Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera capped a Triple Crown season by collecting the American League Most Valuable Player award, which was announced Thursday.
The Venezuela native was baseball’s first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski won it in 1967. The last four Triple Crown winners also won the MVP award, which was voted by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
“I don’t believe it, I’m very excited,” Cabrera told the MLB Network after winning the award. “I don’t have any words to say how excited I am right now.
“I never spent time (think about) winning because Mike Trout had an unbelievable season. I’m very surprised. … I share this with all the fans in Detroit and all the fans in Venezuela.”
It marked the second year in a row that a Detroit player was selected as MVP. Last season, pitcher Justin Verlander won the honor after leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
The 29-year-old Cabrera, who helped the Tigers to the World Series this season, had 22 of the 28 first-place votes with the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout receiving the other six first-place votes. Cabrera had 362 total votes to 281 for Trout.
Cabrera, 29, led the AL with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBI. He also finished first with a .606 slugging percentage and fourth with a .393 on-base percentage.
Trout, 21, led the AL with 129 runs and with 49 stolen bases, and his .326 average ranked second in the league. He came in third in slugging percentage at .564 and in on-base percentage at .399. Trout received the Players Choice award as the AL’s Outstanding Rookie.
The other American League finalists were Texas’ Adrian Beltre, New York Yankees’ Robinson Cano and Texas’ Josh Hamilton.
—One season after his year ended early because of a severe leg injury, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey had the ultimate comeback season, earning the National League Most Valuable Player award on Thursday.
“I think it’s an accomplishment that is shared with the whole Giants organization,” Posey told the MLB Network after winning the honor. “It starts at the top with the great ownership, the front office, putting great guys on the field. It’s a great place to come and play ball every day.
“And we’ve seen over the past couple of years how passionate our fans are, so I’m very fortunate to play in San Francisco. I couldn’t be more honored to have my name alongside the previous winners.”
The award, voted by the Baseball Writers Associated of America, was the first to go to a National League catcher since 1972 when Johnny Bench won it. Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer won the award in 2009.
The 25-year-old Posey, who helped the Giants win their second World Series title in three years last month, had 27 first-place votes and 422 total votes, far ahead of Milwaukee’s Rick Braun, who had 3 first-place votes and 285 total votes.
A converted infield from Florida State, Posey missed most of the 2011 season because of s broken left leg and torn ligaments in his left ankle. He bounced back to win the NL batting title this season with a .336 average. He also led the league with a .408 on-base percentage and finished fourth with a .549 slugging percentage.
The other finalists were San Diego’s Chase Headley, Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen and St. Louis’ Yadier Molina.
—Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters that he’s reviewing the megadeal between the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays.
Selig said on the final day of the owners’ meetings that the trade has yet to be officially been presented to him, but said the matter is under review.
He also noted that he knows about the fan backlash in South Florida.
“I want to think about this and review it,” Selig said. “I want to be my usual painstaking, cautious, slow, conservative self in analyzing this. … There are a lot of variables. The questions regarding the Marlins fans are very fair and it’s a question I’m extremely sensitive to. I’m aware of the anger.”
The Blue Jays are set to acquire shortstop Jose Reyes, pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, catcher John Buck and utility player Emilio Bonafacio for Yunel Escobar and a number of the Toronto’s top prospects. The swap is pending the completion of physicals.
Selig said that he spoke to two independent baseball people, who told him that the Marlins did “very well” in the trade in terms of pure player and roster development.
Selig added that he wasn’t concerned about the anger over the Marlins’ publicly funded ballpark potentially hurting future stadium deals, such as the Tampa Bay Rays.
“Every one of these situations has its own indigenous characteristics,” he said.
—The Boston Red Sox expects to have one of baseball’s highest payrolls in 2013, general manager Ben Cherington told Boston radio station WEEI on Thursday.
The team has just $45 million in guaranteed salary committed to next season, but, and would plan to invest in their arbitration-eligible players such as Jacoby Ellsbury and Andrew Bailey, spend on free agents or take on salary through trades.
“It’s harder to predict this offseason than it has been in previous offseason because in previous offseasons ,we’ve been closer to that, closer to where we’ll end up,” Cherington told WEEI. “Especially last offseason, when we were making more cosmetic changes.
“I know that we’ll have a very strong payroll, a large payroll. I know that we’re going to add to it this winter. I’m confident in saying that we’ll be amongst the larger payrolls in the game. Exactly where it ends up, exactly what rank we are, I don’t know that yet. I think it just depends on what we do. We’re not going to shoot for an arbitrary payroll number just to say that we’re going to get to this. We just have to look at each opportunity as it comes and figure out whether it’s the right thing for the Red Sox.”
The Red Sox are seeking corner outfielders, a first baseman and pitchers for the starting rotation and bullpen. He said that he had spoken to the Miami Marlins before they dealt most of their expensive players to the Toronto Blue Jays.
He added that he likely wasn’t willing to take on that much in one swoop.
“The scope of that deal was bigger than we were expecting,” Cherington told WEEI. “As far as we’re concerned, we have standards and we have a limit to what we’ll do in a trade and free agency and we’re going to try to stick to that and have faith in our process and that over time the best way to build a team is through getting the right veterans here, being disciplined but getting the right veterans here through free agency or trade and continuing to develop from within.”
Cherington expects that the Red Sox will be a much-improved squad from the one that won 69 games last season.
“I think we’ll be looking at a Red Sox team that’s going to be a contender (in 2013),” he said. “I’m not ready to put a win total on it. … I know we’re going to be good in the long run and I know we’re building something that’s going to be good. Exactly what that turns into in 2013 time will tell. I know we’re going to be better, I know we’re going to be improved. And I think we’re going to have a team that fans are going to enjoy watching a lot more and that has a chance to contend.”
—Catcher Gerald Laird signed two-year contract with the Atlanta Braves, according to multiple reports.
Laird, 33, batted .282 with two homers in 191 plate appearances with the Detroit Tigers last season, but is a career .244 hitter. He will replace backup catcher David Ross, who signed with the Boston Red Sox.
—Oakland Athletics starter Brandon McCarthy has been cleared to resume baseball activities after his concussion symptoms lessened subsided.
McCarthy had brain surgery after being struck in the head by a line drive off hit by Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar on Sept. 5. He was cleared to play light catch last month and tested and screened regularly.
He can now begin workouts to gradually increase his activity and then resume his full offseason throwing program.
“It’s a nice weight lifted, knowing everything is back to normal,” McCarthy told The San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday.
McCarthy, 29, sustained a brain contusion and skull fracture on the play. He had gone 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 18 starts with the A’s in 2012.
—The Los Angeles Angels have joined in the hunt for free-agent starter Hiroki Kuroda, according to a CBSSports.com report.
The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are also interested in the right-hander.
Kuroda, 37, posted to a 3.32 ERA in a career-high 219 2/3 innings for the Yankees in 2012. He is seeking a one-year contract, so he can potentially return to Japan after the season. The Yankees made Kuroda a qualifying offer and would receive draft pick compensation if he signs with another team.