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Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was voted player of the year and the American League outstanding player by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards from the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Judge set an AL record with 62 homers, breaking the previous mark of 61 set by New York’s Roger Maris in 1961.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was voted National League outstanding player, the union said Friday.

Judge turned down a $213.5 million extension before the season started and was probably worth somewhere between that and $250 million at the time, then it became clear during the year that he was likely to clear $300 million, with estimates averaging roughly $320 million from a panel of experts polled in September.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp will miss at least four weeks after being placed on injured reserve due to a high-ankle sprain, head coach Sean McVay confirmed.

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay says WR Cooper Kupp has a high ankle sprain and will require surgery tomorrow. Kupp will go on Injured Reserve.

Kupp experienced the injury during the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, having been held to an uncharacteristic three receptions. The All-Pro receiver was seen grabbing his right ankle after the play and walked to the sideline with the assistance of team medical staffer.

Kupp had accounted for 35.7% of the Rams’ receptions during the 2022 season prior to his injury, which is the most among all NFL players.

Before free agency begins and all 30 teams could have taken a run at Edwin Diaz, the Mets agreed to bring back their closer on a five-year, $102 million deal. 

The deal includes a $12 million signing bonus, a sixth-year option and an opt-out after three years, plus a full no-trade clause through the opt-out year.

The contract is a record for a reliever, surpassing the five-year, $86 million deal Aroldis Chapman signed with the Yankees in 2016. The average annual value of $20.4 million also exceeds Liam Hendriks’ reliever record of $18 million, set in his 2021 deal with the White Sox.

Diaz is coming off arguably the most dominant season of any reliever, in which he recorded a 1.31 ERA and 118 strikeouts across 62 innings. He had 32 saves in 35 chances, with no blown saves over the final four months of the season. In the process, he also became a fan favorite with his popular entrance music, “Narco,” which led to a live performance from Timmy Trumpet at Citi Field for one of Diaz’s appearances in August.

Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes, Saquon Barkley ran for 152 yards and a TD and the surprising New York Giants returned from their bye week and beat the Houston Texans 24-16 on Sunday.

Jones went 13 for 17 for 197 passing yards. Jones hit tight end Lawrence Cager on a 9-yard TD pass and Darius Slayton on a 54-yard catch and run as the Giants scored on their opening possession of each half.

Dane Belton, playing in injured Xavier McKinney’s spot, intercepted Texans QB Davis Mills in the end zone in the fourth quarter with Houston looking to pull within one score.

Mills threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins and Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked field goals of 38, 34 and 46 yards for Houston, which has lost four in a row.

Despite their shooting slump, the Rangers are a playoff team. There are cries that this “is not a playoff team” and that “there is no offense” and “they can’t score.” The hyperbolic doom and gloom surrounding the Rangers occurs every season, just this season it’s happened earlier than usual. But the Rangers are a playoff team. They were when the season started. They are still one now.

Emotions run wild early in the season, especially as the Rangers look to cement themselves as true contenders after a great season last year. They have expectations this season, unlike last season, and it is easy to overreact. We are, after all, human. But a deep breath and some critical thinking is all it takes to realize the Rangers are a playoff team, and nothing has changed due to a .500 start.

The only thing that can keep the Rangers out of the playoffs is themselves. They have certainly played down to their opponents lately after dominating both Tampa and Minnesota to start the season. If not for an epic gaffe by Igor Shesterkin, they likely beat Colorado in one of the more entertaining games of the year as well. The Rangers will right the ship against Dallas and Arizona.

The New York Giants felt Kadarius Toney was worthy of a first-round pick just last year, but they are officially moving on from the young wide receiver.

Toney has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Giants will receive a conditional third-round pick and a sixth-round pick in return.

Toney was a star at Florida before the Giants used the No. 20 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on him. He dealt with injuries and frustration over his role during his rookie season. He was also ejected from a game for throwing a punch.

