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Arizona Diamondbacks News

Unknown MLB players poised for breakouts
February 6
Arizona Republic
 
"One of the great things about baseball is no matter how much you think you might know, it has a way of laughing in your face, showing you it continually can surprise, perhaps more than any other sport. Teams in the shadows can sometimes step into the spotlight -- last year's Diamondbacks are a great example -- but more often it happens with players who remind you that despite careers that typically progress linearly, their lives don't exist within the confines of equations and spreadsheets. At the end of every season, you can look up and find a handful of guys who had virtually unpredictable results -- seasons that if you had predicted them among friends in February would have been met"
Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy on radar after superb 2011 season
February 5
Arizona Republic
 
"It was mid-morning on Thursday when Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy started getting loose at Salt River Fields, tossing a ball with one of the organization's young pitching prospects as a nearby photographer snapped pictures. Teammates Joe Saunders and Daniel Hudson jogged by and noticed the attention being showered upon the unassuming Kennedy. "Big league!" one of them yelled. He might have opened eyes during a breakout 2011 season, but the element of surprise won't be in play this year -- not for Kennedy or the Diamondbacks as a whole. And Kennedy seems fine with that. He knows last season was special, knows that winning 21 games and finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting was"
Diamondbacks taking it slow with Stephen Drew
February 4
Arizona Republic
 
"The Stephen Drew updates usually arrive every Friday. The e-mails will pop into General Manager Kevin Towers' inbox and they'll carry word of the Diamondbacks shortstop's recovery from ankle surgery. Sometimes it's just a written note from the doctor or the trainer, but often there's a video attachment. There's Drew on a treadmill. There he is doing agility drills. The Diamondbacks have been receiving these updates for months -- Drew has been working out with a non-team-affiliated trainer -- and although spring training is only about two weeks away, there is little that can be said definitively on his status. Perhaps he will be ready for Opening Day. Perhaps he won't be. "I would imagine"
Derrick Hall in full speed, here to stay
February 3
Arizona Republic
 
"Back to work after a bout with prostate cancer, CEO Derrick Hall has returned to full speed. He's also attracting attention from potential rivals. Hall has been contacted by prospective owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers -- news first reported by Yahoo! Sports -- but he said he isn't looking to leave the Diamondbacks. "Any time they've contacted me, I've said that I'm very happy where I'm at," Hall said. "Obviously, I'm very happy where I'm at, and I don't foresee myself going to another team. This is where I want to be, the organization that we're building, and I don't envision myself going anywhere." Hall, 42, spent parts of 12 years in the Dodgers organization at the beginning of his"
Sources: Playoff expansion has issues
February 1
ESPN.com
 
"Baseball commissioner Bud Selig continues to talk confidently about expanding the baseball playoff field in 2012. But sources tell ESPN.com efforts to make that happen remain bogged down, all because of one thorny little complication: the details. Wednesday was supposed to be the day the commissioner's office finished a proposed schedule for the 2012 postseason and shipped it to the players' association for consideration. But sources told ESPN.com that deadline wasn't going to be met -- not because talks have broken down, but because fitting two extra wild-card pieces into the postseason puzzle has proven to be more involved than the commissioner has been willing to acknowledge. The new"
Montero, D-backs agree to deal at last minute
January 31
MLB.com
 
"Moments before a scheduled salary-arbitration hearing Tuesday, the D-backs and catcher Miguel Montero settled on a one-year deal worth $5.9 million. "I was sitting in the [hearing] room," Montero said by phone from Tampa, Fla. "I was getting a bottle of water right before it was supposed to start and they told me to step outside to talk." When arbitration numbers were exchanged a couple of weeks ago, Montero filed at $6.8 million, while the D-backs came in at $5.4 million. The arbitrator would have had to pick one of the two figures."
Selig expects two one-game playoffs for this fall
January 28
Chicago Tribune
 
