Oakland Athletics managing partner Lew Wolff steps down after 11 years on the job, giving the position to his closest ally, John Fisher, who has also been one of the team’s co-owner since its purchase in 2005.
2016 – Winners of the Cy Young Awards are announced today. Max Scherzer of Washington becomes the 6th pitcher to win the award in both leagues when he prevails in the vote in the National League after going 20-7 during the season. In the American League, Boston’s Rick Porcello, who went 22-4, is the winner over Justin Verlander of the Tigers in a very close race.
Max Scherzer is named the recipient of the National League’s Cy Young Award, making the 32 year-old, who also won the award in American League award in 2013 with the Tigers, the sixth hurler in baseball history to cop the honor in both circuits. The Washington right-hander led the NL with 20 wins, compiling a major league-leading 284 strikeouts during his 228.1 innings of work for the first-place Nationals.
Winners of the Rookie of the Year Award are announced: in the NL, Dodgers SS Corey Seager is an unanimous winner, while in the AL, P Michael Fullmer of the Tigers receives 26 of 30 first-place votes.
2016 – The Athletics trade veteran IF Danny Valencia, whose job was taken over by rookie Ryon Healy late in the season, to the Mariners in return for P Paul Blackburn. Valencia and DH Billy Butler had been in a clubhouse fight late in the year, and both are now gone from the A’s.
2016 – In off-season dealings, the Braves sign their second 40-something starting pitcher in two days, inking Bartolo Colon to a contract one day after adding R.A. Dickey. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays sign free agent DH Kendrys Morales and Cuban prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr., sending signals that the era of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, who are both free agents, may be over.
2016 – David Ortiz goes out a winner as he wins the Silver Slugger Award at DH in the American League for the 7th time in his final season. He is joined by another 7-time winner, 1B Miguel Cabrera, while at the other end of the scale, SS Corey Seager is honored at SS in the Nationals League in his rookie season.
Jose Fernandez becomes the first major league player to receive a major award posthumously as he is named the winner of the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the National League, underlining his excellent return from arm surgery before he was tragically killed in a boating accident in September. In the American League, major league home run leader Mark Trumbo receives the honor.
The Major League Baseball Players Association decides to fire arbitrator Fredric Horowitz because of disagreement over his ruling in the case of an injury to Dodgers infielder Charlie Culberson. Horowitz had replaced Shyam Das in 2012.
2016 – Winners of the Gold Glove are announced in both leagues. Yadier Molina’s eight-year reign as the National League’s best defensive catcher ends, as the honor goes to Buster Posey. Other first-time winners include SS Francisco Lindor and 2B Ian Kinsler in the AL, and 1B Anthony Rizzo in the NL.