitcher for the Mets that is under contract for 2025.

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Royals News (11/02)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Wacha opts out; Renfroe, Stratton exercise player options

By artoodeetoo
11/03/2024

TOP STORIES
Wacha to test free agency: Right-hander Michael Wacha, as expected, has declined his $16 million player option and will file for free agency near the end of the month. That also opens up the possibility that the qualifying offer will come into play, which stands at $21.05 million for the 2025 season.

Wacha is reportedly looking for at least a three-year deal per sources close to him; but a $21 million payday, even if for just one year, would represent a 33% raise over this past season and would not significantly delay his next chance at a long-term contract.

The Royals only have two more days to make such an offer to Wacha. It could be a worthwhile risk for Kansas City -- if it's declined, the Royals stand to obtain an extra draft selection after Competitive Balance Round B, plus the Royals will almost assuredly pick up yet another selection in either the Comp A or Comp B rounds in addition to a potential PPI selection for Bobby Witt Jr., who has been in the top four in AL MVP odds for nearly the entire season.

Wacha has also been open to staying in Kansas City, so the Royals could decide to jump in and ensure he doesn't hit free agency as the Royals still technically hold his rights through the 25th when free agency officially opens, even though the option was declined.

As it stands for 2025, the Royals only have $56 million in guarantees to five players currently, and that includes the accepted player options by reliever Chris Stratton and Hunter Renfroe that total $11 million. In addition, the dozen players up for arbitration have a combined projected salary of $33.5 million, raising the potential payroll to just a hair under $90 million if all of those projections are met.

The final nine spots -- we'll say six since we expect there to be some roster turnover -- will be league-minimum players that come out to about $4.5 million, putting the Royals at close to $95 million. Even if the Royals don't go above last year's Opening Day payroll of $110 million, that's a $15 million cushion to try and improve the ball club with those three extra spots. The Royals could really use an impact power bat, a starter, and some additional bullpen depth (although not necessarily in that order).

The Royals' payroll reached $120 million at its peak during the season; and there's no reason to expect that it won't be at least that in 2025, although it may not initially start that way. John Sherman didn't give an exact number, but said in the team's postseason press conference that the flexibility will be there as it was in July of this season.

Kansas City prospects return from Arizona Fall League: The Arizona Fall League's regular season wrapped up earlier this week, with the Surprise Saguaros falling short of making the league's championship game; finishing fourth with a 15-17 record, six games back of second place.

All seven Royals farmhands played for Surprise, with mixed results. While the pitching didn't fare well, the position player contingent that represented the Royals showed out quite nicely.

Infielder Peyton Wilson was second in the league in batting average (.338), including six doubles, a triple, and three homeruns. He also drew more walks (23) than strikeouts (22). Outfielder Gavin Cross led the AFL in RBI (24), and also smacked four homeruns with ten steals. Cross' slash line was an impressive .294/.407/.480 in 123 plate appearances, which should rebuild some of his lost stock from the last few years due to injuries and illness.

Catcher Carter Jensen also looked solid in his AFL debut season, posting a .253 average, which is a better average than he put up during either of the last two seasons. He wasn't as prolific with the walks, but still drew fifteen free passes in just 114 plate appearances, hitting three homeruns, a triple, and four doubles.

Two other position players also went down to Arizona, but didn't find a lot of playing time. Backup catcher Kale Emshoff played in just four games with three starts as a DH, going 3-for-8 at the plate. Infielder Trevor Werner was a pinch-hitter in two contests, going 0-for-1 with a walk and a strikeout.

Only two pitchers made the trek, with right-hander Jacob Wallace and lefty Cooper McKeehan struggling to find much footing. The latter did go 4-0, but pitched to a sub-par 5.79 ERA with more walks (11) than strikeouts (9) in fourteen innings of work over thirteen appearances. Wallace wasn't a lot better, with a 4.82 ERA and a whopping twenty walks over 18 2/3 innings of work over a dozen appearances. He didn't factor into any of the decisions, going 0-0.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Bobby Witt Jr named one of five finalists for AL MVP; winners to be announced Nov. 11th
Royals activate Vinnie Pasquantino; re-instated to the 40-man roster
Bobby Witt Jr named finalist for AL Gold Glove at shortstop; no other finalists from the Royals

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MLB News -- Option Decisions (11/03)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Big names set to hit the market after options period

By MLB.com staff
11/03/2024

Snell, Kim, Chapman among notable opt-outs: Yesterday, November 2nd marked the last day that options could be exercised or declined. Largely, team and player options are declined year-over-year, but there were some notable opt-ins, with pitchers Gerrit Cole and Robbie Ray, along with Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger, opting in to the remainder of their hefty contracts.

Others, such as Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe, Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger, and Reds pitcher Emilio Pagan executed their player options for 2025, locking in their contracts for next season; but will be free agents the following off-season.

However, there were some eye-opening opt-outs, with Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and Padres infielder Ha-seong Kim among the notables. Blake Snell also declined his 2025 option that would have been worth $30 million, adding some additional spice to the free agent market.

The corner infield and outfield free agent markets also expanded quite a bit, with Arizona's Joc Pederson and Minnesota's Manny Margot opting out of their contracts, along with infielders Yoan Moncada and Eugenio Suarez having their options declined by their respective clubs.

