Shohei Ohtani wins AL Rookie of the Year; Ronald Acuna takes NL honor  —  Shohei Ohtani was rewarded for a Ruthian season at the plate — and on the mound.  —  Baseball's best two-way player since the Babe at the dawn of the live-ball era a century ago, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick …

MLB to investigate claims of racial discrimination vs. Mariners  —  Major League Baseball said Tuesday it will investigate claims of racial discrimination in the Seattle Mariners organization made by a former employee on Monday.  —  “MLB is aware of the allegations made by a former employee …

Japan rallies to beat MLB All-Stars 5-3 to lead series 3-1  —  HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ryosuke Kikuchi drove in the go-ahead run on a squeeze bunt as Japan rallied with four runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat the MLB All-Stars 5-3 and take a 3-1 lead in their six-game exhibition series on Tuesday.

A Case for Every Team to Sign Bryce Harper  — Realistically, Bryce Harper has only a few viable suitors.  Yet we decided to make a case for each team to make a run at Harper.  There isn't a team he wouldn't improve, after all. … The case for signing Bryce Harper is easy …

Why are baseball managers so short?  —  There's an odd thing about MLB managers: They're pretty short.  —  They're even shorter now than they were.  They're shrinking!  Or, more accurately, some of the taller managers have been replaced by shorter managers: Jeff Bannister (74 inches) …

Detroit Tigers' 2018 rookie of year: Utility man Niko Goodrum  —  Niko Goodrum, arguably the Detroit Tigers' biggest bright spot from a bad 2018 season, is taking home some hardware.  —  Goodrum was named the Tigers rookie of the year by the Detroit Sports Media on Tuesday afternoon …

What a contract extension for Phillies ace Aaron Nola might look like  —  Aaron Nola won't win the Cy Young Award on Wednesday night.  There's no shame in that, though.  Not when the leading candidate had the sixth-lowest ERA among all starting pitchers in the last 50 years.

Dallas Keuchel declines Houston's 1-year qualifying offer  —  HOUSTON — Starter Dallas Keuchel has declined the one-year qualifying offer the Houston Astros offered him.  —  Keuchel could still sign with the Astros, but if he signs with another team before next year's draft the Astros …

One thought on each player who was on the Red Sox' World Series roster  —  Consider this the transition to 2019...  The Red Sox won the World Series 16 days ago Tuesday.  They've sprayed their champagne, reveled with the city on the duck boats, and scattered for the offseason.

Time for Giants to decide what to do with Madison Bumgarner  —  The timing of Farhan Zaidi's hiring by the San Francisco Giants could not be better for an organization that probably needs a clear-eyed examination of its most treasured on-field asset.  It would be too much to ask …