Matt Harvey, Prince Fielder win MLB’s comeback player awards

New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is the NL comeback player of the year and Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder earned the AL honor.

Returning from Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the 2014 season, Harvey was 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA in 29 starts, helping New York reach the World Series for the first time since 2000.

Fielder hit .305 with 23 homers and 98 RBIs for Texas, which won the AL West for the first time since 2011. He played in 42 games in 2014, when his season ended in mid-May because of a herniated neck disk that needed surgery.

Mariners, Rays make six-player trade

The Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays didn’t wait long to pull off the first significant trade of the off-season. Four days after the World Series ended, the teams completed a six-player swap.

Seattle sent infielder-outfielder Brad Miller, first baseman Logan Morrison and pitcher Danny Farquhar to Tampa Bay for pitchers Nathan Karns and C.J. Riefenhauser as well as minor league outfielder Boog Powell.

Nationals more comfortable with Baker

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said the team negotiated contract terms with Baker and Bud Black simultaneously before hiring Baker as manager.

In his first remarks on what he calls “a unique situation,” Rizzo said Thursday that “sometimes the negotiating process also tells you a lot about the people that you’re negotiating with.”

Speaking to reporters after the news conference introducing Baker as Washington’s manager, Rizzo said Baker and Black were the finalists from nine candidates.

Rizzo said the decision to pick Baker “did not come down to money; it did not come down to term.” Instead, he said, it was about whom the GM and owners were “most comfortable with.”

Royals’ moves

The World Series champion Kansas City Royals kept on shaping their roster for next season, exercising an $8-million option on All-Star closer Wade Davis and $5.25-million option on All-Star shortstop Alcides Escobar.

The Royals also declined a $3-million option on outfielder Jonny Gomes, one day after learning All-Star outfielder Alex Gordon had declined his player option and choosing not to exercise options on aging outfielder Alex Rios and unproductive starter Jeremy Guthrie.

General Manager Dayton Moore indicated Thursday the Royals are interested in signing Gordon and free agent Ben Zobrist.

“We’ll see what the market brings,” Moore said. “Obviously, our goal is to bring back players that are most impactful to us, and you know, the players you mentioned have been a big part of our success here. We’ll do everything we can to make sure we operate efficiently, first of all, and do the best we can to get them back. We’ll see what happens.”

Sabathia decision

New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said he had “no other option” than to leave the team for treatment for alcoholism ahead of its loss to Houston in the one-game AL wild-card playoff.

In his first remarks to media since seeking treatment, Sabathia told ABC, “it was just the time.”

An excerpt from the interview was posted Thursday on ABC’s website. The network said the interview will be broadcast Friday on “Good Morning America.”

“I know it was a bad time of the season, but there was no other option for me but to get help,” Sabathia said. “And I understand where, you know, fans would be upset and people don’t understand, but it’s a disease. And if it was my knee or it was anything else, then people wouldn’t have a problem with it, but, you know, it being alcoholism, it’s tough for people to swallow. But it’s the same thing.”

The 35-year-old left-hander was 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA this season, slowed by a chronic knee injury.

Etc.

Torii Hunter has retired as a player after a 17-year career, but he wants to stay in baseball. “I don’t want to sit out too long. I want to get right back in it,” Hunter said Thursday. ... Detroit Tigers shortstop JaCoby Jones has been suspended for 50 games following a positive test for a drug of abuse under baseball’s minor league drug program.