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After missing most of the 2016 season due to injury, veteran starting pitcher Charlie Morton signed a two-year, $14 million free-agent deal with the Houston Astros on Wednesday. 

The Astros announced the signing, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports revealed the terms.

After Morton spent seven years in the Steel City, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2016 campaign.

He made four starts for the Phillies and went 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, but a torn hamstring suffered in April cost him the remainder of the year.

Morton and the Phillies had a mutual option of $9.5 million for 2017, but Philadelphia declined and instead bought him out for $1 million, per the Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com).

That made Morton a free agent and a highly attractive option for teams in search of a quality arm at a bargain price.

Morton’s career numbers are modest at 46-71 with a 4.54 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Pirates and Phillies, but he is just a few seasons removed from some of the best performances of his career.

The 33-year-old righty’s 2013 and 2014 seasons in Pittsburgh yielded the most favorable results of his time in the big leagues, as he went 13-16 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 46 starts over the course of those campaigns.

He dropped off in 2015, finishing 9-9 with a 4.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, but the up-and-down nature of Morton’s career suggests he could right the ship at any time.

Morton isn’t particularly dynamic and has a career strikeout rate of just 6.3 per nine innings, but he excels at keeping the ball down and in the ballpark with a career ground-ball rate of 55.4 percent, according to FanGraphs.com.

The 2002 third-round pick of the Braves is a good fit for a team with strong defense, so there will be added emphasis on the Astros to support him in that regard.

Morton is far from an ace and is best deployed as a bottom-of-the-rotation arm, but he can be valuable if he proves healthy and is able to eat some innings.

The hamstring injury creates some question marks regarding Morton entering 2017, but it likely brought down his cost as well, which makes him a potential bargain for the upcoming season.

Houston has a strong staff that includes the likes of Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh and Mike Fiers, which puts little pressure on Morton and should allow him to add quality depth to the rotation.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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After overcoming different types of adversity with their teams in the 2016 season, Terry Francona of the Cleveland Indians and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers were named American League and National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday, respectively. 

Francona earned his second award in this category, previously winning in his first season with the Indians three years ago. Roberts took home the NL honors in his first season with the Dodgers. 

Here are the voting results, per BBWAA.com:

Francona triumphed over Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers and Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles. 

Voting for the award doesn’t include the playoffs, otherwise Francona would have won in a landslide for his ability to navigate a Cleveland pitching staff that was missing starters Carlos Carrasco for the entire postseason and Danny Salazar for the first two rounds due to injuries. 

Factoring in just the regular season, it’s still hard to argue against Francona as the best manager in the American League. The Indians started the year without All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley due to offseason shoulder surgery that wound up limiting him to 11 games. 

As the season moved along, Francona also lost Carrasco, Salazar and Yan Gomes for long stretches. Yet the Indians never wavered, going 94-67 to win their first division title since 2007. 

Speaking on MLB Network before the results were announced, Francona described what it meant for him to be part of the Indians in 2016:

Per the Indians’ official Twitter account, Cleveland has been the AL’s best regular-season team since Francona took over, and his teams always play winning baseball:

There’s no exact science to be a successful manager in MLB. Francona‘s reputation suggests he knows how to prepare his team for work while at the same time always keep things loose in the clubhouse. 

Indians general manager Mike Chernoff gave Francona kudos for his ability to handle in-game tactics so well, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian: 

He’s amazing. He’s incredible at in-game strategy. It’s exceptional to just watch it. He’s five steps ahead of all of us — probably everybody out there — and we get to see the full picture. That’s just a small part of it of who he is and what he does. He’s broken down barriers organizationally for us.

The 2016 season was one in which most of the country finally caught up with what Francona and the Indians have slowly been building toward since he took over.

The Indians fell one win short of the ultimate prize, but with virtually every player from that team returning and injured stars like Brantley and Carrasco joining the mix, next season should be another good one for Cleveland. 

With Francona steering things in the dugout, they know the ship is headed in the right direction. 

In the NL, Roberts beat out Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs and Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals to win in his first year as skipper. 

“I am completely humbled,” Roberts said after the voting results were announced, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “I am speechless.”

Roberts had arguably the most difficult managerial job of anyone in Major League Baseball, despite leading a team with a payroll of almost $250 million, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. 

The Dodgers set an MLB record by having 28 players on the disabled list during the regular season, including four-fifths of the starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw missed more than two months with back problems.

Kenta Maeda was the only Dodgers pitcher to make more than 26 starts. Despite those pitching injures, MLB Stat of the Day noted the team still set a new strikeout record:

In the face of so much adversity during the season, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained what Roberts did to keep the team successful, per Eric Stephen of True Blue LA:

A great byproduct of the cultural change and shift that we saw on the major league side with Doc and his coaches was to be able to provide that soft landing spot [for rookies]. That environment where guys could come up and thrive and not be afraid to compete, and were put in positions to succeed. It could not have worked out any better this year, and I think that’s a cultural environment that’s going to continue and grow off of itself and be furthered.