"These decisions took the free agent class from merely a solid one to a potentially great one," said MLB Network analyst and former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. "The starting pitching market is awash with high-profile guys, Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, Clayton Kershaw, Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, the list goes on and on. That's not to mention that Juan Soto is still out there, un-extended by the Yankees, and others like Teoscar Hernandez, Matt Chapman, Anthony Santander. It's crazy how deep this free agent class is."

Whether or not Soto is extended by New York, he will be the market-setter of this class. At just twenty-six years and 31 days at the time of free agency opening, he'll be the youngest to ever reach that level in league history. He's also one of the four or five best players in the game; including his teammate Aaron Judge, who still put up big numbers in an injury-shortened 2024 campaign.

That also doesn't mean that all of these guys will sign elsewhere -- in fact, at least several would-be free agents end up re-signing with their current club most every offseason. In fact, it's been reported that third baseman Alex Bregman is close to a deal with the Astros, but nothing has been finalized as of this piece.

A full listing of the option decisions are below.

KEY:

E denotes exercised
V denotes voided
V/T denotes mutual voided by team
V/P denotes mutual voided by player
V/B denotes mutual voided by both
Player Opt-In denotes will honor current contract going forward
Player Opt-Out denotes will seek free agency

AL EAST

Baltimore: LHP Danny Coulombe (Team -- E), RHP Craig Kimbrel (Team -- V), RHP Keynan Middleton (Team -- V), 1B Ryan O'Hearn (Team -- E), LHP Cionel Perez (Team -- E)
Boston: 2B Jorge Polanco (Team -- V)
New York: Gerrit Cole (Player Opt-In), 1B Anthony Rizzo (Team -- V), RHP Lou Trivino (Team -- V)
Tampa Bay: RHP Chris Devenski (Team -- V), RHP Phil Maton (Team -- V)
Toronto: None

AL CENTRAL

Chicago: 3B Yoan Moncada (Team -- V)
Cleveland: None
Detroit: LHP Andrew Chafin (Team -- V), RHP Shelby Miller (Team -- V), RHP Casey Mize (Team -- E)
Kansas City: OF Hunter Renfroe (Player -- E), RHP Chris Stratton (Player -- E), RHP Michael Wacha (Player -- V)
Minnesota: RHP Jorge Alcala (Team -- V), RHP Jay Jackson (Team -- V), OF Manuel Margot (Player Opt-Out)

AL WEST

Houston: RHP Ryan Pressly (Mutual -- V/T), RHP Justin Verlander (Team -- V)
Los Angeles: None
Oakland: None
Seattle: OF Mitch Haniger (Player -- E)
Texas: None

NL EAST

Atlanta: RHP John Brebbia (Mutual -- V/T), C Travis d'Arnaud (Team -- E), OF Marcell Ozuna (Team -- E), RHP Hector Neris (Team -- V)
Miami: None
New York: LHP Jake Diekman (Mutual -- V/T), LHP Sean Manaea (Player Opt-Out), RHP Nick Martinez (Player -- V)
Philadelphia: RHP Seranthony Dominguez (Team -- V), IF Whit Merrifield (Team -- V)
Washington: None

NL CENTRAL

Chicago: OF Cody Bellinger (Player Opt-In), LHP Drew Smyly (Mutual -- V/T)
Cincinnati: C Luke Maile (Team -- V), RHP Frankie Montas (Team -- V), RHP Emilio Pagan (Player -- E)
Milwaukee: RHP Devin Williams (Team -- E)
Pittsburgh: LHP Marco Gonzales (Team -- V)
St. Louis: RHP Kyle Gibson (Team -- V), RHP Lance Lynn (Team -- V)

NL WEST

Arizona: RHP Merrill Kelly (Team -- V), RHP Scott McGough (Mutual -- V/T), LHP Jordan Montgomery (Player -- V), OF Joc Pederson (Player Opt-Out), 3B Eugenio Suarez (Team -- V)
Colorado: C Jacob Stallings (Mutual -- V/T)
Los Angeles: IF Miguel Rojas (Team -- V)
San Diego: IF Ha-seong Kim (Player Opt-Out), LHP Wandy Peralta (Player Opt-In)
San Francisco: 3B Matt Chapman (Player Opt-Out), IF Wilmer Flores (Player -- V), RHP Luke Jackson (Team -- V), LHP Robbie Ray (Player Opt-In), LHP Blake Snell (Player -- V)

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Royals Mailbag (11/04)

ROYALS MAILBAG VOL. 1, ED. 7
Coaching staff musings; biggest offseason need

By artoodeetoo
11/04/2024

The 2024 season is now officially in the books, but (in my opinion) the most fun time of the year is now here -- the Hot Stove! While free agency doesn't kick off until the 25th, there's still a lot going on with arbitration and then the Winter Meetings in mid-December. In the meantime, we've answered some questions from some readers to tide you over until then, mainly about the offseason.

JJ Picollo has said that the Royals biggest needs are outfield help and a leadoff hitter, rotation help, and bullpen depth. Which is the most important?

They have to get another bat, first and foremost. I don't know if you can rely on Vinnie Pasquantino to stay healthy an entire season at this point, and we don't know when the cliff is coming for Salvador Perez as he's managed to stave off Father Time so far. Most importantly, the organization needs to show Bobby Witt Jr that there is a prolonged commitment to winning, or he's going to bolt/demand a trade at the first chance he can get.

