It’s a big week around baseball. Not only is it trophy time with the BBWAA Awards announcements, Monday (4:00pm CST) is the deadline for players to accept or decline qualifying offers. And Friday is the deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters.
Joe Maddon (NL Manager of the Year), Jon Lester (NL Cy Young), Kyle Hendricks (NL Cy Young) and Kris Bryant (NL MVP) are finalists for the BBWAA Awards this week. And the Cubs are up for several Esurance MLB Awards, which are announced Friday (Nov. 18).
Rookies of the Year will be announced Monday. Corey Seager (Dodgers) and Michael Fulmer (Tigers) are favorites for the awards. Kenta Maeda (Dodgers) and Trea Turner (Nationals) are the other two finalists in the NL. Gary Sanchez (Yankees) and Tyler Naquin (Indians) are in the running in the AL for top first-year player. And Sanchez could win the award.
The Managers of the Year will be announced Tuesday. Joe Maddon, Dusty Baker (Nationals) and Dave Roberts (Dodgers) are up for the top skipper award in the NL with Roberts considered the favorite to be named Manager of the Year in his first season in the dugout. In the American League, Jeff Banister (Rangers), Terry Francona (Indians) and Buck Showalter (Orioles) are the three finalists.
Wednesday, the Cy Young Award winners will be announced. Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks are up for the top pitching award against favorite Max Scherzer (Nationals). And in the American League, Rick Porcello (Red Sox), Corey Kluber (Indians) and Justin Verlander (Tigers) are the three finalists.
The National League and American League Most Valuable Player Awards will be announced Thursday. Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy (Nationals) and Corey Seager (Dodgers) are the three finalists. Bryant is considered the favorite for NL MVP. Mookie Betts (Red Sox), Mike Trout (Angels) and Jose Altuve (Astros) are the finalists in the AL.
If Bryant takes home the NL MVP and Betts wins the AL MVP, Theo Epstein would have been in charge of the baseball departments that drafted both of this year’s MVPs.
- Report from Jayson Stark – Includes Predictions for each Award
- ESPN – NL Awards debate: Nothing but Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers
The Cubs received their fair share of awards last week.
Theo Epstein was named the Executive of the Year.
Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward won Gold Gloves. Rizzo also took home the Platinum Glove Award and was named Wilson Defensive Player of the Year at First Base. Anthony Rizzo and Jake Arrieta won Silver Slugger Awards. Kyle Hendricks won the Players Choice Award for Outstanding Pitcher in the National League.
Dexter Fowler
Monday (4:00pm CST) is the deadline for players to either accept or decline the $17.2 million qualifying offer for next season. Dexter Fowler is one of 10 players that received the qualifying offer this year. And Fowler is expected to decline the offer before Monday’s deadline.
OF Jose Bautista (Blue Jays), 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays), OF Yoenis Cespedes (Mets), OF/INF Ian Desmond (Rangers), 3B Justin Turner (Dodgers), RHP Kenley Jansen (Dodgers), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies), 2B Neil Walker (Mets), OF/DH Mark Trumbo (Orioles) and OF Dexter Fowler are the 10 players that received qualifying offers.
Fowler will test free agency and is believed to be looking for three- or four-year deal with an AAV of around $14 million. The Cubs are interested in bringing him back and Fowler would like to return. Jed Hoyer has said publicly the Cubs will stay in contact with Fowler’s agent throughout the process.
The Cardinals have made Fowler a priority and will reportedly go all-out to sign him. The Giants, Mets and Blue Jays have also been linked to Fowler since the end of The World Series.
Ken Rosenthal posted his thoughts on how the qualifying offer system needs to change.
News, Notes and Rumors
• According to Joel Sherman, Jon Lester is peaking and putting the Hall of Fame in view. Sherman reported that Lester is “not a Hall of Famer today, but he is building a strong case and his career is not yet over.”
• Cy Young races look to be closer than ever according to Mike Petriello.
• Cy Young candidate, Kyle Hendricks became the fourth pitcher to lead Major League Baseball in ERA and start Game 7 of a World Series, joining Hal Newhouser (1945), Sandy Koufax (1965) and Bob Gibson (1968).
• Christopher Kamka posted the players in Cubs history that hit the first home run by month, dating back to 1876 … Henry Rodriguez (March, 1998), Jimmy Ryan (April, 1888), Ross Barnes (May, 1876), Paul Hines (June, 1876), John Peters (July, 1876), Cap Anson (August, 1876), Paul Hines (September, 1876), Cap Anson (October, 1884), Kris Bryant (November, 2016)
• Mike Petriello asked who could be the next Andrew Miller. Petreillo looked at three pitchers closely, and Andrew Cashner fits the profile of a pitcher that could be more effective, and throw harder, out of a bullpen on short-stints.
• Ken Davidoff explained how the Padres’ failed experiment spawned Mets, Cubs clashing evolutions.
• Major League Baseball to standardize exchange of medical information according to a report from the Score.
• The Padres re-signed one-time Cubs top prospect RHP Trey McNutt to a minor league contract. He appeared in eight games in the Padres system this past season, six at the Double-A level. McNutt, 27, did not have a record in eight games, all in relief, and allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.
• According to Jim Bowden, the Blue Jays “are in” on Josh Reddick and have talked to the Mets about Jay Bruce. The Jays are looking for a left-handed platoon option for Melvin Upton Jr.
• Cubs’ owners are considering a new regional sports network according to a report from Hardball Talk.
This Day in Cubstory
2012 – Cubs signed free agent Brian Bogusevic
2012 – Cubs signed free agent J.C. Boscan
2006 – Cubs signed free agent Mark DeRosa
2005 – The Devil Rays named Joe Maddon the team’s manager, replacing John McLaren who took over in the dugout during the previous season for Lou Piniella.
2005 – Cubs signed free agent Neifi Perez
2002 – Cubs signed free agent Tim Christman
1999 – Cubs signed free agent Daniel Garibay
1983 – Guillermo Moscoso, born
1978 – Xavier Nady, born
1973 – Cubs completed the trade for Mike Paul from the Rangers by sending Larry Gura to Texas as the PTBNL
1968 – Kent Bottenfield, born
1954 – Willie Hernandez, born
1937 – Jim Brewer, born