"Baseball appears ready for an extra round of wild-card playoffs by this fall, according to commissioner Bud Selig. "I really believe we'll have the (extra) wild card for this year," Selig said Friday at SoxFest. "Clubs really want it. I don't think I've ever seen an issue that the clubs want more than to have the extra wild card." The extra round would be one-game elimination in both the National and American Leagues to the teams who would have missed the playoffs as they are set up now. Some have argued for a best-of-three, but that appears impossible with the scheduled all but set for 2012."
MLB allows retired Tony La Russa to manage in All-Star game against Ron Washington
January 25
Dallas Morning News
 
"Tony La Russa will come out of retirement to manage the National League team for the July 10 All-Star Game at Kansas City. La Russa will go against Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, who will handle the American League team for the second consecutive season. La Russa retired shortly after St. Louis defeated the Rangers in the seven-game World Series."
Daniel Hudson: Arizona Diamondbacks 'hungry' for more
January 21
Arizona Republic
 columnist Paola Boivin
"A month from Saturday, Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers begin their spring-training workouts. For many, the preparation started months ago. Turnout has been strong at Salt River Fields during the off-season, thanks to the presence of trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and high-end workout equipment. It is evident by the number of players making the trek that the 2011 postseason was the baseball equivalent of a trip to a Chinese restaurant. "It made us all hungry for more right away," pitcher Daniel Hudson said. "It left us with an empty feeling in our stomachs. A lot of guys took (the National League Division Series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers) to heart." The Diamondbacks have"
Diamondbacks' front office gambles on payroll
January 20
Arizona Republic
 
"The Diamondbacks went into the off-season planning to construct a 2012 roster with a payroll close to last season's $65 million, a number that made it possible to retain most of the key pieces to a playoff team while making incremental upgrades here and there. But then the chance to acquire right-hander Trevor Cahill and reliever Craig Breslow presented itself. And then reliever Takashi Saito agreed to terms. And free-agent outfielder Jason Kubel became available at a price the team liked. And once left-hander Joe Saunders' price dropped and he officially came back on board this week, the Diamondbacks found themselves with a payroll they say will be north of $79 million, putting them in"
Arizona Diamondbacks sign pitcher Joe Saunders
January 17
Arizona Republic
 
"The Diamondbacks are bringing Joe Saunders back after all. In a surprise move, Saunders agreed to return on a one-year, $6 million contract on Tuesday, a deal that rounds out the Diamondbacks rotation and bumps their payroll up into the $80 million range. Saunders was non-tendered in December when the Diamondbacks decided they didn't want him back at the roughly $8 million-$9 million he would have earned in arbitration."
Diamondbacks have interest in pitcher Bartolo Colon
January 14
Arizona Republic
 
"The Diamondbacks still are perusing the free-agent market for a veteran starting pitcher to compete for a spot at the end of their starting rotation, and right-hander Bartolo Colon appears to be their latest interest. Nothing was expected to be solidified immediately, but a league source said the Diamondbacks have interest in the 16-year journeyman, who turns 39 in May. Colon started 26 games last season for the New York Yankees, going 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA with 40 walks and 135 strikeouts in 1641/3 innings. Colon became expendable to the Yankees after their acquisitions Friday night of Michael Pineda in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and free agent Hiroki Kuroda, whom the Diamondbacks"
Mora says he isn't retired from major league baseball
January 12
Baltimore Sun
 
"Melvin Mora's retirement has been greatly exaggerated. Or at least exaggerated for this country, he claims. A report out of Venezuela last month said that Mora, who played most of his career with the Orioles, issued a tearful retirement announcement while playing winter ball in Venezuela. The story ran in several places, including The Sun. But Mora said that was news to him. Despite multiple reports to the contrary out of Venezuela, Mora said what he announced was that he was no longer going to play in Venezuela because he didn't want to leave his family every year. But he doesn't intend to give up the sport altogether. He is still hoping to play in the majors in 2012."
Diamondbacks not interested in trading Gerardo Parra
January 5
Arizona Republic
 
