MLB Notes: Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson earn MVP honors

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NEW YORK -- Bryce Harper became the youngest unanimous MVP winner in baseball history Thursday, capturing the NL award despite his Washington Nationals missing the playoffs.

Josh Donaldson took the AL MVP, earning the honor after helping boost the Toronto Blue Jays back into the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Harper turned 23 on Oct. 16, after the playoffs had already started. He got all 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year led the majors in slugging percentage and on-base average. The outfielder hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 RBIs.

Harper was the first player from a Washington franchise to win an MVP -- no one on the original or expansion Senators or Nats had done it (see full story).

Yankees: Suit over A-Rod's legal fees settled
NEW YORK -- A lawyer says his firm has settled its lawsuit accusing New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez of failing to pay legal bills stemming from the Biogenesis scandal.

Peter Siachos of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani said Thursday the suit was settled "amicably" this month. He declined to disclose the terms.

Rodriguez was suspended for the 2014 season after then-Commissioner Bud Selig concluded he violated the sport's drug agreement and labor contract. Gordon Rees had claimed it helped get Rodriguez's original 211-game suspension reduced to 162 games in arbitration.

The suit had accused Rodriguez of failing to pay more than $380,000 in legal fees.

Astros: Villar traded to Brewers for Sneed
HOUSTON -- The Astros have traded infielder Jonathan Villar to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Cy Sneed.

Villar hit. 284 with seven doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs in 53 games for the Astros last season. The 24-year-old appeared in 198 games for Houston in the last three seasons.

Sneed had a 2.58 ERA in 23 starts and three relief appearances for two Class A teams last season. The 23-year-old right-hander was a third-round pick in the 2014 amateur draft.

Also on Thursday, the Astros released left-hander Luis Cruz and outfielder Robbie Grossman.

Cruz was 7-5 with a 4.27 ERA in 28 games for Triple-A Fresno last season. Grossman spent most of the season at Fresno, but appeared in 24 games for Houston.

MLB: Mets-Royals open Sunday, Pirates-Miami in San Juan
NEW YORK -- The champion Kansas City Royals will host the New York Mets in a World Series rematch when the 2016 Major League Baseball season starts in April with three Sunday openers. Next year's schedule also includes two games in Puerto Rico between Pittsburgh and Miami.

MLB made the announcement Thursday. The St. Louis Cardinals will visit Pittsburgh in the first game of the year.

The Pirates and Marlins will play May 30-31 in San Juan. They will celebrate Roberto Clemente Day, a league-wide tribute honoring the late Pirates Hall of Famer who was born and raised on the island.

The matchup at Hiram Bithorn Stadium will count as Marlins' home games. They will be MLB's first games in Puerto Rico since the Marlins and Mets played in 2010.

The season starts April 3 with three games: Cardinals at Pirates, followed by Toronto at Tampa Bay and then the Mets visiting Kansas City at night.

For the second straight year, all games played on the last day of the season -- Oct. 2 -- will start at approximately 3 p.m. EDT.

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