I know they keep saying outfield bat, outfield bat, but even with the emergence of CJ Alexander there, third base is still a place where they can get better offensively. In short, I think much of Alexander's success was being unknown to the league (and a crazy-high BABIP). They never had a shot of getting Alex Bregman, as it appears he's going to re-sign with Houston soon, and I'd be surprised if they're in the market for Matt Chapman.

Yoan Moncada and Eugenio Suarez are intriguing options, along with the defending AL batting champion Gio Urshela. Urshela is a contact-heavy third baseman who plays good defense, but they have that already in Maikel Garcia. Suarez has remarkably tight platoon splits (108 OPS+ vs RHP, 107 OPS+ vs LHP), and still plays excellent defense at third base going into his age-33 season next year. He'd be a perfect one or two-year bridge to someone like Cayden Wallace, or even Austin Charles if he continues to hit in the lower minors.

Moncada has more pronounced platoon splits as he had a .776 OPS against righties as compared to a .607 mark against southpaws, but is three years younger than Suarez and posted a higher total OPS+ this past season than even Chapman did (102 to 95). Moncada also plays excellent defense at third, posting a +5 DRS and +3.3 ZR.

As far as the pitching, I'd look to bolster the bullpen first. Michael Wacha declining his option means they'll be in the market for a starting pitcher, but I don't think it's a hugely pressing need with Kyle Wright slated to be 100% in time for the spring, and Seth Lugo set to return some time in July. They also have other internal options with Anthony Veneziano, Alec Marsh, Daniel Lynch IV, Kris Bubic, and Edward Cabrera, so unless the Royals can nab another B-tier starting pitcher at a decent price, or find a trade partner, they should look to fortify the bullpen as a priority.

Any coaching staff turnover expected?

No, but the firing of Atlanta hitting coach Kevin Seitzer is interesting. At least the timing is. Seitzer is one of the most beloved players in team history, and has already been a hitting coach in Kansas City for a period of time. I really, really like what Alec Zumwalt has done for the overall organizational hitting program, but...I do wonder if Seitzer, who still has an excellent reputation around the league and within the Royals organization, would be interested in the hitting coach job.

It would allow Zumwalt to go back to overseeing the program full-time, instead of piece-mealing out his duties between the big-league club and the minors. Now, Keoni DeRenne and Mike Tosar are solid assistants, and could do just as well in the main hitting coach role, but Seitzer has been credited with unlocking the potential of some of the league's biggest stars today, such as Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, and Ronald Acuna Jr.

Besides that, there hasn't been a lot of talk about any other Royals staffers besides perhaps Paul Hoover, who has been mentioned on the periphery of the open Milwaukee and Miami managerial jobs. Brian Sweeney is also someone that could be mentioned, but it appears unlikely (at least for this offseason) that there will be any movement in the major league staff, which is good for a young club.

Is there a market for Freddy Fermin? He could start for a lot of teams.

He absolutely could, and in fact, teams have reportedly been in contact with the Royals since June about him, so there were potential trade talks even prior to the deadline. I know Miami has been looking for an upgrade behind the dish for years, and was the most likely destination for Salvador Perez before the news broke earlier this season that the Rangers and Royals had a deal worked out prior to the 2023 deadline before Perez invoked his 10/5 rights and nixed it after a conversation with Quatraro and GM JJ Picollo. In hindsight, it might not have been the right move for Perez as the Rangers went on to win the World Series, but was back in the playoffs with Kansas City just last month.

I love Fermin and what he brings, but late-blooming catchers like him are rare, and don't typically keep up this level of production offensively as they enter their 30's. Yermin Mercedes is a recent example of a guy who looked like a diamond-in-the-rough for the White Sox in that 2021 season, but had a poor 2022 season and retired after the 2023 season after not finding any takers. An example of a recent-ish player who was productive offensively as a late-blooming catcher into his 30's is Carlos Ruiz, but again, that's an exception rather than the rule.

With his excellent defense, Fermin should get some decent interest regardless, but I'm less interested in that over if he can continue to put up .800+ OPS seasons, which doesn't seem likely. I doubt the Royals trade him because he's a productive backup catcher making the league minimum, but those reasons are also actually the biggest argument for dealing him away, as he has four more years of club control through 2029 and is coming off his best season as a pro.

Who is the next candidate to get an extension?

I'd love for it to be Cole Ragans. Before this season, I'd say it would have been Brady Singer, but that ship has sailed. He's out of Kansas City on the first boat he can get on. I don't want to say there's hard feelings about getting demoted for a brief period last season, but the Royals bought themselves another cheap-ish year of Singer with that move in 2023 and I think it irritated Singer's representation a wee bit.

There's always going to be a injury risk with Ragans, but that's the cost of doing business right now. He's under team control through 2028, so I'd like to see something in the five or six-year range with an option to get out of the contract at some point in the middle of it, perhaps when he surpasses six years of service time. The Royals got pretty creative with the BWJ extension, and I'd expect nothing less from this front office when it comes to a potential extension for Ragans.

Honorable mention -- Vinnie Pasquantino. His injury history could reduce the cost to the Royals, and in the long run could end up being a boon if he stays relatively healthy and can play most every day as the DH with a little first base mixed in.

Who is primed to jump to the majors and make an impact on the 2025 club?

