Major League Baseball roundup

(The Sports Xchange) - The Oakland Athletics continued the demolition of the middle of their lineup Monday by trading first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss to the Cleveland Indians for a minor leaguer as baseball's Winter Meetings began at the Manchester Hyatt. Moss hit .234 with 25 home runs in 147 games last season while being selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his eight-year career. The move comes 10 days after the Athletics traded star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays on Nov. 28. - - San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who had a legendary postseason performance that led to his third World Series title, was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. The 25-year-old worked five scoreless innings and allowed only two hits on just two days rest in the Giants' 3-2, championship-clinching victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of the World Series. Bumgarner went 2-0 with a save and a 0.43 ERA to win the World Series MVP. - - Dick Allen and Tony Oliva barely missed the cut as the Hall of Fame's Golden Era Committee did not elect anyone for induction. Candidates needed to be named on 75 percent of the ballots -- 12 of 16 -- and Allen and Oliva finished with 11 votes each for 68.8 percent. - - Left-hander Jon Lester is close to making his decision on which team he will join. Lester could make his decision as soon as Monday night but no later than Tuesday, Buster Olney of ESPN reported, based on sources. - - The Chicago Cubs, who traded right-hander Jason Hammel to the Oakland A's during the 2014 season, have reached an agreement with Hammel on a two-year deal, multiple media outlets reported. Reports differ on the salary Hammel will receive from the Cubs. The Associated Press reported the deal is worth $20 million, and FOXSports.com reported that it is worth $18 million. (Editing by Frank Pingue)