"In the days after the Diamondbacks' surprise signing of outfielder Jason Kubel, General Manager Kevin Towers said he fielded phone calls from teams curious about outfielder Gerardo Parra's availability. As always, he listened. But he said this week he likes his club better with Parra than without him. "I'm not really motivated to move him," Towers said. "I think it's a good fit. I think Parra will still play a lot." Towers envisions Parra seeing more time in center field and right field, a way of resting starters Chris Young and Justin Upton, particularly against tough right-handed pitching."
Diamondbacks poised to reclaim Valley's sporting allegiance
January 1
Arizona Republic
 columnist Dan Bickley
"Kirk Gibson finished his fabulous year with a final honor: He was grand marshal of Saturday's Fiesta Bowl celebration, where a football parade was led by a baseball manager. It could mark the start of a revolution. "Last year at this time, we were trying to establish some things: Who are the Arizona Diamondbacks? How do we play?" Gibson said. "We've accomplished that. And I think people have taken notice.""
Source: Orioles interested in former Diamondbacks LHP Joe Saunders
December 30
Baltimore Sun
 
"The Orioles' primary search this offseason continues to be pitching, and one free agent they have had multiple conversations with is lefty Joe Saunders, according to an industry source. Saunders, 30, was 12-13 with a 3.69 ERA in 212 innings last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who did not tender him a contract this offseason. Saunders would have been in his final year of arbitration this offseason but now is a free agent and has been linked to several teams — with varying degrees of interest — including the Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. Clubs have been waiting for Saunders' contract expectations to come down before his market"
Former long-time Oriole Melvin Mora announces retirement
December 30
Baltimore Sun
 
"According to a report out of Venezuela, former longtime Oriole Melvin Mora announced his retirement from major league baseball Thursday while in his home country. Mora, who will turn 40 in February, was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks last June after hitting .228 in 127 at-bats for the Diamondbacks. He said earlier this winter that he wanted to play again if he could find the right opportunity, but apparently that did not happen. Mora was traded to the Orioles by the New York Mets in July 2000 as part of then-GM Syd Thrift's fire sale. He played for the Orioles for the next 9 ½ seasons spanning 1,256 of his 1,556 career games. He made two All-Star teams for the Orioles and, in 2004,"
Jason Marquis signs one-year, $3M deal with Twins
December 22
CBSSports.com
 
"The Minnesota Twins have agreed to terms with free agent starting pitcher Jason Marquis. He has signed a one-year, $3 million contract, the Twins announced Thursday afternoon in a press release. Marquis, 33, will be joining his seventh team in 13 big-league seasons. He went 8-6 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 132 innings last season for the Nationals and Diamondbacks. He was a trade-deadline acquisition by the NL West champion Diamondbacks last summer, but a line drive fractured his right fibula and ended his season August 16."
Twins are reportedly close to agreement with righty Marquis
December 22
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Twins might have found a starting pitcher in veteran righthander Jason Marquis. According to a foxsports.com report, the Twins are close to an agreement with Marquis, 33, who is 104-98 in his career and was 8-6 with a 4.43 ERA in stints with Washington and Arizona last season."
Arizona Diamondbacks' Jason Kubel eager to play at hitter-friendly Chase Field
December 21
Arizona Republic
 
"When he came to town with the Minnesota Twins in May, Jason Kubel quickly realized that Chase Field wouldn't be a bad place to call home. "He said, 'This is a baseball paradise,' " said Joel Wolfe, Kubel's agent. "You could say that was when he knew he wanted to be a D-Back." Kubel officially became one this week, finalizing a two-year, $15 million deal that includes a $7.5 million mutual option for 2014."
Arizona Diamondbacks' pickup of Jason Kubel raises questions
December 20
Arizona Republic
 columnist Nick Piecoro
"The focus all off-season has been on pitching - on upgrading the rotation, on further reinforcing the bullpen. And even after trading for Trevor Cahill and signing Takashi Saito in the past 10 days, it still seemed as though the Diamondbacks were focused on arms. And then they turned around and agreed to terms with outfielder Jason Kubel on a two-year, $15 million deal. It's an interesting signing, both because it came out of nowhere and because of the questions it raises, most of which revolve around incumbent left fielder Gerardo Parra. Do the Diamondbacks have that little faith in Parra's offensive ability? Do they intend to trade him? The answer to the first question almost certainly"
Diamondbacks shift gears, agree to terms with outfielder Jason Kubel
December 19
Arizona Republic
 