On the pitching side, I like both Mason Barnett and Noah Cameron. Barnett began last season with Double-A NW Arkansas, and got off to a horrific start before settling in and going 6-4 with a 4.28 ERA in eighteen starts with the Naturals. He was then promoted to Triple-A, and made his final ten starts with the Storm Chasers. He walked twenty-eight in 47 innings of work, but still struck out forty-five hitters and allowed just seven homeruns.

Cameron should begin 2025 with the Storm Chasers after a brilliant season with Double-A. His ERA was a bit high at 4.47, over 112 innings (twenty-five starts), but fanned 133 hitters against just thirty-six walks. The issue? Homeruns, twenty-three of them to be exact, which ballooned his ERA. His FIP of 4.48 was almost exactly in line with his actual number, but a SIERA of 2.89 thanks to a 52% groundball rate. It also didn't help that the Texas League is notoriously hitter-friendly.

I've also mentioned this name in the past, but I've been beating the Cam Devanney drum for the better part of the season. He didn't have quite the power output as in previous seasons, but still hit a dozen homeruns with a career-high thirty-two doubles in Triple-A, playing an above-average third base with a few starts at second and shortstop sprinkled in. He's drawn some comparisons to Whit Merrifield, another late-arriving player with the same profile who didn't debut until his age-26 season.

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MLB News (11/06)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Players make qualifying offer decisions; Seattle simmers on the Hot Stove early

By MLB.com staff
11/06/2024

Montgomery accepts qualifying offer; all others decline: Ten players were extended the $21.05 million qualifying offer by yesterday's deadline, with only Jordan Montgomery of Arizona accepting the one-year contract at that rate.

The other nine players that will instead head to free agency with draft compensation attached to them are Sean Manaea and Pete Alonso (NY Mets), Michael Wacha (Kansas City), Max Fried (Atlanta), Shane Bieber (Cleveland), Willy Adames (Milwaukee), Juan Soto (NY Yankees), Corbin Burnes (Baltimore), and Teoscar Hernandez (LA Dodgers).

Another potential qualifying offer was taken off the board yesterday, with the Astros signing third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year extension. About one-third to 40% of players tendered a qualifying offer have ended up re-signing with their previous clubs since the advent of the rule prior to the 2012 season.

Any contract of $50 million or more, regardless of AAV, signed by an offer-attached player with a different team will net the previous club a compensatory pick between the first and second rounds. Any contract lower than $50 million, regardless of AAV, will be relegated to a compensatory pick later on; and the round will be determined by the revenue sharing status of the signing team.

Rockies hire Bourgeois as new skipper: The Rockies have made the first managerial hire of the offseason, hiring White Sox first base coach Jason Bourgeois away to take over the top seat following Bud Black's retirement a few days after the season ended. Bourgeois was not a part of the coaching staff purge on the South Side, with manager Pedro Grifol, bench coach Charlie Montoyo, and third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez all getting the pink slip mere days after the season ended.

Despite his association with a coaching staff that lost 101 games, Bourgeois is well-thought-of in coaching circles around the league. GM Bill Schmidt wanted to get younger in the dugout, as he also interviewed Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso before hiring the 42-year-old Bourgeois. Both Descalso and Flaherty have yet to reach forty.

"I really haven't had a chance to discuss anything with anybody yet regarding how the staff will shake out," he said in his introductory press conference. "What I do know is that we'll do things a little differently than what's been done in the past. Everyone associates the Rockies with lots of offense, but baseball is still about pitching and catching the ball, and we'll try to incorporate a little more speed into the game."

Flaherty and Descalso are also candidates for nearly every other open managerial slot, including openings for the Angels, White Sox, Mariners, Marlins, Brewers, Giants, and Braves. Other potential candidates being discussed are Mets front office assistant Carlos Beltran, Brewers bench coach Rickie Weeks, Cleveland first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Boston hitting coach Peter Fatse, and even Terry Francona, who retired after last season, has been rumored to be interested in managing again, but it has to be "the right situation", per sources.

The Giants' job would be especially interesting given that with the hire of Buster Posey as the team's main personnel decision-maker, with GM Pete Putila being re-assigned within the organization. Where Putila, once considered a rising star on the personnel side, goes is another story.

While the Rockies do run the bases well with a 7.4 UBR (Ultimate Base Running) rating, they ranked in the bottom-third of the entire league in steals with ninety-nine. Bourgeois himself was a solid base-stealer as a part-timer, peaking with thirty-one swipes in 2011 with the Astros.

Mariners bolster bullpen with Scott, Poche: Seattle dealt away seven total prospects in two trades over the last handful of days, acquiring southpaw Tanner Scott from the Marlins and fellow lefty Colin Poche from the Rays in return to fortify their bullpen in front of closer Andres Munoz, which was amongst the worst in the league last season.

In the Scott deal, the most notable prospect moved was righty Teddy McGraw, the Mariners' third-round pick in 2023. Dominican infielder Yoeilin Cespedes (no relation to Yoelqui or Yoenis) was also moved as part of the deal. Infielder Kala'i Rosario, who had been acquired by the Mariners from the Twins a few days earlier in a trade, was part of the three-player package for Poche from the Rays.

Rosario was a fifth-round pick as a third baseman in 2020 out of Waiakae HS in Hawai'i, hitting a whopping fifty homeruns between High-A and Double-A in the Mariners' system as a 22-year-old in 2024, playing mainly third and first base.