This marks the second consecutive night in which a member of the Dodgers was honored by the BBWAA. Star shortstop Corey Seager was named NL Rookie of the Year and could add the NL Most Valuable Player Award to his expanding trophy case Thursday. 

Having a seemingly limitless payroll has its advantages, but all the money spent didn’t prepare Roberts for the volume of injuries that hit his team during the regular season. 

Through it all, Roberts never seemed overwhelmed in his first season managing a team with sky-high expectations. He led the Dodgers to their fourth consecutive NL West title and made it to Game 6 of the NLCS before ultimately falling to the Chicago Cubs.  

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The San Diego Padres didn’t think Dave Roberts was good enough to be their manager. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a godsend for one of their bitter rivals.

Roberts took home his first NL Manager of the Year Award on Tuesday, besting Chicago Cubs skipper Joe Maddon and Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals. He actually took the Dodgers to one fewer win than 2015 but got them to the NLCS and overcame a slew of in-season injuries and disappointments.

MLB shared the news:

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America shared the full voting results:

Ace Clayton Kershaw was limited to 21 starts after spending two months on the disabled list, and the team lost second-in-command Zack Greinke in free agency. Outfielder Yasiel Puig spent time in the minors due to his struggles on and off the field, while the team became jarringly reliant on aging players like Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley.

Despite things seemingly crumbling, Roberts never panicked. He kept the ship afloat amid midseason turmoil, and management helped things along by acquiring outfielder Josh Reddick and pitcher Rich Hill.

Players in the clubhouse credited him with never allowing any potential issues to fester.

“His ability to address things immediately is what sets him apart from most guys,” third baseman Justin Turner said in August, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “When issues come up, he addresses it right away. He nips it in the bud and doesn’t let it linger. When you do that, it kind of eliminates the small groups and cliques talking about this and that.”

The Dodgers continued to prove hiring Roberts was a smart choice with their play in the postseason, as he helped guide the team to an NLDS comeback win over Washington. The Nationals got out to a 2-1 lead, but Roberts pulled the right strings at the right time.

Making things all the more special: Roberts is the first Dodgers manager to win this award since Tommy Lasorda. The legendary skipper won the NL’s inaugural Manager of the Year trophy in 1983 and added another to his mantle in 1988.

Dodgers nation will have their fingers crossed that Roberts can have a career half as long and successful going forward.

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Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona won the 2016 American League Manager of the Year award Tuesday. 

Per the BBWAA voting results, Francona garnered 22 first-place votes and 128 total points to take home the honor, beating Texas’ Jeff Banister and Baltimore’s Buck Showalter. 

If BBWAA awards also included postseason performance, Francona would have won the award by an even greater margin. His performance without star pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar for most of the playoffs was nothing short of brilliant. 

While the voting only includes regular-season performance, it’s hard to argue against the work Francona did with the Indians for those 162 games, either. 

Cleveland started the season facing an uphill battle. All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley began the year on the disabled list after having offseason shoulder surgery, leaving an offense that finished 18th in runs scored in 2015 without one of its best hitters. 

The continued excellence of shortstop Francisco Lindor and rise of third baseman Jose Ramirez added much-needed depth to the Indians’ lineup, giving a deep and talented pitching staff the boost it needed to hand the franchise its first AL Central title since 2007. 

The Indians also lost Carrasco and Salazar within eight days of each other in September as they were looking to secure a playoff berth. Rather than collapse under the pressure, Cleveland went 8-5 over the last 13 games to clinch the No. 2 seed in the AL and earn home-field advantage in the Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. 

Indians general manager Mike Chernoff described what makes Francona so unique and special as a manager, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian: 

He’s amazing. He’s incredible at in-game strategy. It’s exceptional to just watch it. He’s five steps ahead of all of us—probably everybody out there—and we get to see the full picture. That’s just a small part of it of who he is and what he does. He’s broken down barriers organizationally for us.

Francona is the straw that stirs the drink in Cleveland. He has led the franchise to four consecutive winning seasons since taking over in 2013—its longest streak of success since having eight straight seasons over .500 from 1994-2001. 

This marks Francona’s second AL Manager of the Year award. He previously took home the honor in 2013 when the Indians won 92 games and earned their first playoff spot since 2007.

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Sonny Gray is coming off a disastrous 2016 season, though that’s not stopping the Oakland Athletics right-hander from generating interest on the trade market.  

Continue for updates. 

