Alomar, 43, also joins Manny Acta’s staff to instruct Indians catchers.

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise since Mets general manager Omar Minaya made it known last week that Alomar was staying with New York in some capacity. Alomar was a catching instructor with the Mets the past two seasons.

Alomar played 11 years with the Indians from 1990-2000 and went to six All-Star games.

The team is still in search of a hitting coach.

Find out more on the Alomar hiring here.

–Now that the World Series is in the rearview mirror, it’s time for Major League Baseball to give out its postseason awards.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Zack Greinke won the AL Cy Young Award, beating out runner-up Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners 134 points to 80. Greinke (16-8, 2.16 ERA) had 25 of the 28 first-place votes.

Oakland A’s right-handed reliever Andrew Bailey (26 saves, 1.84 ERA) and Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan (.321, 9 HR, 47 RBIs) were named the AL and NL rookies of the year, respectively.

Manager of the year awards were given to the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Scioscia (AL) and the Colorado Rockies’ Jim Tracy (NL).

For more on baseball’s awards, visit mlb.com.

–Tony Battaglia

Since Belcher, 48, has extensive knowledge of the Indians pitchers, he said it should be an easy transition.

“I feel I have relationships of varying degrees with every pitcher in our system from Class A Kinston on up, with the exception of those guys we added late last year in the trades,” Belcher said.

He certainly has his work cut out for him.

Indians pitchers had a 5.06 ERA — the second highest in the American League last year — and since trading Cliff Lee, they don’t have a true No. 1.

Belcher’s major league career included an NL Rookie of the Year award in 1988 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 146-140 with a 4.16 ERA in 394 games.

Read more on the Belcher hiring at MLB.com.

–Angels pitcher John Lackey is at the top of the free-agent wish list for GMs as the hot stove league heats up.

Lackey is among the more than 150 players eligible to file for free agency through Nov. 20. Outfielder Matt Holliday is the big-name bat in the mix this offseason.

Expect the Indians to be shopping in the bargain bin and looking to bolster their rotation. Carl Pavano, who pitched for the Indians for most of 2009, is a possibility to re-join the Tribe.

Get some juicy details on potential moves and rumors here.

–No real surprises popped up as the Gold Glove Award winners were announced this week. The American League winners were revealed Tuesday, while the NL winners were announced Wednesday.

Some might think Derek Jeter’s selection at AL shortstop was more of a career-long achievement, but the numbers suggest otherwise. He committed eight errors in 554 chances. No one else with 500-plus chances was even close.

I’m not a fan of Jeter, largely because of the national media fawning over his every less-than-thrilling play. But you have to give it up to Captain Yankee; this season he was as consistent as you can get at one of the most demanding positions in baseball.

Check out the all-time list of Gold Glove Award winners, dating back to 1957, the first season the awards were given out.

– The Indians and Pirates released their 2010 spring training schedules. The Indians open March 5 in Goodyear, Ariz., against the Cincinnati Reds. The Bucs face State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota at Bradenton, Fla., in their opener March 2. Check out the full schedules for the Indians and Pirates.

–Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer does a nice job of breaking down what it will take for the Indians to become a winning ballclub again.

–Former Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh will be on the ballot when the National Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee votes in December. Murtaugh was named in 1999 as the Bucs’ top manager in franchise history.

Get more on the story here.

–Tony Battaglia

Watch a video replay of the calls and moments of the Yankees’ clinching Game 6 at mlb.com.

The Yankees had a 2009 payroll of more than $201 million, while the New York Mets were a distant second at $149.4 million. By comparison, the Phillies’ payroll ($113 million) ranked seventh, the Cleveland Indians ($81 million) were 14th and the Pittsburgh Pirates ($48.7 million) were 28th.

–The Indians’ new manager, Manny Acta, is in the process of interviewing candidates for his coaching staff.

ESPN reported that the Indians have talked to former Tribe All-Star Sandy Alomar Jr. about becoming the team’s bullpen coach and/or catching instructor. Alomar Jr. is signed with the Mets’ coaching staff, but Alomar’s father, Sandy Sr., was recently fired by the Mets.

Check out Cleveland.com for more on Alomar.

Torey Lovullo, the manager of the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate Columbus Clippers, also is reportedly interested in joining Acta’s staff. Lovullo was a finalist for the Indians managerial opening.

Find out more on the coaching candidates at mlb.com.

– The Pirates filled a need by picking up second baseman Akinori Iwamura from the Tampa Bay Rays for right-hander Jesse Chavez.

Iwamura, who is due to make $4.85 million in 2010, is the Bucs’ highest-paid player, at the moment.

The move puts Delwyn Young back on the bench, where he fits best. Young did not play effectively enough to take over for Freddy Sanchez, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants in July.

Iwamura, 30, hit .281 with 103 RBIs in 344 career games with the Rays.

The loss of Chavez will hurt the bullpen as Chavez (4.01 ERA, team-best 73 appearances) was the Bucs’ most consistent reliever last season.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette breaks down the trade here.

