Astros Collin McHugh finishes in top 10 in AL Cy Young voting

Arrieta and Keuchel did not burst on the scene like a Matt Harvey or a Jose Fernandez.

FINAL SEASON FOR ORTIZ: Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, Boston’s beloved “Big Papi” who helped the cursed franchise end its dynasty of disappointment and cursed out the bombers who attacked his adopted city, officially announced he will play one more year before retiring.

“A little relieved, honestly”, Arrieta told Major League Baseball Network after the announcement.

That 17-player trade worked out for the Yankees, who received seven players including Turley, Billy Hunter and Don Larsen (best known for throwing a flawless game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers).

This is a 2015 photo of Chicago Cubs Jake Arrieta. The 29-year-old righty had a 1.77 ERA, struck out 236 and pitched a no-hitter (see full story). No starter has equalled what he did in the second half.

Arrieta went 22-6, including 11-0 in his last 12 starts in pushing the Cubs into the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

While speaking with reporters on a conference call on Wednesday night, Arrieta admitted that he plans on making a recruiting call to free agent pitcher Zack Greinke.

Over 32 starts with Los Angeles, Greinke allowed just 148 hits in 222.2 innings, with a 200/40 K:BB ratio, and he also registered a 2.76 FIP mark. He went 19-3 with a 1.66 earned-run average, the lowest since Greg Maddux posted a 1.63 ERA in 1995. As well, the NL Central is a fairly brutal division, so even a 97-win squad like the Cubs would do well to seek out upgrades – even expensive upgrades like Greinke.

Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young victor, was the first pitcher in 13 seasons to have 300-plus strikeouts (301) in a season.

Featuring a dominant sinker and a sharp slider, the 27-year-old Keuchel had a 2.48 ERA and 216 strikeouts.

-Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz celebrated his 40th birthday and made it official that he will retire after the 2016 season.

Keuchel was Houston’s seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft and reached the majors in 2012, when the Astros were in the middle of a three-year stretch in which they lost at least 106 every season. Buchholz managed to produce a 2.7 WAR that put him inside the top-20 in the league, despite pitching essentially only half a season.

Pitchers are not supposed to get better as the season goes on. He led the American League with a 2.45 ERA and was 18-5, including 9-1 with Toronto.

Besides drawing the starting assignment in his first All-Star Game appearance, Keuchel became the undisputed staff ace of an Astros team that surprised observers by leading earning a wild-card spot in the playoffs.