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
Tampa Bay: RHP Aaron Civale signs 3-year, $23 million extension
Seattle: RHP George Kirby signs 6-year, $111 million extension including $10 million bonus set to pay out beginning 2026
Seattle: RHP Logan Gilbert signes 5-year, $104 million extension including $15 million bonus
Texas: C Jonah Heim, Sam Huff sign 4-year extensions; Huff has 2029 team option of $10 million
Colorado: RHP Ryan Feltner extended with 4-year, $20 million contract
Texas: OF Leody Taveras signs 5-year, $55 million extension
San Diego: RHP Dylan Cease signs 1-year, $16 million contract

OTHER MLB HEADLINES
Pittsburgh acquires RHP Burch Smith from the Marlins for IF Malcom Nunez, IF Wesley Zapata
Colorado claims RHP Yency Almonte, RHP Jeremiah Estrada off waivers

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Royals News (11/06)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Picollo earns league-wide award; Wacha to test free agency

By artoodeetoo
11/06/2024

TOP STORIES
Picollo wins MLB Executive of the Year: After taking the Royals from a 56-106 record in 2023 to ninety-two wins the following year this past season, which is the new single-season record for the largest win total increase year-over-year, Royals GM JJ Picollo was named as the MLB Executive of the Year for 2024.

With free agent signings in Hunter Renfroe, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha all playing large and productive roles; and the mid-season trades for relievers JoJo Romero and Hunter Harvey bolstering the bullpen depth, Picollo's moves all solidified the roster for the stretch run that eventually came to an end in five games in the ALDS to Cleveland.

Voting is completed prior to the postseason, so any results from the playoffs are not considered as part of the selection process.

"I'm extremely grateful for the support and the recognition from our peers around the league, and all of the credit in the world for this award goes to the scouts, analysts, and coaches that help make this happen," Picollo said in a statement through the Royals' official Twitter account a few hours after the award was announced. "We didn't reach our ultimate goal of winning the World Series, but we're steadfast in our commitment to putting the best team we can on the field each and every game."

Introduced in 2018, the MLB Executive of the Year award was established to recognize the outstanding achievements of front office executives and general managers in the day-to-day operations of a MLB franchise.

Wacha rejects qualifying offer, will test free agency: Along with eight others, Michael Wacha has declined his $21.05 million qualifying offer and will enter the free agent market near the end of the month. Only Jordan Montgomery of Arizona accepted the offer, as he'll return to the Diamondbacks for 2025 at the $21.05 million rate.

The door is not shut to a reunion down the road between the two sides as he has maintained that he is interested in staying in Kansas City, but it appears that the Royals will likely have to fight off additional suitors to re-sign him.

Wacha is just the eighth Royal to ever be extended a qualifying offer. Five of the previous seven signed elsewhere, with both Alex Gordon (2015) and Mike Moustakas (2017) eventually returning the following season. Gordon signed a four-year, $72 million contract, which at the time was the biggest contract in team history. Moustakas signed on a one-year deal at $6.5 million, but incentives could have taken it up to nearly $23 million.

2017 also saw two others receive and eventually turn down the offer, with Lorenzo Cain signing with Milwaukee for $80 million over five seasons, while Eric Hosmer signed one of the more infamous contracts in San Diego history, an eight-year, $144 million deal that he barely got halfway through before being traded to the Red Sox from the Padres at the deadline in August of 2022.

However, the compensatory pick for Hosmer turned into Daniel Lynch IV, who is still on the active roster today and is a likely competitor for a starting rotation role nearly eight seasons later in 2025. The pick earned from the Cain signing became Jackson Kowar, who is now in the Mariners' system as a depth piece.

Shrum, Kudrna named Royals Minor League Players of the Year: Omaha first baseman Dillan Shrum and NW Arkansas pitcher Ben Kudrna were named as the organization's George Brett Hitter and Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year, handed out at the team's award banquet at Kauffman Stadium. Along with these awards, the Willie Wilson Baserunner of the Year was given to Tyler Tolbert, who was 23-for-26 in steals despite missing about 40% of the season due to injury.

Shrum hit thirty-five homeruns between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a .995 OPS between the two levels last season (.267/.403/.592) in 444 plate appearances. Kudrna was just 6-8 on the season between High-A and Double-A, but led the Royals' minor leagues in strikeouts (157) and innings pitched (124). He was also named to the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game, and was a Midwest League (High-A) All-Star.

Other award winners were NW Arkansas outfielder Carson Roccaforte, who won the Frank White Defender of the Year; Columbia third baseman Austin Charles, who won the Alex Gordon Heart and Hustle Award, the Mike Sweeney Community Impact Award went to NW Arkansas infielder Javier Vaz, and scout Scott Melvin won the Art Stewart Scout of the Year honor.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
RHP Carlos Hernandez, RHP Kyle Wright sign one-year extensions, avoiding arbitration
C Salvador Perez honored as MLB's Roberto Clemente Award winner; recognizing outstanding off-field achievements in the community

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MLB News (11/09)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Two more managerial slots filled; Kim re-ups with San Diego

By MLB.com staff
11/09/2024

TOP STORIES
Braves, Brewers make managerial decisions: A couple of former players have been tabbed to lead the on-field fortunes of the Braves and Brewers, respectively. Gabe Kapler will be back in the dugout for the first time since 2023. He's been an assistant general manager for the Miami Marlins since being fired from San Francisco after the 2023 season.

