Jake Arrieta Named NL Cy Young Award Winner

In early October, Cubs president Theo Epstein was told by a reporter that Jake Arrieta carried himself like he was the best pitcher in baseball. Epstein smiled.

"He did before he was," Epstein said. "And now he is, so it's even better."

And now it's official. Arrieta won the 2015 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday evening, beating out Dodgers aces Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw.

The Houston Astros' Dallas Keuchel took home the American League award.

There was no magic wand, no cinematic moment of truth that can explain Arrieta's rise from Baltimore bust to Chicago Cy Young. It is simply the result of talent, hard work, sublime confidence and a good support staff coming together.

The Cubs swept the first three Baseball Writers' Association of America awards with Kris Bryant and Joe Maddon winning rookie and manager honors, respectively. It was that kind of season for the North Siders.

What Arrieta did in 2015, from his no-hitter in Los Angeles to his late-season dominance, mirrored the exploits of his team. They all had the potential to be great, the raw talent and the mental makeup. But everything clicked. An overnight success that was years in the making.

Arrieta's Cy Young was won in the second half of the 2015 season, when he put together a historic run with a 12-1 record with an 0.75 ERA in 107 1/3 innings over 15 starts. During that time, he would barely admit to thinking about winning the Cy Young. He would say it was something he would talk about with his wife after putting the kids to bed and pivot his attention to the team, which won 97 games in the regular season.

Privately, Arrieta, who went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA, knew he was very deserving of the award, and the writers agreed, giving him 17 of 30 first-place votes, 169 points overall. He put in the work and saw the results.

Keuchel Wins AL Cy Young Award

Dallas Keuchel won an American League-best 20 games and notched one last victory in 2015 by collecting the AL Cy Young award.

Keuchel got 22 first-place votes for 186 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in results announced Wednesday.

Toronto's David Price finished second, drawing eight first-place votes and 143 points. Oakland's Sonny Gray finished third.

Keuchel was in attendance Wednesday night for the Houston Rockets' overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and received one of the loudest ovations of the evening when he was displayed on the Toyota Center videoboard.

He led the league in wins, going 20-8 and helping Houston reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Using a dominant sinker and sharp slider, he led all AL pitchers in innings (232.0), WAR (7.2) and WHIP (1.02) and also had a 2.48 ERA and 216 strikeouts.

Tigers Acquire Rodriguez

The Detroit Tigers have acquired right-hander Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers in their latest attempt to stabilize the back end of their bullpen.

Rodriguez tallied 38 saves in 40 chances and had a 2.21 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 57 innings last season for the Brewers. Overall, K-Rod has 386 career saves over 13 major league seasons with four teams.

"It's something that me and my family are looking forward ... knowing a little bit more about my future, where I'm going to be at next year," Rodriguez said.

Detroit general manager Al Avila said the Tigers might also receive a player to be named in the deal, but that's not certain.