Angels' Shohei Ohtani wins AL MVP unanimously  —  Shohei Ohtani, who starred as a hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, won the American League MVP Award unanimously, becoming the 11th player to sweep the voting in the AL.  —  The other unanimous winners in the AL: Hank Greenberg …

Seager, Taylor both reject qualifying offer  —  LOS ANGELES — As expected, shortstop Corey Seager and super utility man Chris Taylor have officially rejected the Dodgers' $18.4 million qualifying offer before Wednesday's deadline.  —  Though Seager and Taylor are now officially …

Blue Jays' Robbie Ray wins AL Cy Young Award  —  Robbie Ray was elected as the American League Cy Young Award winner, the fifth time a Toronto pitcher has won.  —  Other Blue Jays winners were Pat Hentgen in 1996, Roger Clemens in 1997 and '98 and Roy Halladay in 2003.

Commissioner Rob Manfred says lockout could move MLB collective bargaining agreement talks forward  —  CHICAGO — Major League Baseball owners have not yet decided to lock out players if there is no new labor deal after the Dec. 1 expiration of the current one, commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday …

Bucs' Antonio Brown accused of obtaining fake vaccine card  —  A former live-in chef also says Brown, who missed one game this season after testing positive for COVID, owes him $10,000.  —  Updated Just now  —  TAMPA — Bucs receiver Antonio Brown obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination card …

New York Mets announce Billy Eppler as new GM on 4-year contract  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets finally found a general manager, hiring Billy Eppler in a move announced Thursday night following their long and ridiculed search.  —  Eppler was fired as GM of the Los Angeles Angels a little …

Michigan State working on historic 10-year, $95 million contract extension for Mel Tucker  —  Chris Solari David JesseDetroit Free Press  —  If all goes as planned, Mel Tucker will become the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. And Michigan State will make a major show of strength that it plans …

Goodbye, Staples Center.  Hello, Crypto.com Arena  —  Staples Center is getting a new name for Christmas: Crypto.com Arena.  —  The downtown Los Angeles venue — home of the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sparks — will wear the new name for 20 years under a deal between the Singapore cryptocurrency exchange …

Rays' Kevin Cash wins back-to-back Manager of the Year honors, a first in the AL  —  Kevin Cash of the Rays was named American League Manager of the Year, making him the first in the AL to win the award in consecutive seasons.  —  Bobby Cox won the award in consecutive seasons with the Braves, in the National League, in 2004 and 2005.

Boston Red Sox Owner Fenway Sports in Talks to Buy Pittsburgh Penguins  —  Deal for the NHL franchise could be finalized later this week  —  Fenway Sports Group LLC, the holding company that owns the Boston Red Sox, is in advanced talks to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, according to people familiar with the matter.