TBNL: Players Choice Awards announced; Padres, Nationals manager searches move forward

MLB players have been able to vote on their own set of awards at the end of each season since 1992. This year’s winners of the Players Choice Awards were announced on Wednesday:

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were finalists for the Player of the Year Award, per the MLBPA’s press release.

The Marvin Miller Man of the Year is among the more prestigious awards a player can win, especially considering voting is done strictly by their peers. Players are asked to vote for the player “whose leadership most inspires others to higher levels of achievement.” Suter was nominated for the award in 2022 and has been nominated several times for the Roberto Clemente Award.

The number of open manager jobs continues to dwindle, with at least one more club (San Diego) expected to make a hiring before the week ends. San Diego has reportedly narrowed the list of finalists down to four: Albert Pujols, Nick Hundley, Ruben Niebla, and a fourth, unknown candidate.

Pujols and Hundley were both linked to the Angels’ manager opening, so their potential candidacy has been discussed heavily already. Niebla is a new name among known candidates for openings around the league. It appears he has only interviewed for the Padres’ opening.

Niebla spent three years pitching in the independent leagues following college before landing with the Expos. He spent parts of three seasons in the minors with the Expos and Dodgers organizations before shifting into coaching. He’s spent the last 25 years with Cleveland and San Diego as a pitching coach and minor league pitching coordinator. Niebla is well-regarded around the league for his work with pitching staffs and received some consideration for the Padres’ manager opening in 2023 before Mike Shildt was hired.

There are no indications that Paul Toboni is close to hiring a new manager in Washington, but at least one candidate has been ruled out of the mix. Miguel Cairo led the team to a 29-43 record after being named as the interim manager following Davey Martinez’s firing. He was told that he is no longer under consideration for the job, according to reports.

In fact, Washington’s entire coaching staff from last season was informed that they likely will not be back unless the new manager is interested in keeping them.

Toboni is hoping to speak with former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, though it’s unclear if those conversations have already taken place. Prior reports suggested that the team already interviewed former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and former Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz (who was just hired as Baltimore’s new manager).

Lehmann, who may not have had time to interview for positions yet with the Dodgers in the World Series, is also believed to be a candidate for the Braves’ opening. He interviewed for the White Sox’s opening last offseason before they hired Will Venable.

In case you needed another example of the disparity in media value: a 30-second commercial during the World Series typically costs between $350,000 and $600,000, depending on when during the series (and games) it airs. 30-second commercial spots during the last Super Bowl reportedly reached $8 million.

ESPN and Athletes Unlimited (the parent company that runs women’s pro softball, volleyball, and basketball leagues in the US) reached a new rights agreement that will begin next year. The AUSL (AU Softball League) had an immensely successful first season this past summer. 50 games (47 regular-season games, plus the best-of-three championship series) will be broadcast via ESPN channels under the new agreement.

Changes are (finally) coming to the Yankees’ broadcast team on YES. The network has trimmed down its team of analysts and will focus on just Paul O’Neill, David Cone, and Joe Girardi in the booth alongside Michael Kay. John Flaherty (and the lesser-used Jeff Nelson) will not return.

Some curious news about the independent Pioneer League. On the eve of the 2025 season, owners of the Northern Colorado Owlz abruptly resigned from the league. The team’s coaches and players were temporarily relocated to Colorado Springs for just the 2025 season, playing as the Sky Sox. Now, it appears the Rocky Mountain Vibes are also leaving the league. The team’s owners claim that remaining in the league is “unsustainable” from Colorado Springs and could be looking to relocate. The Pioneer League had 12 teams entering last season, but is now down to 10.

Much was made on social media about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday. Of course, the last time a member of the Royal Family saw a baseball game in Los Angeles (in the same stadium, no less) it didn’t go quite as well.

(I couldn’t help myself.)