Gray on Braves’ Radar

Tuesday, Nov. 15

According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman and Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Atlanta Braves have looked at Gray as a potential trade option to bolster their starting rotation. 

Gray’s trade value will likely never be lower. He posted career lows in ERA (5.69), WHIP (1.50), strikeouts per nine innings (7.2), home runs allowed per nine innings (1.4) and hits allowed per nine innings (10.2) in 2016, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

The 27-year-old essentially missed the last two months of the season because of a forearm issue. He made one appearance after August 6, tossing one scoreless inning in relief against the Los Angeles Angels on September 28. 

It’s easy to figure out why other teams would be interested in Gray. While his value took a huge hit in 2016, he’s still one year removed from finishing third in American League Cy Young voting and is under team control through 2019. 

A team like the Braves, who are still in rebuilding mode but trying to field a respectable squad to open their new stadium in 2017, would be betting on a bounce-back season from Gray. 

The A’s, however, don’t have incentive to move Gray coming off a bad season because he’s under control for multiple years. Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors estimated the All-Star will get $3.7 million in arbitration in 2017, a manageable salary for a small-market team. 

Unless A’s general manager David Forst thinks Gray is damaged goods and wants to strike while it’s still possible to ask for a decent return, it will likely take a big package from any interested team to pry him away from the Bay Area. 

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Major League Baseball All-Stars Yoenis Cespedes and Jose Abreu are among the names listed on a witness list for a trial against agent Bartolo Hernandez and his associate, Julio Estrada, for smuggling Cuban baseball players into the United States.  

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), the trial is set to begin January 3, with Cespedes and Abreu listed as witnesses on court documents filed in Miami. 

Cespedes and Abreu are not accused of any wrongdoing in the case, which also lists other MLB executives as possible witnesses. 

Per Curt Anderson of the AP, federal prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment in April 2016 against Hernandez, Estrada and Amin Latouff, revealing 17 Cuban-born baseball players paid a smuggling ring more than $15 million to get out of the country. 

Court documents also showed Abreu paid the smugglers a total of $5.8 million in 2014 alone. 

Per Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald, Estrada was charged with conspiring to defraud the United States government and bringing aliens unlawfully into the U.S. Hernandez was arrested and charged in February on smuggling charges, though he pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment.

Cespedes defected to the U.S. in 2011 before signing with the Oakland Athletics in February 2012. He has since played with the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and New York Mets and is currently a free agent. Abreu left Cuba in August 2013, signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox two months later and was named American League Rookie of the Year in 2014. 

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Chris Sale’s 2016 season was turbulent at times, and the Chicago White Sox are reportedly receiving trade interest in the five-time All-Star from a number of clubs.

Continue for updates.

Braves In on Sale

Tuesday, Nov. 15

According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Atlanta Braves are among the teams showing “strong interest” in acquiring Sale.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed Sale is among the pitchers the Braves are considering making a move for.

Nationals Inquire About Sale

Tuesday, Nov. 15

On Monday, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale reported the Washington Nationals had asked about Sale’s availability. However, he noted the White Sox had not had “serious talks with anyone yet.”

Sale Remains Intriguing Trade Target

Sale’s 2016 season was marred by a team-imposed suspension on the heels of his decision to reportedly cut up the team’s throwback jerseys before a game in late July, per Tommy Stokke of Today’s Knuckleball.

But aside from the clubhouse incident, Sale was plenty effective on the bump.

The 27-year-old tied his career high with 17 wins, and he hit that mark by recording a 3.34 ERA, a league-best six complete games, a 1.037 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Sale’s 5.2 wins above replacement also ranked tied for tops among all American League pitchers along with Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander and Boston Red Sox hurler Rick Porcello.

Sale’s production alone makes him a compelling trade target, but a reasonable, team-controlled contract should bolster his trade value if the White Sox do make him available.

Sale is slated to earn $12 million in 2017, and he owns a pair of club options for the final two seasons on his deal. Specifically, Sale will make $12.5 million in 2018 and $15 million in 2019, if his employer exercises the options.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. Salary information courtesy of Spotrac.com.

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Corey Seager and Mike Fulmer need to clear room on their mantles for some new hardware. 

On Monday, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop and Detroit Tigers pitcher were named the National League and American League Rookies of the Year, respectively. 

Seager won the NL award unanimously, while Fulmer held off New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez to take home the AL honors, according to BBWAA.com: 

Seager was a runaway winner on the NL side for good reason. 

Over the course of his first full MLB campaign, Seager solidified himself as one of the league’s most impactful batters. The 22-year-old batted .308 with a .365 on-base percentage and .512 slugging percentage across 687 plate appearances. 

The Dodgers congratulated him on Twitter:

The Silver Slugger Award winner also smashed 26 home runs and drove in 72 runs—marks that ranked first and third, respectively, among all NL shortstops.

