New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Tickets

Yankees News:

Derek Jeter and Chien-Ming Wang may have placed second in the American League's MVP and Cy Young vote, respectively, but the two Yankees topped the vote in MLB.com's fifth annual This Year in Baseball Awards.

Jeter was named the top hitter in the Majors, beating out 11 of the game's top sluggers, including AL MVP Justin Morneau and NL MVP Ryan Howard.

Wang was voted the game's top starter, edging out Cy Young winners Johan Santana and Brandon Webb, as well as nine other starting pitchers.

Two other Yankees captured TYIB awards as well, as Mariano Rivera earned his third consecutive Closer of the Year Award and Melky Cabrera captured Play of the Year honors.

Jeter ranked second in the American League with a .343 batting average and 118 runs scored, fourth with a .417 on-base percentage and sixth with 34 stolen bases. Jeter also homered 14 times and drove in 97 runs out of the No. 2 spot in New York's lineup.

"To really appreciate the kind of work he does, you have to see him on a regular basis," Yankees manager Joe Torre said last month. "We've had players who have come over from different organizations, and after a month or so, they've come to me and said, 'I always knew he was a good player, but I never realized how good he was.'"

Wang tied Santana for the big-league lead with 19 victories and ranked among the league leaders in several other categories. His .760 winning percentage was third in the AL, his 218 innings pitched were fifth and his two complete games ranked sixth. Wang's 3.63 ERA was eighth in the league. The Yankees went 22-11 in Wang's 33 starts.

Although his strikeout totals paled in comparison to Santana's, Wang made up for it by inducing 33 double plays this season, the second-highest total in the AL behind Jake Westbrook's 36.

Blue Jays News:

Near the end of last season, Vernon Wells' representatives approached the Blue Jays with a number -- a rather large one, too. It was a figure that they felt was a fair asking price on a contract extension for Toronto's center fielder.

The size of the contract was considerable: $126 million over seven years. Once the offseason began, Wells headed to his home in Arlington, Texas, and waited. He knew his agents had done extensive research to determine what was "fair market value." Wells just wasn't sure if the Blue Jays were going to be able to match the kind of figure his camp had put on the table.

"You never know, especially with a contract this size, if your present team can do that and afford to do that," Wells said. "You never know, if the Blue Jays or basically 80 percent of baseball, if they can match that kind of deal."

On Monday, Toronto officially announced that it had in fact matched the deal, signing Wells to the exact contract extension that he desired. Wells was all smiles as he sat between team owner Ted Rogers and Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi during a press conference at Rogers headquarters in Toronto.

It wasn't until Dec. 8 -- the day Wells celebrated his 28th birthday -- that the Jays informed their All-Star that they were willing to make him their franchise player. Wells was more than happy to accept the offer.

"It was a pretty good birthday present," Wells said with a grin. "When I got the phone call it was obviously a surprise."

Wells, who hit .303 with 32 home runs and 106 RBIs last season, is still under contract for $5.6 million in 2007. The outfielder was named to his second American League All-Star team and picked up his third consecutive AL Gold Glove Award last year as well.

The new deal ensures that Wells' steady glove and powerful bat will be the centerpiece of Toronto's roster through the 2011 season, and potentially until 2014. As part of the new contract, Wells has a full no-trade clause and an opt-out clause that gives him the right to terminate the deal after 2011.