His contract is for three guaranteed seasons and two individual team options after the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The monetary amount of the contract was not disclosed, but it is believed that he'll earn over $1 million per season. Despite going 456-411 in six seasons with the Giants, he only made one playoff appearance thanks to a 107-win campaign in 2021. He was at or just below .500 in each of his other five seasons.

Milwaukee also dipped into another rival club's front office for their hire, as Carlos Beltran was named the skipper of the Brewers, replacing the retired Pat Murphy, who in his one season took the Brewers to the NLDS before falling to the Mets.

Beltran has long been considered a managerial candidate for the last three to four seasons, and has interviewed only to get passed over. He's been in the Mets' front office for the last two seasons, assisting former Brewers personnel head David Stearns in the front office. He's now headed back to Stearns' old stomping ground in Milwaukee to lead the on-field product.

Padres' Kim re-signs with San Diego for four more seasons: Roughly a week after opting out of his current deal, Padres infielder Ha-seong Kim has signed a four-year extension with San Diego, totaling nearly $76 million through 2028.

His next two seasons are reasonably priced at $12 million and $18 million (which are his final two arbitration seasons), but that jumps up to $22.6 million for 2027 and 2028, his first two seasons of free agency.

Kim had signed a four-year, $28 million guaranteed contract prior to coming over from the KBO before the 2021 season. He had largely outplayed that deal, leaving a $7 million mutual option on the table for 2025. That worthwhile gamble seems to have worked out with his new contract.

A finalist for the Gold Glove at second base, he played 642 total innings there to just come in over the minimum to qualify, although ultimately lost out to Chicago's Nico Hoerner (more on the Gold Glove winners below). He also was very good at shortstop, and perhaps could have qualified for the shortstop Gold Glove instead had he focused full-time on that spot. He was worth 8 DRS as a shortstop alone, and had an Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) of +7.3.

He split time at short with rookie Jackson Merrill, who also made seventy-four starts in center for the Padres. Not known as a power hitter when first coming over to the U.S., Kim nonetheless has increased his homerun production each season in the majors. He also has eighty-seven doubles and eight triples in the last four seasons, to go along with fifty-seven homeruns.

Gold Glove, Silver Slugger winners announced: It was a memorable day for Royals shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr, as he came away in a clean sweep of the Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and Platinum Glove Award, presented on Friday night. Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy also had a big night, coming away with both the NL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at the catcher spot.

Witt is also a contender for the AL MVP, along with fellow finalists Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, Jose Ramirez, and Juan Soto. That award, along with the NL MVP, is set to be announced two nights from now on MLB Network.

Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames was announced as the winner of both the Gold and Platinum Gloves, and is a first-time winner of both. Below are the entire listing of award winners from last night's festivities:

AL SILVER SLUGGER AWARD

C: Salvador Perez, Kansas City
1B: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Toronto
2B: Marcus Semien, Texas
3B: Rafael Devers, Boston
SS: Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City
LF: Chas McCormick, Houston
CF: Byron Buxton, Minnesota
RF: Juan Soto, New York
DH: Wyatt Langford, Texas

NL SILVER SLUGGER AWARD

C: Sean Murphy, Atlanta
1B: Matt Olson, Atlanta
2B: Ozzie Albies, Atlanta
3B: Austin Riley, Atlanta
SS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles
LF: Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis
CF: Corbin Carroll, Arizona
RF: Ronald Acuna, Jr., Atlanta
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles

AL RAWLINGS GOLD GLOVE AWARD

P: Tanner Bibee, Cleveland
C: Jose Trevino, Cleveland
1B: Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles
2B: Nicky Lopez, Chicago
3B: Alex Bregman, Houston
SS: Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City
LF: Evan Carter, Texas
CF: Byron Buxton, Minnesota
RF: Kyle Tucker, Houston

NL RAWLINGS GOLD GLOVE AWARD

P: Shota Imanaga, Chicago
C: Sean Murphy, Atlanta
1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles
2B: Nico Hoerner, Chicago
3B: Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona
SS: Willy Adames, Milwaukee
LF: Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia
CF: Michael A. Taylor, Pittsburgh
RF: Fernando Tatis, Jr., San Diego

Bold is Platinum Glove winner

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
Guardians agree to two-year, $31 million extension with RHP Shane Bieber
Houston signs LHP Framber Valdez to one-year, $25 million extension
Royals, RHP Brady Singer agree to one-year, $8.5 million extension
Padres, RHP Michael King agree to one-year extension worth $8.3 million

OTHER MLB HEADLINES
Royals personnel head JJ Picollo named MLB Executive of the Year
Atlanta acquires LHP Alex Young from Cincinnati for OF Keshawn Ogans

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Royals News (11/09)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Singer signs for 2025; Waters on the move

By artoodeetoo
11/09/2024

TOP STORIES
Royals sign three more: The Royals' list of arbitration-eligible players not under contract continues to shrink, as they signed three more to contracts for 2025. Brady Singer was the headliner, signing a one-year deal worth $8.5 million.

$500,000 of that is from the arbitration pool, which is a pool of money that each team has to spend on arbitration and pre-arbitration players as they see fit. Each team regardless of payroll or market size gets roughly $1.67 million, based on MLB revenues from the previous season as stipulated by the most recent CBA.

