Takeaways from MLB Week 24

MLB officially has its first 2016 division winner: The Chicago Cubs clinched the National League Central title on Thursday.

But the Cubs still have something to play for. The team has yet to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Of course, there are other teams and players with more to play for. Check out the biggest takeaways from this week in MLB in the following slides. 

Cubs Clinch the NL Central Title

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On Thursday, the Chicago Cubs clinched the NL Central division title, becoming the first MLB team to clinch a division this season. The team currently holds baseball’s best record and will look to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Cubs will fall just one day short of being the NL Central’s wire-to-wire first-place team. A loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 8 in Chicago's fourth game of the season caused the team to fall to second place. It held a share of first place through the first three days of the season.

Since April 8, however, the team has maintained at least a share of first place in the division. On April 11, the Cubs took sole possession of first place and have not relinquished it.

At the time of clinching, the team’s division lead was a season-high 17 games.

The Cubs have scored the third-most runs in baseball and have MLB’s best team ERA. Chicago has enjoyed MVP-like seasons from third baseman and outfielder Kris Bryant (.295/.388/.562 slash line) and first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.290/.388/.551).

Chicago is the favorite to win the World Series, though the pitching-heavy nature of the playoffs will ensure other NL foes are competitive come October. Like the Cubs, the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and New York Mets—all potential playoff teams—boast solid pitching.

Padres GM A.J. Preller Suspended for Handling of Drew Pomeranz Trade

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MLB announced on Thursday that it had suspended San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller for his mishandling of a trade that sent Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox on July 14 in exchange for highly regarded minor league pitcher Anderson Espinoza, per Paul Hagen of MLB.com.

Preller was investigated for having withheld medical information regarding Pomeranz during trade negotiations. The matter was investigated by MLB, and findings were presented to commissioner Rob Manfred.

As of the suspension, MLB said that it considers the matter closed.

Buster Olney of ESPN.com, citing sources, reported trainers were instructed to keep two medical files on players—one for the benefit of the team and the other to better position the organization in trade talks.

Preller said the following in a statement, per Olney:

"

I accept full responsibility for issues related to the oversight of our medical administration and record keeping. I want to emphasize that there was no malicious intent on the part of me, or anyone on my staff, to conceal information or disregard MLB's recommended guidelines. This has been a learning process for me. I will serve my punishment and look forward to being back on the job in 30 days.

"

All MLB teams are supposed to make the complete medical records of players available to one another.

But the matter should force MLB to examine the way in which medical information is disseminated.

Clayton Kershaw Looks More Like Himself in Second Start Back

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In his second start since spending more than two months on the disabled list with a disc herniation, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw allowed one hit in five scoreless innings against the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Kershaw was limited to only 64 pitchers by Los Angeles, but that’s because it is still trying to stretch his arm out while simultaneously using him amidst a playoff race.

The news is good for the Dodgers, who watched Kershaw struggle through three innings in a Sept. 9 start against the Miami Marlins, his first since coming off the disabled list. The lefty allowed two runs on five hits in just three innings.

If the team is going to get to October and be successful in the playoffs, it will need Kershaw to play like the player he was before he got hurt.

At the time he went on the DL, Kershaw had an MLB-best 1.79 ERA and had only issued nine walks all season. That number still holds, as he hasn’t walked anybody in his last two starts.

The natural progression for Kershaw in his next scheduled start, Monday against the San Francisco Giants, should be for him to try to hit the 80-pitch mark.

Blue Jays Hire Ben Cherington as VP of Baseball Operations

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Former Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, who left in 2015 after the organization hired Dave Dombrowski as its president of baseball operations, is again employed.

On Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays hired Cherington as the organization’s vice president of baseball operations.

Though Cherington presided over two last-place finishes in Boston, the former Red Sox executive deserves credit for the development of players such as Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts.

The Red Sox have remained in the playoff picture all season largely because of the contribution of their young core. Cherington first took over the general manager role in Boston after Theo Epstein vacated the position to become the president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs.

In his role in Toronto, Cherington will immediately have to address contract uncertainty at the major league level. Slugger Jose Bautista is set to become a free agent, and the organization needs to prioritize its attempt at signing reigning American League MVP Josh Donaldson to a long-term deal.

Red Sox Do Best David Ortiz Impressions

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When a team appears bound for the playoffs in September, it seems like it’s a lot easier to let loose.

That’s the case for the Boston Red Sox, who own a two-game lead in the AL East division race. So they went ahead and did their best impressions of designated hitter and AL MVP candidate David Ortiz.

Most notable among them was that of Ortiz’s son, D’Angelo. Check them out courtesy of CBSSports.com.

D’Angelo should do his best to imitate his father on the field, too. Ortiz, who is in his final MLB season, is slashing .320/.405/.631 with 34 homers and 115 RBI. He is the biggest reason the Red Sox find themselves in playoff position.

And Ortiz is accomplishing all of it at 40 years old.