Following his tumultuous rookie season, Toney skipped much of the Giants’ offseason workout program. It was later revealed that he underwent a procedure on his knee.

There were trade rumors surrounding Toney dating back to early in the offseason. Toney has just two catches this season and clearly was not part of head coach Brian Daboll’s plans.

The Chiefs have been searching for consistency at the wide receiver position after they traded Tyreek Hill in a blockbuster deal. They are hoping playing with Patrick Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense will help unleash Toney’s potential.

Despite their strong start, there were still questions regarding the legitimacy of Robert Saleh’s New York Jets team entering Sunday’s game against the Bills. Those questions may be gone now, as the Jets posted a 20-17 win over visiting Buffalo to post the franchise’s biggest win in a dozen years.

Two interceptions of Josh Allen loomed large in Sunday’s outcome. The picks overshadowed Allen’s two touchdown runs as Buffalo was unable to hold its early 14-3 lead. The Jets’ comeback was spearheaded by an opportunistic defense, an effective running game and the clutch play of quarterback Zach Wilson, who had arguably his best game since coming to the Big Apple. 

Wilson’s go-ahead touchdown, a 7-yard pass to James Robinson late in the third quarter, occurred after Sauce Gardner recorded the Jets’ second pick of Allen, who was sacked five times by the Jets’ aggressive defense. Wilson then turned to running backs Robinson and Michael Carter on the Jets’ game-winning drive after the Bills had briefly tied the score. 

Bryce Huff’s strip sack of Allen essentially ended the Bills’ hopes of pulling off a last-second comeback on their final drive. The win moves the Jets to 6-3, while the Bills fell to 6-2.

The Houston Astros won the franchise’s second World Series title on Saturday after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park.

It was the Phillies who got the scoring started in the top of the sixth inning with a Kyle Schwarber solo home run off Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez, who was able to limit the damage before being pulled after the sixth. Valdez finished with nine strikeouts and only allowed two hits and a run.

After allowing two baserunners, Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was pulled from the game with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado gave up a three-run home run to Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez to give Houston the lead. Houston would tack on one more run on a Christian Vazquez single. 

Astros closer Ryan Pressly came in to close out the game and make sure the home crowd in Houston went home celebrating a World Series victory.

Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena was named the World Series MVP. Pena becomes the first ever rookie position player in MLB history to win the award, according to the league. 

The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Steve Nash have “agreed to part ways.” Nash, a FIBA and Basketball Hall of Famer, as well as a two-time NBA MVP as a player, was hired by the Nets in 2020, taking on the head coaching role without prior coaching experience.”

A very heartfelt thanks to Nets owners Joe and Clara Tsai along with general manager Sean Marks for giving me the opportunity to coach the Brooklyn Nets,” Nash said in his official statement.

 “It was an amazing experience with many challenges that I’m incredibly grateful for.”

“It was a pleasure to work with the players, performance team and front office everyday. I’m especially grateful to my coaching staff and video room who are a talented group with so much character and professionalism.”

“Lastly, thanks to Brooklyn and the passionate fans who support this team. Family first and my family has found a home here and LOVES being a part of this beautiful community. I wish the Nets all the success in the world and the Nash’s will be rooting for our team as they turn this season around.”

Oakland may be out of professional sports teams sooner rather than later.

The future of the Athletics in Oakland has been in limbo for several years, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred thinks a new destination is on the horizon.

Manfred told Sirius XM that he’s no longer optimistic they will remain in Oakland, and a move to Las Vegas is likely.

The A’s and Oakland officials had been in discussions regarding a new stadium as part of the Howard Terminal project, but deadlines passed without progress. Because of this, negotiations for the project have been pushed to next year, which A’s president Dave Kaval said would “all but doom our efforts” to stay in Oakland.

Manfred echoed those sentiments, saying there is now “uncertainty” if the A’s will stay put. The team’s lease at the Coliseum ends after the 2024 season.