Hot Stove Lunch: Mookie Betts poised for first MVP award; Alex Cora gets rewarded

It seems all but certain that Mookie Betts will be named American League MVP tonight when the results of balloting by the BBWAA is revealed, marking the first Red Sox MVP since Dustin Pedroia (in 2008) and the first Red Sox outfielder to win the award in 40 years (Jim Rice, 1978).

In all, 10 Red Sox players have won the award, with Ted Williams (1946, 1949) the only Sox player to capture the award more than once. In one 11-year span, the Red Sox had three outfielders (Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, Fred Lynn in 1975 and Rice in '78) win the award, but have had just two winners in the last 32 years (Pedroia in '08 and Mo Vaughn in 1995).

Betts, of course, has come close before: he finished second to Mike Trout in 2016; tonight, it's quite likely that the voting will flip, with Betts winning and Trout finishing second. The other finalist is Cleveland's Jose Ramirez.

Winning the MVP will only boost the value of Betts, who is eligible for free agency after two more seasons. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Red Sox are this winter in trying to get Betts signed to a contract extension. They've tried to do so in each of the last two off-seasons will little progress made, as Betts and his representatives have signaled a willingness to go year-to-year in salary arbitration.

MLBTradeRumors.com projects that Betts will make $18.5 million in arbitration this winter, but that number could go up after tonight's voting is made official.

Around the game:

AL East

George King has a story about reliever David Robertson apparently urging teammates to stiff some members of the Yankees' organization on playoff shares.

A closer look at the incoming Orioles president of baseball operations.

Blake Snell won the A.L. Cy Young award.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro promises that the Toronto payroll will be bolstered....in time.

AL Central

Cy Young award voting isn't what it used to be, writes Paul Hoynes

Dan Gilbert maintains that, evidence to the contrary, he's not interested in buying the Tigers.

The Royals still have some time to figure out their bullpen.

AL West

It appears as though Mike Trout might once again be a runner-up in MVP balloting.

The Rangers have re-made their coaching staff for 2019.

If the Mariners trade James Paxton, who will emerge as their rotation leader?

NATIONAL LEAGUE

The Pittsburgh Pirates made one of the first trades of the offseason.

HOT TAKE I MIGHT SOON REGRET

Some were shocked late in the season when USA Today revealed that Alex Cora was making only $800,000 in his first season as manager of the Red Sox. The report illustrated how underpaid MLB managers are in general - especially in comparison with the NBA, where new coaches routinely make millions in their first season.

Cora's low salary was a reflection of his inexperience - he had no past managerial success to leverage. But after directing the Red Sox to a 108-win season and a World Series victory in his inaugural year in the dugout, Cora was rewarded Wednesday with a new deal.

The new pact adds another guaranteed year (2021) and pushes the team option to 2022. It also, according to an industry source, includes a financial reworking of his present deal, though exact details aren't known.

Whatever the outlay, it was the smart -- and right -- thing for the Red Sox to do. Chances are good, too, that it will be the best money the Sox spent all winter.