–Pirates club president Frank Coonelly recently posted an open letter to Pirates fans — read “please buy 2010 season tickets” — spelling out his disappointment for the 2009 season and enthusiasm for the future of the organization.

The team has spelled out its five core priorities for the future in The Pirates Blueprint, including: solidfying core operations, a new approach to player development, acquiring talent through trades, aggressive draft investment/strategy and a built foundation.

Read Coonelly’s letter here and decide for yourself if the Pirates are truly committed to winning.

–Tony Battaglia

Acta, who was fired by the Nationals this past
summer,  signed a three-year deal with a club option
for 2013.

“I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family,” Acta said. “I look forward to working with this talented group of young men who seem to possess a lot of energy and passion for their work.”

The Indians chose Acta instead of former Mets manager Bobby Valentine and Columbus Clippers manager Torey Lovullo. Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly supposedly was in the mix also, but he never had a chance for an interview.

Acta went 158-252 in less than three seasons as manager of the Nationals. It’s true that the Nationals have a small talent pool, but the Indians might be taking a leap of faith with Acta rather than going with a more experienced skipper.

It seems to be a trend with the Indians, though, when it comes to hiring a manager. The past three Indians managers (Mike Hargrove, 1992-1999; Charlie Manuel, 2000-2002; Eric Wedge, 2003-2009) were hired with no major-league managing experience.

For more on Acta’s hiring, visit MLB.com.

–Big Mac is back.

Mark McGwire, who hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 with St. Louis, will replace Hal McRae as hitting coach under Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. La Russa agreed to a one-year contract to stay for a 15th season as Cards skipper, St. Louis confirmed at a news conference Monday.

McGwire, one-half of the Bash Brothers with Jose Canseco with the Oakland A’s in the late 80s , refused to answer questions about steroids use during a congressional hearing four-plus years ago. He has received less than 25 percent support from voters in his three appearances on the Hall of Fame ballot.

It should be a feeding frenzy for reporters once McGwire has his first news conference.

–Nice to see the Yankees close out the ALCS in Game 6 to set up the World Series Game 1 matchup: the Phillies’ Cliff Lee starting opposite the Yankees’ CC Sabathia.

Indians fans can only watch and laugh … or cry.

–Tony Battaglia

The candidates for manager of the Cleveland Indians have been whittled down to the following: former Nationals manager Manny Acta, ex-Mets manager Bobby Valentine, Class AAA Columbus manager Torey Lovullo and Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly. One or two more names could pop up in the next two weeks, but those four are considered the front-runners to take over for Eric Wedge.

Acta and Valentine have both been through a long interview process with GM Mark Shapiro, president Paul Dolan, assistant GM Chris Antonetti and others. Lovullo is scheduled to be interviewed Friday, while Mattingly likely will visit Cleveland next week.

My selection would be Valentine, who has managed 2,189 games in the majors and most recently spent seven years in Japan. Valentine, 59, has been around the game of baseball for decades and knows it better than any of the candidates. He started his major league managerial career with Texas in 1985.

Valentine has won in the past. He took the New York Mets to the NLCS in 1999 and the World Series in 2000. What I like most about Valentine is his knack for taking over a team and pointing them in the right direction.

Whoever gets the job will have to go through some rebuilding pains in 2010 and possibly 2011.

–Former Indians hitting coach Derek Shelton was hired Wednesday to take that position with the Tampa Bay Rays. Shelton spent the past five seasons as the Indians’ hitting coach.

–The Philadelphia Phillies throttled the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 to make it back to the World Series for the second straight season. According to CBSsports.com columnist Mike Freeman, the nation will be pulling for the Phillies against their likely opponent — the Yankees, who are just one win from their 40th pennant. Check out his column.

–Get a recap of the major league playoff series’ here.

–Tony Battaglia

Farrell, a former Indians pitcher and farm director, said he wanted to fulfill his commitment to the Red Sox. Farrell has a clause in his contract that stipulates that he cannot manage outside the Boston organization until after 2010.

To read more on Farrell, visit here.

Several media outlets have reported that former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta participated in a phone interview with the Indians this week.

Acta, who was fired in the middle of this past season, was 158-252 in two-and-a-half seasons with the Nationals.

Acta could be one of the three to five candidates invited to Cleveland for a formal interview.

– In more disappointing news, first baseman/outfielder Matt LaPorta underwent surgery Tuesday on his left big toe and left hip. He’s expected to miss four to six months and could miss the start of next season.

LaPorta, who split this season between Triple-A Columbus and Cleveland, hit .254 (46-for-181) with 13 doubles, seven homers and 21 RBI for the Indians.

For more on the story, visit here.

– MLB.com is conducting a fan vote to determine the All-Time 9 best players at their positions in history for each franchise. Check out the Indians selections and Pirates picks.

