The Padres' Bud Black prevailed in this race, nudging Cincinnati's Dusty Baker by one point for NL Manager of the Year. Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire was the clear choice in the AL, becoming a first-time winner Wednesday after five times as the runner-up.

Black was selected after guiding San Diego to a 15-game turnaround last season. The Padres finished 90-72 and led the NL West until a late, 10-game slump wound up costing them a playoff spot on the final day.

Black drew 16 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and got 104 points. Baker had 13 first-place votes. Bruce Bochy of the Giants, Atlanta's retiring Bobby Cox and Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel got the other first-place votes.

Gardenhire drew 16 first-place votes. Ron Washington, who started the year with a cocaine admission and ended it with Texas' first trip to the World Series, was second with 10, followed by Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon and Toronto's retiring Cito Gaston.

Shortstop up for grabs: Japanese shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka is free to move to Major League Baseball via the posting system, by which MLB teams have four business days to bid for rights to negotiate with him. Nishioka, 26, hit .346 to help the Lotte Marines win the Japan Series. The Japanese press has reported that the Giants are one of the teams interested in signing him.

Briefly: Catcher John Buck and the Marlins finalized an $18 million, three-year contract. Buck was a first-time All-Star this year for the Blue Jays. ... Reliever Joaquin Benoit and the Tigers have reached a preliminary agreement on a $16.5 million, three-year contract, according to a source. The 33-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 1.34 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings this year as a setup man for the Rays. ... Terry Collins, Bob Melvin, Wally Backman and Chip Hale were scheduled for second interviews for the Mets' managerial vacancy.