Furthermore, Seager’s 7.5 wins above replacement paced all MLB shortstops and ranked fifth among all players behind Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Mookie Betts and Josh Donaldson. 

“For being as young as he is, he’s got an old-school mentality,” Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley said, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin. “He plays the game and lets his actions speak louder than his words.”

Thanks to that mindset, Seager qualified as a finalist for NL MVP in addition to Rookie of the Year during a season that saw him nab an All-Star berth and cement his status as a rising star. 

And as CBSSports.com’s Jonah Keri noted, “It’s not unreasonable for Dodgers fans to close their eyes and wonder if they might be watching the start of a Derek Jeter-like career in L.A.”

In the AL, Fulmer staved off Sanchez after the 23-year-old catcher hit home runs at record rates following his call-up on Aug. 2. 

Although Sanchez only needed 49 games to hit 20 home runs, he didn’t have time on his side. By virtue of his late-season arrival, Sanchez was limited to 53 games and 229 plate appearances. 

Conversely, Fulmer debuted on April 29 and held his own in a rotation that already boasted Justin Verlander. 

The 23-year-old went 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.119 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings as a rookie, and his 4.9 wins above replacement ranked eighth among all AL pitchers. According to Sports Illustrated‘s Jay Jaffe, that mark was the highest of any American League rookie pitcher since Jonathan Papelbon posted a tally of 5.0 in 2006. 

MLB Stat of the Day on Twitter also noted that Fulmer’s 1.119 WHIP is the 11th-lowest among the 182 rookies with at least 25 starts since 1920. 

“He’s got a great mentality on the mound. He’s got great stuff, so he’s going out there and attacking guys and having a lot of success,” Verlander said, according to ESPN.com’s Katie Strang. “It’s been a real shot in the arm for our team.” 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com. 

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Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers was named the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year on Monday. He beat out fellow finalists Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees and Tyler Naquin of the Cleveland Indians for the honor.

MLB announced the news on its Twitter account:

Here are the complete voting results for the prestigious award:

ESPN Stats & Info noted just what made the pitcher such a good choice for voters:

Fulmer lived up to his billing as a top prospect by immediately slotting in as a reliable member of the Tigers rotation. He finished his first season with a 11-7 record to go along with a 3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 159 innings across 26 starts.

Although he fell three innings short of reaching the number needed to qualify, he would have ranked third in the AL in ERA behind only Aaron Sanchez of the Toronto Blue Jays and teammate Justin Verlander. His WHIP would have tied for sixth.

George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press noted in late September the 23-year-old starter wasn’t overly concerned about chasing down the ERA title, though.

“I’d rather pitch in the postseason than get a personal achievement, honestly,” Fulmer said. “Seriously, it might be a once in a lifetime chance. I’m wanting that feeling, and this team is wanting that feeling.”

He’ll need to wait at least one more season to achieve that goal, as the Tigers fell 2.5 games short of the final wild-card spot. But that team-first attitude is welcome in any clubhouse.

Moreover, Fulmer’s successful transition to the majors played a key role in Detroit having a top-10 starting staff. The Tigers finished tied for ninth in starter ERA with the Seattle Mariners, per ESPN.

Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press previously pointed out another key rookie honor the starting pitcher received:

In the end, his performance was enough to hold off a late charge from Sanchez, who tallied 20 home runs in just 53 games for the Yankees. Naquin also enjoyed a strong debut year, finishing with a .372 on-base percentage, 14 homers and six stolen bases.

Now the Tigers will hope Fulmer can build off his terrific first season to become a crucial cog in the club’s rotation for the foreseeable future. He’s already shown the tools necessary to make that happen.

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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday. MLB.com announced he was the unanimous pick. 

ESPN Stats & Info provided two impressive stats on Seager’s accomplishment: 

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America shared the voting results, with Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals coming in second and Seager’s teammate, Kenta Maeda, finishing third:

Seager, 22, was excellent for the Dodgers in 2016, hitting .308 with 26 home runs, 72 RBI and 105 runs scored. He was a crucial member of the Dodgers team that won the NL West and reached the National League Championship Series, where Los Angeles was defeated by the Chicago Cubs in six games.

His ROY win doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the players made him their choice for the award last week.

“That’s awesome,” Seager said of being the players’ choice, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “To be voted by your peers is just a little more special for me. It was kind of the same thing with the All-Star Game. It’s one of those things where it’s nice to know your peers, the guys you play against every day have that mutual respect for you.”

Seager was also named a Silver Slugger winner at shortstop by Louisville Slugger.

Certainly, the young star is a critical part of the Dodgers’ future plans. Already one of the best hitters at his position in baseball, Seager has the makings of a potential MVP candidate later in his career. 

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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