Rumors for team
Yankees hire Jim Hendry as a special assignment scout
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The New York Yankees have hired former Cubs General Manager, Jim Hendry, as a special assignment scout under General Manager Brian Cashman reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
Cashman believes Hendry will be an “invaluabe resource” (via Levine). “He can scout amateur players; he scouts pro players for us,” he said. “He’s as connected in the game as you can possibly be. Everybody loves this man.”
According to a source close to Levine, the 56 year old Hendry agreed to a multiyear deal with the Yankees. And another source close to Levine said Hendry’s duties will include “looking at minor league players, major league players and spending time with the major league team.”
The Cubs fired Hendry in August 2011. During Hendry’s tenure as a General Manager, the Cubs were 749-748, one game above .500 and won three division titles(2003, ‘07, ‘08).
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Barry Larkin elected to Hall of Fame
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The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has announced that longtime Cincinnati Red, Barry Larkin, has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The 47-year-old will be inducted on July 22, 2012 in Cooperstown, New York along with the late Ron Santo. Santo was elected in December 2011 by the Golden Era committee.
Larkin enters the Hall on his third year of eligibility with 495 of 573 possible votes – giving hm 86.4%. Players must be named on 75% of the ballots submitted to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
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Red Sox interested in John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Gio Gonzalez and Wandy Rodriguez
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The Boston Red Sox are definitely looking to improve their starting rotation for 2012 and according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald they are interest in pitchers John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Gio Gonzalez and Wandy Rodriguez.
All of those pitchers are available for trades. Floyd, Danks and Gonzalez would probably cost the Red Sox top prospects, but to land Rodriguez, the team would probably have to eat most of his salary.
Danks went 8-12 with a 4.33 ERA in 170.1 innings and Floyd went 12-13 with a 4.37 ERA in 193.2 innings with the White Sox in 2011. Gonzalez went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA in 202.0 innings with the A’s in 2011. Rodriguez went 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA in 191.0 innings with the Astros in 2011.
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Friday Hot Stove rumors: Carlos Pena remains a possibility for the Cardinals
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Here’s a running list of rumors around the Major Leagues:
– Carlos Pena remains a possibility to the St. Louis Cardinals to replace Albert Pujols according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds the the Cardinals could also look at Carlos Beltran and Jimmy Rollins. Whether the will pursue Prince Fielder remains unknown.
– The Texas Rangers are among the teams currently talking to the Oakland Athletics regarding left handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez reports Buster Olney of ESPN. He adds that at least two teams “seem to match up” the A’s demands.
– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports believes that one of the reasons the Marlins won’t pursue Prince Fielder is because his agent, Scott Boras, would probably insist on a no-trade clause and the Marlins would not change his policy on no-trade clauses. They didn’t do it for Albert Pujols, and they’re probably not doing it for Fielder either.
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Brewers appear to be out on Prince Fielder
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With the Winter Meetings already underway, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel asked Brewers GM, Doug Melvin, if he was going to meet with Prince Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, and he said, “I don’t know. I don’t have plans on it.”
If that means the Brewers are moving on even though Fielder’s market is shrinking, as Haudricourt points out, they will probably give Mat Gamel a shot at first base. If Gamel fails, Haudricourt says that a “contingency plan” for the Brewers could be moving Casey McGehee from third to first base.
Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 HR’s and 120 RBI’s in 569 AB’s for the Brewers in 2011.
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San Diego Padres hire Omar Minaya
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The San Diego Padres have hired former New York Mets’ GM, Omar Minaya, to become the team’s senior vice president of baseball operations, the club announces.
The signing was first reported by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
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Bobby Valentine to be named next Red Sox manager
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The Boston Red Sox will name Bobby Valentine as the team’s new manager, according to sources close to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston. Mike Lynch of WCVB first reported that that the sides had reached a verbal agreement.
The 61-year-old was an ESPN analyst before agreeing to be the Sox’s next manager. He last managed the Chibba Lotte Marines from 2004-2009, and he last managed in the Majors when he skippered the New York Mets from 1996-2002.
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Giants extend contracts for Bochy and Sabean
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The San Francisco Giants have announced that they have extended the contracts for manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean through the 2013 season with club options for 2014. The amount of the deals were not available.
“Brian and Bruce are certainly two of the finest professionals at their respective positions in all of baseball. They have effectively built and fostered a winning tradition at all levels of our organization. I have no doubt that they will achieve continued success for the Giants in the coming years and beyond,” said CEO Larry Baer.
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Trade rumors: Thornton, Floyd, Danks, Quentin, Navarro, Iannetta and Stewart
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Here’s a running list of trade rumors around the Major Leagues:
– The Chicago White Sox have been trying to move left handed pitcher Matt Thornton since July according to Buster Olney of ESPN. He is owed $12 million over two seasons.
– Olney also points out that the White Sox are “devoted” to the idea of trading John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Carlos Quentin.
– The Colorado Rockies have inquired about catcher Dioner Navarro according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He would be the team’s backup catcher if they end up signing Ramon Hernandez. Renck adds that if they sign Hernandez they would probably move Chris Iannetta as well.
– Renck says that the Rockies are exploring trades for Ian Stewart. He adds that the Cubs are apparently interested in Stewart although he’s not sure “what degree” of interest they have.
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Houston Astros dismiss GM Ed Wade
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In a press release by the Houston Astros, the team announced that they have dismissed general manager Ed Wade and president of baseball operations, Tal Smith.
The press release continues:
“The search for a new General Manager begins immediately. We are searching for a candidate who has the knowledge, skills and experience to build a winner and a strong commitment to player development in order to sustain success. Our goal is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know the first step towards that goal is to develop one of the top farm systems in baseball. We will hire the best candidate available to achieve our goal.
“Our Assistant General Manager Dave Gottfried will serve as Interim General Manager until the new General Manager is hired. Dave is not a candidate for the permanent position.”
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