MLB Notebook: Handing out award choices & Is J.D. Martinez on Sox' radar?

It’s that time of year again: award time. Some are predictable, others will be contested. Here’s a look at the four majors, if you will – MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year – in both leagues, with my choices for winners and others in the running.

Most Valuable Player

A.L. – Jose Altuve

The Astros second baseman leads the league in batting average, hits, multi-hit games and is among the leaders in runs scored, total bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He also profiles as one of the league’s better defenders at his position and is third in stolen bases. In other words, he’s a complete player, and as a member of one of the two best teams in the league, that should count for something.

What’s more, Altuve has been remarkably consistent and durable. Aaron Judge has thrust himself into the conversation with a terrific September, but even with a 50-homer season, Judge essentially disappeared for July and August and that’s hard to overlook.

Also receiving consideration: Judge, Jose Ramirez, Mike Trout.

N.L. – Paul Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt remains criminally underrated. He’s the rare power-hitting first baseman who’s also a superb baserunner and his defense is well above-average. His OPS is approaching 1.000. If Goldschmidt played in a bigger media market, he’d be perhaps the biggest star in the game.

There is no shortage of other worthy contenders, but a few of them – Cincinnati’s Joey Votto, Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton to name two – play for teams with losing records. To me, the “Valuable’’ means something; if this were a Player of the Year Award, it would be hard to deny Stanton, who may become just the fifth player in history to hit 60 or more homers.

But then, the Marlins haven’t been factors in the playoff race all season and while that’s not Stanton’s fault – or Votto’s in Cincinnati, for that matter – it’s hard to say either has been the most valuable to their respective teams when said teams are going to finish under .500.

Also receiving consideration: Stanton, Votto, Kris Bryant.

CY YOUNG AWARD

A.L. – Corey Kluber

Chris Sale seemed in position to lock this award up with a good September. Instead, he had an uneven final month, opening the door for Kluber to grab the award. His ERA is more than six tenths of a run lower and he has three shutouts. Kluber also leads the league in opponents batting average against, and despite missing several weeks earlier in the season with a lower back strain, is only 16 innings behind him. Even the strikeout rate (Sale is 12.9, Kluber 11.9) is surprisingly close.

Also receiving consideration: Sale, Luis Severino, Craig Kimbrel.

N.L. – Clayton Kershaw.

At some point, the N.L. award could be re-named the Clayton Kershaw Award, as this would be his fourth – with a second-place finish and a third-place finish to boot.

Kershaw missed time, but it hasn’t impacted his number. He leads the N.L. in wins – to the degree that’s still significant – and just in case you believe he’s unfairly aided by pitching in Dodger Stadium, he also leads the league in road ERA, too.

Also receiving consideration:  Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

A.L. – Aaron Judge

What was the old radio spot tag? “The biggest no-brainer in the history of the world.’’ That applies here, as Judge set rookie records for most homers in a season, tops in runs scored and is likely to finish second in RBI and slugging percentage.

Andrew Benintendi has had a perfectly good season and in other years, would be hard to ignore here. But not this year.

Also receiving consideration: Benintendi, Trey Mancini, Yuli Gurriel

N.L. – Cody Bellinger

Bellinger didn’t hit 50 the way his counterpart in the A.L. did, but he went into the final weekend with a chance to hit 40. That’s astounding, considering that he didn’t get called up by the Dodgers until almost four weeks into the regular season.

Like Benintendi in the A.L., Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell – with 26 homers and 89 RBI – would have won in most any other year.

Also receiving consideration:  Bell, Paul DeJong.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

A.L. – Paul Molitor

The Twins won just 59 games last season, and at the trade deadline, sold off a starter and their closer, believing they were out of contention. But Molitor rallied the troops and guided them through a crowded wild card field to grab a playoff spot.

Also receiving consideration: Terry Francona, A.J. Hinch.

N.L.  - Torey Lovullo

In his first full year as manager, Lovullo took a team that was in the basement of the N.L. West a year ago and directed them to (at least) 92 wins.  The Dbacks also took it to the Dodgers in the final two series of the year between the two, which could make an NLDS matchup very interesting.

