"Catcher Drake Baldwin of the Braves leads the way on the National League side, followed by Cade Horton of the Cubs and Caleb Durbin of the Brewers. Kurtz and his 36 home runs are considered the favorite for the AL. Baldwin, who slashed .274/.341/.469 as Atlanta's primary backstop, is considered the favorite in the NL. The winners will be announced on MLB Network at 6 pm CT."
"Murakami hit a single-season record 56 home runs in 2022. Contact has been an issue at times, and it's unclear whether he'll stick at third base, but Murakami immediately becomes one of the top bats on the market. The 27-year-old has a fastball approaching triple digits and a plus slider. Imai posted a 3.15 ERA over 963 2/3 innings across eight NPB seasons."
Awards week opens with the Rookie of the Year announcement tonight and the Most Valuable Player award on Thursday. AL finalists include a first baseman for the Athletics, shortstop Jacob Wilson of the Athletics, and outfielder Roman Anthony of the Red Sox. NL finalists include catcher Drake Baldwin of the Braves, Cade Horton of the Cubs, and Caleb Durbin of the Brewers, with Kurtz favored in the AL and Baldwin favored in the NL. Yakult posted 25-year-old Murakami, a top Japanese power bat, and Saitama Seibu Lions posted 27-year-old right-hander Imai, a hard-throwing starter with a plus slider and a 3.15 ERA across eight NPB seasons. Murakami and Imai have 45 days to negotiate MLB contracts. Guardians pitchers Clase and Ortiz were indicted by prosecutors on charges described as involving wire-fraud conspiracy and honest-services-related violations.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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