Oscar Taveras Dies In Car Accident  —  Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras has died in a car accident in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, Dionisio Soldevila of ESPNDeportes confirms (via Twitter).  Taveras' girlfriend, 18-year-old Edilia Arvelo, also reportedly passed away.

IMAGE 1 OF 94  —  Madison Bumgarner soaked it all in.  He took his time between pitches.  He listened to the “MVP, MVP” chants.  He looked at the crowd on its feet, roaring into the night on every pitch.  He saw the fans bowing down to him the way they used to for Barry Bonds.  —  “That was fun,” he said.

Players, staff to be consulted in Rays manager search  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Before Matt Silverman comes up with a list of candidates to talk with about replacing Joe Maddon as Rays manager, he has to decide what type of person he is looking for.  —  Not expecting to be immersed …

SF Giants head groundskeeper: ‘no gamesmanship,’ denies flooding the basepaths  —  The Royals led the majors in stolen bases this year, and their manager said the Giants have added extra water to their infield, particular on the basepaths, presumably an attempt to slow down Kansas City's running game.

The Long Game  —  The decision by Ned Yost to bring out Brandon Finnegan for the start of the seventh inning surprised me in game four.  At that point, the Royals were down 7-4, and Finnegan pitched a poor sixth inning.  I expected to see Kelvin Herrera to hold the fort …

Cafardo On Shields, Buehrle, Zobrist, Danks  —  In today's column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe details the challenges faced by the Braves and Dodgers this offseason.  John Hart and Andrew Friedman differ in age, style, and substance, but they face similar roadblocks.  Here's more from Cafardo..