Stanton, Altuve win MVP awards
Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton won the National League MVP award Thursday, barely edging Reds first baseman Joey Votto, while Astros second baseman Jose Altuve won the American League award by a wide margin.
In the closest MVP vote since 1979, Stanton became only the sixth player to win from a losing team. He got 10 first- place votes and 302 points. Votto also got 10 firsts and had 300 points.
The last time an MVP race was so close, Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez tied for the NL prize in 1979.
Stanton led the big leagues with 59 home runs and 132 RBI. His homer total was the most in the majors since 2001, when Barry Bonds hit a record 73 and Sammy Sosa had 64.
The Marlins went 77- 85, and new team executive Derek Jeter says the club is listening to trade offers for Stanton. The 28- yearold outfielder is owed $ 295 million over the final decade of his record 13- year, $ 325 million contract.
The 5- 6 Altuve drew 27 of the 30 first- place votes and 405 points. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who won the AL Rookie of the Year award Monday, had 27 second- place votes and 279 points.
Altuve batted a major- leaguebest .346. He hit 24 home runs with 81 RBI, scored 112 times, stole 32 bases and showed a sharp glove.
Arrieta, Davis decline offers
Cubs starter Jake Arrieta and closer Wade Davis were among nine free agents who turned down $ 17.4 million qualifying offers from their teams. The others were Rays starter Alex Cobb, Rockies closer Greg Holland, Cardinals starter Lance Lynn, Indians first baseman Carlos Santana and Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Lorenzo Cain.
Cobb is on the Cubs’ radar to fill one of their two vacancies in the rotation. He pitched for Cubs manager Joe Maddon and new pitching coach Jim Hickey with the Rays. Cobb had career highs of 29 starts and 179⅓ innings last season, his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery.
If they sign with new teams, their old clubs would get an extra draft pick as compensation — possibly a much lower selection than in the past under the rules in baseball’s new labor contract.
A club signing one of the players who didn’t accept would lose a draft selection — no longer a firstround pick — and possibly part of its international bonus pool allocation for 2018- 19.
MLB wants to speed up fast
Major League Baseball will change rules to speed games next year with or without an agreement with the players’ association.
Management proposed last offseason to institute a 20- second pitch clock, allow one trip to the mound by a catcher per pitcher each inning and raise the bottom of the strike zone from just beneath the kneecap to its pre- 1996 level at the top of the kneecap. The union didn’t agree, and clubs have the right to impose those changes unilaterally for 2018.
“My preferred path is a negotiated agreement with the players, but if we can’t get an agreement, we are going to have rule changes in 2018 one way or the other,” commissioner Rob Manfred said after a quarterly owners meeting.
Nine- inning games averaged a record 3 hours, 5 minutes during the regular season and 3: 29 during the postseason.