Also receiving consideration: Craig Counsell, Bud Black.

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Will the Red Sox be players for free agent J.D. Martinez?

He’s arguably the best power hitter on the free agent market, and with the Sox set to finish dead last in the A.L. in that department, they’ll be looking to add some home run sock from somewhere this winter.

Dave Dombrowski rescued Martinez from the scrap heap in 2014 and Martinez’ career took off with the Tigers. He blossomed in 2015 when he hit 38 homers – at specious Comerica Park, no less – before hitting 22 in three-quarters of a season a year ago.

But this year, Martinez has emerged as one of the best hitters in the game. Dealt from Detroit to Arizona in July, he’s taken off, with 29 homers in 60 games. For the season, after missing most of the first two months with a foot injury, he’s hit a remarkable 45 homers in 117 games.

That sort of production will help Martinez’s value on the open market skyrocket. The Red Sox can swim in the deep end of the financial pool, but will there are issues.

First, Martinez is an outfielder and there would seem to room for him on the current roster there. Would they pay him in excess of $20 million to DH? Or would he be willing or able to consider a shift to first base?

Second, with Pablo Sandoval still on the books for two more seasons and Hanley Ramirez collecting a big salary for at least one more year (it could be more if he triggers an option for 2019), do the Sox want to be paying better than $60 million next year for three players?

There are other power options available on the trade market. The White Sox would surely listen on first baseman Jose Abreu, for one. But given Martinez’s clear ability to transform a lineup and his past association with Dombrowski, this bears watching.

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After five and a half months with no managerial firings, major league clubs have picked it up in recent weeks, creating three job openings.

Detroit let Brad Ausmus know he wouldn’t return last week. The Phillies did the same with Pete Mackanin Friday, and it’s the worst-kept secret in the game that Terry Collins will be told Monday – if not sooner – that he won’t be coming back in 2018.

The Phillies job search could impact the Red Sox coaching staff. Bench coach Gary DiSarcina worked under Phils GM Matt Klentak in Anaheim and could be the younger, newer voice Klentak wants in the Philadelphia dugout.

DiSarcina has been a major league coach, a bench coach, and a minor league manager and has managerial aspirations.

One of DiSarcina’s fellow coaches on the Sox staff , first base coach Ruben Amaro Jr., has made no secret of his wish to manage, but it’s difficult that the Phillies would turn to him now after firing him as their GM only two years ago.

Others who could be under consideration in Philly: Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, Ausmus and White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing.
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Michael Chavis, who was named the Red Sox’ Minor League Player of the Year, is soon headed to the Arizona Fall League, where he’ll play first base. Chavis was drafted as a shortstop and later moved to third by the Sox.

“I’m excited to get some actual in-game experience there,’’  said Chavis, who has been working in the Instructional League in Fort Myers in recent weeks to get comfortable with the switch.

Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett says the experiment is done with a goal of “expanding (Chavis’s) defensive versatility,’’ but it’s difficult to not read between the lines and see this as the Red Sox toying with the idea of having Chavis compete for the first base job.

Mitch Moreland will be a free agent and will look for a multi-year commitment that the Sox won’t be willing to make. Ramirez’s shoulder woes would preclude counting on him to handle the position for the full season.

Chavis had a breakout season between High A Salem and Double A Portland (combining to hit 31 homers and knock in 94 with a .563 slugging percentage) and while Crockett expressed hope that Chavis get at least some time spent at Triple A before coming to the big leagues, the fact is the Sox have made a habit of double-jumping players to the majors from Portland. Benintendi did it last year and Tzu-Wei Lin this year. Rafael Devers, meanwhile, was in Pawtucket barely long enough to unpack before he graduated to Boston.

Could the same happen to Chavis next spring? The infielder insists he’s not thinking about that.

“Early in my career, I thought about that stuff too much,’’ he acknowledged. “It doesn’t really work well for me. I try to push it, rather than just allowing my performance to play out and whatever happens, happens. I don’t really like to worry about the future. I like to say, ‘I don’t like to play GM,’ because I’m not very good at that.’’