– It’s amazing how many former Indians were on rosters for participants in the MLB playoffs this year. Here’s a look at ex-Indians who have played in the 2009 postseason: Jim Thome (Dodgers), Manny Ramirez (Dodgers), Ronnie Belliard (Dodgers), Casey Blake (Dodgers), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Ben Francisco (Phillies), Ryan Ludwick (Cardinals), Mark DeRosa (Cardinals), Matt Herges (Rockies), Rafael Betancourt (Rockies), Carl Pavano (Twins), Victor Martinez (Red Sox) and CC Sabathia (Yankees).

How strange would it be to see the past two AL Cy Young Award winners — Lee and Sabathia — facing off in Game 1 of the World Series? Makes you wonder what could’ve been for the Indians.

– Tony Battaglia

Shapiro said the team has narrowed its field of possible candidates from 30 to eight-to-10 and expects to have Eric Wedge’s replacement in place by the end of the World Series. Some possible candidates, including Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, are involved in the current postseason.

“We have made no calls to any teams for permission to talk (to their employees),” Shapiro said at a Wednesday press conference. “We have made calls to specific guys, but are not limited to just them. Previous experience is helpful, but not a necessity, though it would take a very special guy to be considered without major-league experience.”

Possible candidates include Torey Luvollo, manager of Cleveland’s Triple-A team in Columbus; former Indians manager Mike Hargrove; former Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost; former Indians player Dave Clark (who ended the season as Houston’s interim manager); former Mets and Rangers manager Bobby Valentine; San Francisco Giants bench coach Ron Wotus and Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills.

The Indians finished the season with a 67-95 record, the Tribe’s worst mark in 18 years.

That abysmal finish has made many Indians fans clamor for former Indians players (Travis Fryman, Class A Mahoning Valley manager; Sandy Alomar Jr., Mets coach; Omar Vizquel, Rangers backup shortstop) to be hired as manager or player/coach in Vizquel’s case. It’s an unlikely scenario for Tribe management to follow.

– Every Indians fan had to feel a little sick if they watched the first day of the playoffs Wednesday. Two former Indians’ Cy Young Award winners — Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia — looked great in helping their teams roll in division series games.

Lee threw a six-hitter, striking out five and allowing no walks in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 5-1 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies. Lee, traded from Cleveland at the end of July, was one out away from a shutout in his playoff debut.

Sabathia allowed one earned run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings to help the favored New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2. He struck out eight and walked none.

Sabathia, traded to the Brewers in 2008, won his first two postseason starts with the Indians back in 2001 and 2006 but had gone 0-3 since then before Wednesday.

– Follow the postseason with live scoring updates here.

–Tony Battaglia

Eric Wedge

Coming as little surprise in a lost season, the Cleveland Indians front office announced Wednesday that manager Eric Wedge and his coaching staff will be let go at the end of the season. The Indians will begin an immediate search for a new manager.

This is a move that is months overdue. The Indians, who have lost 21 of their past 27 games, are 65-93 going into Thursday’s first game of a season-ending series at Boston.

Wedge has accumulated a 561-569 record in Cleveland and took the Indians to the postseason once (2007) in his seven seasons.

Get more on the firing from MLB.com.

– Now, the real fun starts as speculation on who the next manager will be takes off.

I am not thrilled with the prospect of the Indians staying within the organization (Torey Lovullo, Triple-A Columbus manager; Mike Sarbaugh, Double-A Akron manager; Joel Skinner, Indians third-base coach). I would like to see Cleveland get a fresh perspective from an outside source who has big-league manager experience (former Indians manager Mike Hargrove, former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly and former Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle — to name a few).

Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, a former pitcher and farm director for the Tribe, is locked into his contract for the Sox through 2010 and is not a likely candidate. There is speculation that if the Tribe really wanted Farrell, the Sox would negotiate.

Whomever the Indians pick, it would be in the organization’s best interest to interview several candidates and not rush into anything.

–Tony Battaglia

Not only have the Indians dropped beneath the Royals to fifth in the division standings during the slide, but Cleveland has reached 90 losses for the first time since 2003. The Tribe needs to win two of their last 11 games to avoid reaching 100 losses for the first time since 1991.

Starting pitching has been atrocious during the streak. The starters are 0-9 during the 10-game slide. Wednesday’s loss punctuated the Tribe issues as  Justin Masterson allowed six earned runs on seven hits in four innings.

–If misery loves company, then Pirates fans certainly can sympathize with Tribe backers. Pittsburgh had 94 losses through Wednesday and had won just five of its past 29 games. The Pirates had gone 3-22 since Aug. 28.

Rookie center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who had a 10-game hitting streak going into Thursday’s game against the Reds, explained to the Associated Press how the Pirates’ players have been dealing with all the losses.

“This has been difficult for everybody. It’s kind of hard to keep a smile on your face when things like this happen. But the only thing you can do is just go out there and just shake it off and just get prepared for the next day. There’s no point in moping; you’ve got to be here so you might as well do something to change it.”

– The Yankees have clinched a playoff spot; no surprise there. Check out which other teams are close to clinching a postseason berth.

–Tony Battaglia