McCutchen won the National League honor by a surprisingly wide margin after leading a baseball revival in Pittsburgh. He drew 28 of the 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Seated in a sweater and tie, a smiling McCutchen juked a sort of stationary shimmy when his name was announced on MLB Network.

"If I could get up and dance right now I would, but I don't have much room to do that," he said. "When I get off camera, I probably will."

Cabrera took the AL prize for the second straight year, once again winning by a comfortable gap over Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

A season after posting the majors' first Triple Crown in 45 years, Cabrera came back to lead baseball in hitting at .348 and finish second with 44 home runs and 137 RBIs.

Cabrera got 23 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the first player to win consecutive AL MVPs since Frank Thomas for the Chicago White Sox in 1993 and 1994.

"This is unbelievable," Cabrera said, young kids buzzing around him. "I'm so excited right now."

McCutchen ranked among the NL leaders by hitting .317 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs. He also scored 97 runs, stole 27 bases and had a .404 on-base percentage.

The 27-year-old with the long, flowing dreadlocks helped the Pirates stop a record streak of 20 losing seasons and make the playoffs for the first time since 1992.McCutchen, third in MVP balloting last season, got 409 points. Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt finished second with 242, while St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina received the other two first-place votes and came in third.

Trout got five first-place votes and came in second, 103 points behind Cabrera. The difference was 81 points last season, when Trout was AL Rookie of the Year.

Baltimore 1B Chris Davis, who led the majors with 53 homers and 138 RBIs, was third. Davis and Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson each received a first-place vote.

Cabrera took his third AL batting title in a row. He also drew a $1 million bonus for winning a second MVP during his current contract with the Tigers.

The 30-year-old third baseman from Venezuela also captured the AL MVP last year when he hit .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBIs. Cabrera topped Trout 22-6 in first-place votes in that balloting.


BYE-BYE, BOSTON


Free agent SS Stephen Drew will not re-sign with the Boston Red Sox, according to ESPNBoston.com.

"There are a number of teams willing to make multiyear offers for his services beyond anything Boston would do," the report says.

Drew, who turns 31 in March, played for the Red Sox in 2013 on a one-year, $9.5-million deal. He hit .253/.333/.443 with 13 home runs and eight triples while playing solid defense. But he struggled at the plate in the postseason.

Agent Scott Boras says several teams are interested in Drew.

"Obviously, if you want to win, and you want a middle-of-the-diamond player — and a lot of really, really good teams need upgrades in the middle of the diamond — he's got a very active, very large market," Boras told ESPNBoston.com.


REPLAY COMING IN 2014


Another baseball tradition is about to largely disappear: a manager, with a crazed look in his eyes, charging the field and getting into a face-to-face shouting match with an umpire.

Instead, most calls on the field next season will be subject to video review by umpires in New York,

Major League Baseball took the first vote in a two-step process Thursday, unanimously approving funding for expanded instant replay in 2014. They plan to approve the new rules when they meet Jan. 16 in Paradise Valley, Ariz., after agreements with the unions for umpires and players.

"We made a gigantic move today," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "This is quite historic."

Selig long opposed replay and watched from afar as it was first used by the NFL in 1986, the NHL in 1991, the NBA in 2002 and Wimbledon in 2006. Even the Little League World Series put replay in place for 2008.

MLB allowed it starting August 2008 but in a limited manner: to determine whether potential home runs were fair or cleared fences.

Now, virtually every decision likely will be subject to review, except balls and strikes, checked swings and some foul tips.

"Tag plays, out/safe at first, fair/foul past the bags, those are all going to be included," said Rob Manfred, MLB's chief operating officer.

So no more blown calls, like Don Denkinger's at first base that turned Game 6 of the 1985 World Series or Jim Joyce's bad decision at first base that cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game in 2010.

"We want to get more plays right, the ones that matter," Manfred said.

Manfred said when a manager wants to challenge a call, he will notify an umpire, triggering a review in New York by what are likely to be present or retired big league umps. A headset would be brought to the crew chief, who would be notified of the decision.

There will be a maximum of two challenges per manager in each game — "it could be less," Manfred said — and if the challenge is upheld it would not be counted against the manager's limit. If a manager is out of challenges, umpires probably will be allowed request a review on their own.

Contributors: Justin McGuire, The Associated Press