Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus became the first player to accept a qualifying offer, the team announced Friday. He’s the first Astros player to receive a qualifying offer and the first baseball player to accept one since the system came in place three years ago.

It appears the Blue Jays and right-hander Marco Estrada are nearing a two-year deal, according to the New York Post.

Derek Fisher’s sweet left-hander swing made him a supplemental first-round pick in 2014 and helped bash 22 homers in his first full pro season. But it hadn’t translated into much in the way of Arizona Fall League production until Thursday night.

There is an important anniversary coming up for Joe Torre, one a lot of people will be talking about in 2016, at least around these parts. That’s why Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations needed to honor David Cone in a hurry at Thursday’s 13th annual Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation Gala at Cipriani, a fundraiser to lead the charge against domestic violence.

The General Managers Meetings wrapped in Boca Raton, Fla., on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean an end to the steady dose of transactions around baseball. Here’s a look at some of the top Hot Stove stories from around the big leagues.

Voting for the Esurance MLB Awards — the only baseball awards that invite the fans to select the winners — has been in full swing for weeks, and while it’s winding down, there is still time to cast your vote. Balloting will conclude today at 11:59 p.m. ET .

Erick Aybar, traded to the Braves in the five-player deal that brought fellow shortstop Andrelton Simmons to Southern California on Thursday, was asked about his favorite memory with the Angels. “Everything,” Aybar said. “That is where I grew.”

The Angels acquired Andrelton Simmons, arguably the game’s best defensive shortstop, from the Braves on Thursday. In exchange, the Braves will receive veteran shortstop Erick Aybar along with the Angels’ top two prospects, pitchers Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis.

Even though the Angels paid heavily to get him in this four-for-one deal, the lingering question is how the Braves could deal away a 26-year-old defensive wizard who is signed for five more years and just took a step forward as a hitter.

Silver Slugger Awards, presented by Louisville Slugger, are given to the top hitter at each position in both leagues, as voted on by coaches and managers. As the top hitters in the game, it should come as no surprise that many of the 18 winners were responsible for some of the longest and hardest-hit baseballs tracked by Statcast™.

The Angels and the Braves stayed true to their current missions Thursday. They engineered a five-player deal that sent Andrelton Simmons and high Class A catcher Jose Briceno to Anaheim and Erick Aybar and pitching prospects Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis to Atlanta.

Thursday’s hot rumor was Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Mets, who reportedly balked at the initial asking price: one of the same group of young, talented, battle-tested starting pitchers that everyone wants to acquire.

That all 34 qualifying offers were rejected in the first three years of the current free-agent system has seemingly given clubs the confidence to make the one-year offer, giving themselves a chance to receive a high Draft choice. This year, however, seems primed for at least one player, if not more, to call of the teams’ bluff.

Scott Brosius, the former big league infielder who has been coaching in the college ranks the last 13 years, is returning to the pros as hitting coach for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in the Mariners’ organization.

Masters at the art of hitting stepped up to the plate Thursday night with the presentation of the Silver Slugger Awards, and this year’s class of the best offensive performers at each position proved once again that baseball’s pool of talented batsmen really goes deep.

The Mariners acquired right-handed relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit from the Padres on Thursday in exchange for Minor League right-hander Enyel De Los Santos and Minor League infielder Nelson Ward.

Josh Hader was brilliant in his first Fall League start Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk over four scoreless innings as Surprise defeated Scottsdale, 3-1, at Scottsdale Stadium.