Lefty reliever Kris Bubic and righty reliever John Schreiber are also back under contract for 2025, signing for $3.25 million and $2.5 million, respectively.

Seven more players still remain unsigned for the 2025 season, including outfielders Kyle Isbel and MJ Melendez; as well as pitchers Josh Taylor, Daniel Lynch IV, JoJo Romero, Edward Cabrera, and Hunter Harvey.

Royals swap Waters to Cleveland: In a rare intra-divisional trade, the Royals dealt outfielder Drew Waters to the Guardians for second baseman Nate Furman. Furman, a fourth-round selection in 2022 out of UNC-Charlotte, gives the Royals some additional minor league depth in the middle infield; and has also shown some chops at third base.

Maybe most importantly, he brings additional strike zone knowledge and plate discipline to the organization, as he's drawn walks in the minor leagues at a 13.5% clip, while striking out at an equally impressive 13.9% over 908 professional plate appearances since being drafted.

"Drew was a fantastic player for us, but we saw an opportunity to make our organization better," said GM JJ Picollo. "We dealt from a position of strength, and Cleveland feels really good about their middle infield depth, so there was a mutual opportunity for both teams here."

The 5-foot-8 Furman does not bring a ton of power; not even extra-base power, unfortunately. Out of his 187 career hits, only twenty-five have gone for extra bases, including just two homeruns. However, his career .383 on-base percentage fits the mold of the leadoff hitter-type that Picollo mentioned acquiring after the season ended last month. He is just twenty-three, so perhaps there's a little more power to tap into, but even if not, there's a lot to like in this deal.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
BWJ brings home hardware; wins Gold and Platinum Gloves and Silver Slugger

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MLB News (11/12)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Witt Jr, Ohtani win MVP's; top rookies also named

By MLB.com staff
11/12/2024

Ohtani wins third MVP, Witt Jr wins first: The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani joined a pretty exclusive club last night, becoming the 12th player ever to win three MVP awards. He also joined an even more exclusive list, becoming just the second player ever to win MVP awards in each league; joining Frank Robinson, who won the award with Cincinnati in 1961, and then winning it with the Orioles in 1966.

Garnering all thirty first-place votes on the NL side, Ohtani bashed forty-seven homeruns and drove in 111 runs, scoring 109 runs, and going 29-for-35 on stolen base attempts. He played in all but one game, leading the league in plate appearances. He finished second to Byron Buxton of Minnesota in homeruns, as Buxton hit fifty-three dingers to lead all of baseball.

On the AL side, Bobby Witt Jr added to an already impressive list of awards, beating out Buxton and Juan Soto of the Yankees, who finished second and third, respectively. Witt's victory in the MVP race wasn't unanimous, but he still picked up twenty-five of a possible thirty first-place votes to comfortably win over Buxton, who picked up four first-place votes with Soto getting the final first-place vote.

In the last few days, BWJ has been named to the first-team All-MLB squad at shortstop, won a Gold Glove, Platinum Glove, Silver Slugger, and now his first MVP. Last season, Witt finished seventh in the MVP voting in just his second season after hitting thirty homeruns and stealing forty-nine bases. He became the first shortstop in league history to put up back-to-back 30/30 seasons (thirty homeruns/thirty-two steals). He also added thirty-five doubles and five triples; and that's not counting the six additional three-baggers he hit during the postseason.

For the Royals as a team, the Witt triumph in the MVP race has positive implications in the draft, as the Royals now earn a PPI selection for a top-three finish in the MVP race. The Royals, in addition to a Competitive Balance and potential comp pick for pitcher Michael Wacha, could have up to three additional selections in the first and/or second rounds.

Schanuel, Chourio win top rookie honors: The MVP awards weren't the only awards announced, as the AL and NL Rookies of the Year were also named. Jackson Chourio won the honor on the NL side, while first baseman Nolan Schanuel of the Angels earned his second award of the season, as he was the AL first base Gold Glove recipient.

Schanuel, the Angels' first-round pick just last season, actually was on the Angels' roster late in 2023, getting 132 plate appearances with the Halos down the stretch. He hit a respectable .275 with a .402 on-base percentage, but of his thirty hits, he only had three doubles and a homerun.

In March and April of this season, however, he hit .267/.384/.486, with four doubles, a triple, and five homeruns; and would go on to post a 30-30 season with thirty doubles and thirty-three homeruns, driving in a team-high 106 runs that ranked third in the AL. He also finished seventh in the MVP voting.

Chourio was the runaway winner in the National League, posting a .797 OPS (121 OPS+) with thirty-one doubles, twenty-two homeruns, and thirty-nine steals in forty-one tries. However, he missed the final week of the regular season and the entirety of the postseason due to an abdominal strain.

As a result, both the Brewers and the Angels will get PPI selections in the 2025 draft, along with the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr's AL MVP top-three finish. PPI-eligible players do not need to win the MVP for the team to earn draft compensation; only finish in the top three. For Rookie of the Year or Cy Young Awards, they must win the award to qualify for the PPI selection. Once a player earns such a selection prior to three years of service time, they are no longer eligible.

Nationals, A's hire GM's: Tampa Bay Rays senior advisor Jon Daniels is back at the head of a MLB personnel department, as he's been hired as the president of baseball operations for the Oakland A's as they transition from Oakland to Las Vegas over the next three seasons. Daniels, 47, last held a position like this when he was with the Rangers from 2005 through 2022, when he was let go and replaced with Chris Young.

