MLB

The race for the American League Cy Young Award appears to be so tight it might force even the staunchest of baseball traditionalists to dig deep into the statistics that normally make them cringe.

There is no denying that Pablo Sandoval is among the top free agents available this offseason.  The Boston Red Sox are expected to be one of many teams interested in pursuing the third baseman.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' new-look front office led by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi will have some important decisions to make this offseason.

With the MLB offseason recently getting underway, the handful of prized free agents available this winter will undoubtedly be getting most of the attention from teams across the league.

The Philadelphia Phillies are telling anybody who will listen that Ryan Howard is available. However, given the first baseman's massive contract and poor performance, offloading him will be much easier said than done.

Continue for updates.

Tuesday, Nov. 11

Royals Not Interested in Howard

Baltimore Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette was named Sporting News' 2014 MLB Executive of the Year on Monday.

The club's official Twitter account congratulated Duquette on the award, which was announced at the annual general manager meetings in Phoenix:

What's great news for Jose Abreu, the Chicago White Sox first baseman who deservedly won the American League Rookie of the Year on Monday evening, is even better news for his fellow countrymen.

You know, we really should get to work thinking of a good nickname for the New York Mets' starting rotation. 

Why? Well, put it this way: Now's a good time to realize it's going to need one before long.

Two outstanding seasons for Jose Abreu and Jacob deGrom led to each winning the American League and National League Rookie of the Year awards, respectively.   

Despite down seasons for both the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets, both players had standout seasons. Abreu registered 36 home runs, tied for fourth most in the MLB, while deGrom led all Mets starters with a 2.69 ERA in 22 starts.

New York Mets right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom has been named the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. 

The Mets had the news:

ESPN's SportsCenter account broke down the history of the Mets and the prestigious award: