NL West

After leading the San Francisco Giants to a first-place finish in the National League West, Gabe Kapler has been named NL Manager of the Year. He finished with 28 of 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

.@gabekapler led the @SFGiants to a franchise-record 107 wins.

He is your 2021 NL Manager of the Year! pic.twitter.com/c0ixufbM1u

— MLB (@MLB) November 16, 2021

San Francisco was predicted to finish below the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the NL West, but the Giants exceeded expectations throughout the year.

Kapler, in just his second season with San Francisco, guided the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins in 2021 en route to their first NL West title since 2012. Before the 2021 campaign, the Giants finished below .500 for four straight seasons. 

The 46-year-old beat out Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell and former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Schildt for the honor. He became the first Giants manager to win the award since Dusty Baker in 2000. Baker also won in 1993 and 1997. 

Gabe Kapler wins NL Manager of the Year 👏

He opened the season 14-1 to win the award ✅ pic.twitter.com/T5T0xjikbU

— Action Network MLB (@ActionNetMLB) November 16, 2021

Managers of the year Gabe Kapler, Dave Roberts and Kevin Cash all learned under Terry Francona. And that doesn't even include Alex Cora who won a million games and the World Series in 2018.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 16, 2021

On an interesting note, Bruce Bochy, who led the Giants to three World Series titles and own more than 1,000 games never won a Manager of the Year award. Kapler took over for Bochy in 2020. 

Bruce Bochy managed the Giants for 13 seasons. Won 3 World Series. Won over 1,000 games.

And won no manager-of-the-year awards.

But in Year 2 of Life After Bochy, Gabe Kapler just won the NL manager-of-the-year award.

Baseball sure can write some amazing scripts.

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 16, 2021

The news comes after Kapler agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2024 season. His original deal ran through the 2022 campaign. 

For the second straight year, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has won the American League Manager of the Year award. He finished with 19 of 30 first-place votes. 

Back-to-back!

For the 2nd straight year, Kevin Cash is the AL Manager of the Year! pic.twitter.com/vosUQIMuY6

— MLB (@MLB) November 16, 2021

Cash is the first manager in the AL, and second overall, to win the award in consecutive seasons. Former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox won the NL award in 2004 and 2005.

This is also the fourth time a Rays' manager has received the honor, as Joe Maddon also won in 2008 and 2011. 

Cash took over as manager in Tampa Bay in 2015 and has led the team to four straight winning seasons and three straight playoff appearances, including a World Series appearance in 2020. 

The Rays finished with the best record in the AL East for the second straight season at 100-62. Those 100 wins are a franchise record. 

Cash beat out Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais and Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker to win the award. Charlie Montoyo (Toronto Blue Jays), Alex Cora (Boston Red Sox), Tony La Russa (Chicago White Sox) and A.J. Hinch (Detroit Tigers) also received votes. 

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo and Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez are unlikely to be traded this winter, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 

Both pitchers have been linked in trade rumors since the 2021 campaign ended. 

The Reds are likely to cut payroll this winter, and Castillo was seen as a prime candidate to be moved. The 28-year-old is arbitration-eligible through the 2023 season and is projected to earn $7.6 million in 2022. 

A report earlier this week by Jon Morosi also suggested the Reds were more open to trade discussions about Castillo than they've been in the past. The Los Angeles Dodgers had been linked to the former All-Star, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  

Castillo went 8-16 during the 2021 season with a 3.98 ERA, 1.364 WHIP and 192 strikeouts in 187.2 innings across a career-high 33 starts. He also had a 4.8 WAR. 

The Dominican native made his MLB debut in 2017 and has gone 40-49 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.220 WHIP across five seasons. 

Marquez, meanwhile, was listed as a "name to watch" earlier this week by Morosi, who added the Rockies are "certainly going to cycle through and maybe get a little bit younger” this winter. 

However, Marquez won't become a free agent until after the 2024 campaign. He signed a five-year, $43 million contract with the Rockies in April 2019. 

The 26-year-old earned his first All-Star selection in 2021, when he went 12-11 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.272 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 180 innings across 32 starts. He also had a 3.3 WAR. 

With Castillo and Marquez likely off the market, look for teams to instead eye some of MLB's top free-agent pitchers, including Zack Greinke, Marcus Stroman and Anthony DeSclafani.  

The San Francisco Giants announced Friday that they have extended manager Gabe Kapler's contract through the 2024 season.

Kapler, who has managed San Francisco for two seasons, is fresh off leading the Giants to an MLB-best 107-55 regular-season record.

The former MLB outfielder played in the bigs from 1998-2010. He worked as the Los Angeles Dodgers' director of player development before the Philadelphia Phillies signed him to be their manager in Oct. 2017.

Kapler was in Philadelphia for two seasons, amassing a 161-163 before being fired. San Francisco then hired Kapler, who led the Giants to a 29-31 record in 2020.

San Francisco's fantastic 2021 campaign has now led to a well-deserved contract extension for the 46-year-old as the Giants, who fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, will be seeking their fourth World Series win since 2010.

Kapler enters the 2022 season with the unique challenge of piloting a team that just lost a franchise legend in Buster Posey, who retired Nov. 4.

The three-time World Series champion just came off a season where he guided a pitching staff with a 3.24 ERA (second-best in the NL) while hitting .304 (.889 OPS) with 18 home runs and 56 RBI.

The Giants also had the second-oldest MLB roster by average age (28.5 years) last season, per ESPN.com, so it's possible players take a dip in their individual performances in 2022 as they advance in their careers.

Still, Kapler just led a 107-win team, and the Giants should likely be competitive deep into the season at worst in 2022. At any rate, he appears to be the person for the job as San Francisco looks to string together another prosperous era in the Bay Area.

Despite ongoing shoulder problems that landed him on the injured list twice last season, Fernando Tatis Jr. won't have offseason surgery. 

Appearing on Sirius XM's MLB Network Radio with Jim Bowden, San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin said his star shortstop will play through the shoulder issues next season like he did in 2021.   

This isn't an unexpected decision for the Padres superstar. Tatis told reporters last month he was leaning toward not going under the knife based on what his doctors were saying. 

"I haven't sat down with [Padres general manager A.J. Preller] and the doctors but I feel like everybody's in a positive way of not taking the surgery," said Tatis. "But, we'll see. I feel like I'm in a great spot, my shoulder's in a great spot, I feel very secure in where I'm at right now."

Bowden said Melvin told him the "Padres believe [Tatis'] shoulder is as strong as it's ever been."

Tatis originally dislocated his shoulder on a swing during an April 5 game against the San Francisco Giants. The 22-year-old went on the 10-day injured list to rest the injury before returning on April 16. 

During a July 30 game against the Colorado Rockies, Tatis was removed in the second inning after injuring his shoulder on a slide into second base. He returned to the lineup on Aug. 15 and finished the year without significant incident. 

Per MLB.com's AJ Cassavell, Tatis at least partially dislocated his left shoulder four times during the 2021 season. 

There was no indication from Tatis' performance on the field that he was struggling. The All-Star shortstop finished the year with a .282/.364/.611 slash line and led the National League with 42 homers in just 478 at-bats. 

Tatis is one of the three finalists for the NL MVP award, along with Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Padres will open the 2022 regular season on March 31 against the Giants at Petco Park.     

The Los Angeles Dodgers did not extend a qualifying offer to longtime ace Clayton Kershaw, who is set to be a free agent.

Dodgers free-agent shortstop Corey Seager and utility player Chris Taylor were among the fourteen players to be offered one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer deals before the Sunday night's deadline. Teams are entitled to draft pick compensation if players reject the offers and sign elsewhere.

The 33-year-old Kershaw has spent his entire 14-year career with the Dodgers. The left-hander was once one of the best pitchers in baseball, winning three National League Cy Young Awards and earning MVP honors in 2014. Kershaw helped lead Los Angeles to a World Series title in 2020.

However, he is coming off an injury-plagued 2021 season, missing over two months with inflammation in his forearm and elbow. He returned around mid-September, but it was short-lived, as he had to exit his Oct. 1 start with the same injury and didn't pitch for the rest of the year. Kershaw finished 10-8 with a 3.55 ERA in 22 regular-season starts.

At the time of Kershaw's injury, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw did not need Tommy John surgery because his ulnar collateral ligament was intact. The status of Kershaw's left arm will be determined when he resumes throwing during the offseason.

Los Angeles reportedly intends to bring Kershaw back despite not giving him a qualifying offer. The Dodgers also hope to work out a deal for free-agent ace Max Scherzer, who they acquired at this year's trade deadline.

With Kershaw set to hit the open market, the Dodgers will have some competition to retain the southpaw. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported last month that the Texas Rangers are most likely to land Kershaw if he doesn't return to Los Angeles.

The Colorado Rockies can take some solace knowing they took a step toward keeping shortstop Trevor Story.

Colorado will offer the 28-year-old an $18.4 million qualifying offer, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Story will have until Nov. 17 to decide if he wants to accept or reject the one-year tender.

If Story rejects the offer, he could still potentially re-sign with Colorado. The team would receive draft-pick compensation if he signs with another club in free agency.

This means there is at least interest from the Rockies when it comes to keeping one of their franchise cornerstones after trading Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2021 campaign. Story expressed disappointment at the time.

"Nolan's one of my best friends, baseball aside, so this hurts," he said of the trade, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "He's the best third baseman in the game. I'm sad and a little frustrated to be honest. All I can do is focus on playing the best baseball I can for my teammates and the fans. They deserve it."

Playing the best baseball he could helped Story quickly establish himself as one of the best infielders in the league.

He slashed .251/.329/.471 with 24 home runs and 75 RBI during the 2021 campaign and is a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger. Power has never been an issue with Story, as he launched 37 home runs in 2018 and 35 home runs in 2019.

Story even hit 27 home runs when he played just 97 games as a rookie in 2016.

He is more than just a power hitter, though, as evidenced by his .291 batting average in 2018 and .294 batting average in 2019. He is also an excellent fielder and is responsible for 69 defensive runs saved above average during his career, per FanGraphs.

The shortstop also brings plenty of speed on the basepaths with three seasons of 20 or more steals and a league-high 15 during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Story is a multi-tool star in the middle of his prime. The Rockies took a step toward keeping him on the roster even if they no longer have Arenado.

Johnny Cueto's six-year run with the San Francisco Giants has likely come to an end. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Giants declined the 35-year-old's $22 million option for the 2022 season on Friday. 

Coming off a surprising performance in 2021, the Giants have a lot of major roster decisions to make this offseason. Brandon Belt, Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Scott Kazmir are all unrestricted free agents.

All of those questions likely made it easier for the Giants to turn down Cueto's salary. However, they could still bring him back, potentially at a reduced price, next season. 

Even though the Giants were on the fringes of playoff contention in 2020 with an expanded field, their 29-31 record didn't seem to indicate they were trending in the right direction after winning 77 games in 2019. 

Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told NBC Sports Bay Area's pregame show (h/t Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) in August 2020 there were going to be a number of factors considered before the team would decide whether to make any trades.

"We're trying to evaluate our team, and there are maybe areas where as an organization we have some surpluses, where we have some needs," he said. "Not every trade is going to necessarily be a trade of a 'rental' or some of the typical types of trade scenarios that you get." 

Well, the 2021 season turned out to be a massive success in the Bay Area. The Giants won the NL West for the first time in nine years with a 107-55 record. Cueto was effective enough with a 4.09 ERA through 21 starts, but he missed the final month of the season and the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with an elbow injury. 

Heading into free agency at 35 (he'll be 36 in February) leaves a lot of uncertainty for the Dominican. He also has to prove he can stay healthy over the course of a full season after appearing in just 46 games over the past four years combined. 

Cueto will likely be able to pitch in the back of a rotation for many teams seeking help at the position. His innings should be carefully managed because of his limited workload in recent years, but there's some upside left in him as a No. 4 or 5 option.

As a two-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion with a career ERA of 3.45, it stands to reason that Cueto will garner at least some interest on the free-agent market.

Buster Posey is riding off into the sunset after a fantastic 12-year career with the San Francisco Giants. 

Before he walks away from the organization as a player for good, Posey did say one final goodbye to Giants fans in a message released on Friday:

A message from Buster: pic.twitter.com/pz6Akx5UjX

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) November 5, 2021

It came as a surprise to many on Wednesday when Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported Posey was going to announce his retirement.  

After sitting out the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Posey turned in one of the best years of his career in 2021. The 34-year-old hit .304/.390/.499 with 18 homers and 56 RBI in 113 games. 

The Giants were one of the biggest surprises in Major League Baseball in 2021. They won a franchise-record 107 games during the regular season and their first National League West title since 2012. 

During a press conference on Thursday, Posey explained he was walking away because of the physical toll that comes with playing catcher and a desire to spend more time with his family. 

"I want to do more stuff from February to November with family," Posey told reporters. "Physically, it's much harder now. It's hard to enjoy it as much when there is physical pain that you're dealing with."

Posey played a significant role in San Francisco's run of success during the previous decade. He was selected No. 5 overall by the Giants in the 2008 MLB draft. 

Over the course of Posey's 12 seasons in the big leagues, he won three World Series titles, the 2012 NL MVP and 2010 NL Rookie of the Year award. The Florida State alum was named to the All-Star team seven times, won four Silver Slugger awards and a Gold Glove in 2016.    

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon has exercised the $21.3 million player option in his contract for the 2022 MLB season, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. 

Blackmon had quietly emerged as one of the National League's best hitters from 2016 through 2019. The Rockies rewarded his success with a six-year, $108 million contract extension in April 2018.

The 35-year-old Georgia Tech product posted a .314/.364/.576 triple-slash line with 32 home runs across 140 appearances in 2019. His .940 OPS ranked 11th in MLB among qualified hitters, per ESPN.

His numbers have since started to fade a bit. He compiled a .804 OPS with six homers in 59 games during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, and a .761 OPS in 2021.

"I just try to win every pitch," Blackmon told reporters in 2020. "I don't think real big picture. I don't think too far ahead. I just try to do the right thing for that pitch."

Blackmon's track record features four All-Star Game selections, two Silver Slugger Awards and a batting title from 2017 when he finished with a .331 average.

Blackmon's decision to exercise the option doesn't come as a major surprise since he may have struggled to receive an offer over $20 million on the open market after the downward trend in his numbers over the past two years.

He holds another player option for 2023, so he can attempt to put together a bounce-back campaign next year and then decide whether to test the free-agent waters.

He'll likely slot into the middle of the Rockies' lineup to open the 2022 season.

After announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball, longtime San Franciso Giants catcher Buster Posey explained his decision to hang up the cleats while meeting with reporters Thursday. 

"I kind of went into this last season feeling like it might be my last," Posey said. "... I think it really allowed me to, not that you don't give it your all, but really, really empty the tank this year like I never have before."

Buster Posey explains his decision to retire pic.twitter.com/1T5mharycM

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) November 4, 2021

The Giants planned to exercise Posey's $22 million club option for the 2022 season before he made his announcement. The 34-year-old signed an eight-year, $159 million extension with San Francisco in March 2013.

Posey struggled at points after signing that contract. He underwent hip surgery in 2018 and sat out the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season to care for his newly adopted newborn twins. 

There were questions about whether he would return for the 2021 season after sitting out in 2020, but Posey told reporters that he decided to play another year "to prove to myself that I can still play this game at the highest level," per 95.7 The Game.

The 2021 campaign was one of his best, too, as he hit .304/.390/.499 with 56 RBI and 18 home runs in 113 games as the Giants captured their first National League West title in nine years. 

Given his success in 2021, many thought Posey would return for the 2022 campaign. However, while speaking with reporters Thursday, the 2012 NL MVP said it was hard to enjoy playing baseball when dealing with a lot of pain from ankle and hip injuries, per Grant Lodes of KRON4 News. He added that he also wants to be able to spend more time with his family. 

Posey goes down as one of the best catchers in MLB history, and many are already discussing whether he should make the Hall of Fame. The Georgia native won NL Rookie of the Year in 2010, NL MVP in 2012 and a Gold Glove in 2016. He is also a seven-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, three-time World Series champion and a batting title winner. 

Seven of nine players who have caught at least 1,000 games, recorded 1,500 hits and finished with a career OPS+ of 120 are in the Hall of Fame, per FanGraphs. The only two that aren't currently enshrined in Cooperstown are Posey and Jorge Posada, who ended his career in 2011.

It's hard not to include Posey in the Hall of Fame conversation, especially when talking about catchers. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.