The Detroit Tigers appear to be on the verge of making such a spectacularly smart hire in Brad Ausmus that it’s hard to know where to start, writes columnist Richard Justice.

Rangers farmhand Brett Nicholas went 3-for-4 with two home runs to earn most valuable player honors at Saturday’s Fall Stars Game.

Twins prospect Alex Meyer threw three scoreless innings against a strong East lineup and his teammates backed him up with some firepower of their own, coasting to a 9-2 win in the Fall Stars Game on Saturday.

With the deadline for exercising or declining options looming at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, teams continued to make those decisions Saturday. One such decision came from the Rays, who picked up options on second baseman Ben Zobrist and shortstop Yunel Escobar.

General manager Jack Zduriencik returned to Seattle on Saturday to begin the second round of interviews for a new manager, with former Mariners second baseman Joey Cora among a handful of finalists, according to a baseball source.

Masahiro Tanaka racked up the longest undefeated streak in professional baseball history — dating back to last August — before taking a loss in Game 6 of the Japan Series.

Atlanta pitching coach Roger McDowell will remain with the Braves, signing a new two-year deal on Saturday. The Phillies had targeted McDowell — who pitched for the Phils over two and a half seasons from 1989-91 — but did not have a chance to formally speak with him until his contract expired at midnight ET on Thursday.

It wasn’t quite a sellout at Fenway Park on Saturday morning, as fans crowded the lower areas of the ballpark for a prime view of the stage where the Red Sox players appeared one by one. Outside the ballpark, though, an estimated 2 million people were waiting. They lined the streets of Boston in waves 10 rows deep. They held signs, wore fake beards, sported painted faces, cheered at unprompted moments and produced MVP chants whenever David Ortiz made a gesture.

The sights and sounds from the Red Sox’s World Series championship parade on Saturday morning ranged from delirious to chilling.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who played all season after spraining the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb while making a head-first dive at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day, expects to have surgery later this month.

Jon Lester, who had his $13 million option picked up by the Red Sox on Friday after one of the best postseason performances by a starter in team history, seems like a man who would love to pitch in Boston for the rest of his career.

Pending free agents Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia celebrated Boston’s World Series parade on Saturday, and both are ready to engage in talks with the Red Sox in the near future.

The Rays picked up the options for Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar on Saturday, which means they will have their starting second baseman and shortstop returning for 2014.

A flurry of moves occurred Friday, as teams and players exercised or declined contract options. Among those who will test the free-agent market are right-handers Ubaldo Jimenez and Joe Nathan, while lefty Wandy Rodriguez will spend another season in Pittsburgh.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that the Arizona Fall League will be used as a testing ground for the new instant-replay plan that is under consideration.

If the Giants feel any urgency to retain Ryan Vogelsong and Javier Lopez, their top two performers whose futures are in limbo, they’re hiding it well. Vice president and assistant general manager Bobby Evans said succinctly, “No update,” when asked Friday about the status of contract talks involving the pair of pitchers.

A group that reported to Spring Training motivated by what was left unaccomplished in 2012 was sent into the offseason stung by the reality that their championship aspirations had fallen two wins short in 2013. That should not, however, overshadow a season in which so much else went right. This is a club that was able to emerge from a tough National League Central with 97 wins — a total matched only by the Red Sox, the World Series champs.