David Forst, who had been the team's general manager from 2015 through 2022; and then the team's president of baseball operations since then, was with the organization since 2000 when he was hired as an area scout before taking over for Paul DePodesta as the assistant general manager alongside Billy Beane in 2004.

The Nationals also made their decision on their top personnel executive, with former Phillies president Matt Klentak now heading up the Washington Nationals, taking over for the retired Mike Rizzo.

Klentak, 44, got his big break when he was hired as the assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Angels in 2011, and served in that role until 2015 when the Phillies hired him as the GM under Andy MacPhail. He was in that role for five seasons, stepping down in October of 2020. After taking some time away from the game, he was hired as an advisor to the Brewers' front office, then led by David Stearns and Matt Arnold, prior to the 2022 season.

The two hires leaves St. Louis as the last remaining opening, as the Cardinals parted ways with Michael Girsch following their worst season in over a decade.

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
Miami agrees to one-year extension with LHP Jesus Luzardo
Arizona, RHP Zac Gallen agree to $17.5 million extension for one season
Cubs LHP Justin Steele signs one-year, $12.5 million contract for 2025
Giants 1B LaMonte Wade agrees to one-year, $7 million

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Royals News (11/15)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Three more signed through 2025; Royals lose Sharp to St. Louis

By artoodeetoo
11/15/2024

TOP STORIES
Royals' front office continues to lock in players for 2025: Three more players have signed one-year contracts for 2025 in the last handful of days, avoiding arbitration. Outfielders Kyle Isbel and MJ Melendez have signed for $2.5 million and $1.2 million respectively. Southpaw reliever JoJo Romero also signed his first contract with the Royals, inking for $2.4 million.

Four pitchers remain unsigned for the 2025 season, two righties and lefties each -- Josh Taylor, Hunter Harvey, Edward Cabrera, and Daniel Lynch IV. They have until the 23rd to sign and/or receive an arbitration offer from the club, or the player will automatically be granted free agency regardless of service time.

Players can continue to negotiate even after the 23rd, with arbitration hearings generally scheduled for mid-to-late February provided they have not already signed or have been traded.

Cardinals hire Scott Sharp as GM: Scott Sharp, a long-time member of the Royals' front office who has held multiple roles throughout the front office, is now going to get the chance to run his own show, as St. Louis has hired him to replace the fired Michael Girsch.

Sharp has been the Director of Minor League Operations since 2007, and added the assistant general manager title soon after JJ Picollo took the president of baseball operations upon Dayton Moore's ouster.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for Scott as he'll have the opportunity to run his own shop," said Picollo in an interview with a local sports radio station. "He's a brilliant baseball mind, and I think he's going to do great things for the Cardinals and their fanbase."

Travis Greenleaf, the head of the analytics department for the Royals, was promoted to Sharp's previous role as assistant GM and Director of Minor League Operations, adding to his role as the Director of Analytics for the organization.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Matt Quatraro finishes second in AL Manager of the Year vote to Cleveland's Stephen Vogt
LHP Anthony Veneziano claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins

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MLB News (11/16)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Awards continue to roll in; this time for Manager, Cy Young

By MLB.com staff
11/16/2024

AL, NL Managers of the Year named: Stephen Vogt of the AL Central-champion Dodgers, and Carlos Mendoza of the Mets were named the Managers of the Year for their respective leagues for the upcoming season. It's the first time in league history that both Managers of the Year were first-time managers in the same season.

The Royals' Matt Quatraro and Baltimore's Brandon Hyde finished second and third in the BBWAA voting for the AL, while Brian Snitker (Atlanta) and Pat Murphy (Milwaukee), both now retired, finished second and third for the NL in the BBWAA voting.

On the AL side, Bobby Witt Jr added to an already impressive list of awards, beating out Buxton and Juan Soto of the Yankees, who finished second and third, respectively. Witt's victory in the MVP race wasn't unanimous, but he still picked up twenty-five of a possible thirty first-place votes to comfortably win over Buxton, who picked up four first-place votes with Soto getting the final first-place vote.

Burnes, Fried win Cy Young awards: Baltimore's Corbin Burnes made history with his second Cy Young award, becoming the 23rd player in history to win the award at least twice, and joining some pitching luminaries as the eighth to win one in each league.

Burnes has now won one in each league along with Blake Snell, Roger Clemens, Max Scherzer, Roy Halladay, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Gaylord Perry. Burnes won his previous Cy Young back in 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He bested Framber Valdez of Houston and Tarik Skubal of Detroit in second and third in the voting, respectively.

For the National League, Max Fried tied for the league lead in victories (19) and starts (34), second in fWAR (6.0), third in ERA (3.05), and also posted four complete-game shutouts to lead the entire league to win his first Cy Young, beating out Milwaukee's DL Hall and Blake Snell of San Francisco, finishing second and third in that order.

NOTABLE EXTENSIONS
Nationals, OF Lane Thomas agree to one-year, $8.25 million contract for 2025
Miami OF Jazz Chisholm Jr agrees to one-year, $6.25 million extension with the club
Pirates, RHP Mitch Keller agree on $7.25 million contract for next season

OTHER MLB HEADLINES
Ohtani, Buxton win AL/NL Hank Aaron Awards