"Tired of waiting around in their pursuit for pitching help, the Diamondbacks shifted gears and went after a bat, agreeing to terms with free agent outfielder Jason Kubel on a two-year deal worth more than $15 million. The deal is pending a physical scheduled for Monday afternoon in Phoenix. Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers, reached on his cellphone in Paris, where he and his wife are vacationing, said the club had a "significant" offer out to free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda for "10 days to two weeks" before signing Kubel."
Arizona Diamondbacks reach agreement with Takashi Saito
December 15
Arizona Republic
 
"The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with All-Star right-handed pitcher Takashi Saito on a one-year contract, Executive Vice President and General Manager Kevin Towers said. "Takashi brings a great veteran presence to our bullpen and strengthens an area where we already feel very good about our options," Towers said in a team release. "He has closed, been a set-up man and is versatile enough to fill any role." Saito, 41, went 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA (6 ER in 26 2/3 IP) and a .216 opponents average with nine walks and 23 strikeouts in 30 relief appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season."
Reports: Diamondbacks pick up reliever Takashi Saito
December 13
Arizona Republic
 
"The Diamondbacks have yet to announce it, but according to various reports, the club has signed free-agent relief pitcher Takashi Saito to a one-year deal. General Manager Kevin Towers is out of the country and wasn't immediately available for comment. Saito, a right-hander, appeared in 30 games last season for the National League Central champion Brewers. He had a 2.03 ERA in 26 2/3 innings with 23 strikeouts and a 1.13 WHIP."
Arizona Diamondbacks decline salary arbitration for pitchers Joe Saunders, Micah Owings
December 13
Arizona Republic
 
"Joe Saunders and Micah Owings will become free agents. The Arizona Diamondbacks did not offer salary arbritration to the pitchers by Monday's 10 p.m. deadline. They did offer to third baseman Ryan Roberts, catcher Miguel Montero and relievers Craig Breslow and Brad Ziegler."
D-backs closing in on deal with Saito
December 13
MLB.com
 
"The D-backs are closing in on a one-year deal with free-agent reliever Takashi Saito, a baseball source confirmed Monday. Saito, 41, was 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA for the Brewers this past season while being limited to 30 games with oblique and calf issues. In six seasons, the Japanese-born right-hander has a 2.18 ERA and 84 saves. He had a career-best 39 saves with the Dodgers in 2007."
A's trade right-hander Trevor Cahill to Arizona Diamondbacks
December 10
Oakland Tribune
 
"The A's kicked off their latest roster makeover Friday by trading pitchers Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Oakland received pitchers Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook and outfielder Collin Cowgill, three prospects who could play significant roles for the A's in 2012. Cahill's name surfaced Wednesday as a trade possibility. Until then, it was fellow starter Gio Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey who were most heavily rumored to be leaving Oakland. Both remain strong candidates to be dealt, with Texas interested in Gonzalez. "It's never easy to trade a guy who was a focal point of your team for three years," A's assistant general manager David Forst said of Cahill. "But"
A's trade Trevor Cahill, Craig Breslow
December 10
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"The focus during the winter meetings in Dallas this week was on A's pitcher Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey, but instead a different starter and reliever were dealt away Friday. Trevor Cahill, an All-Star in 2010, was sent to Arizona along with left-hander Craig Breslow and small cash considerations, a couple of hundred thousand dollars, for one of the Diamondbacks' top young pitching prospects, right-hander Jarrod Parker, plus outfielder Collin Cowgill and reliever Ryan Cook, a pair of rookies. "I heard a lot of trade rumors," Cahill said by phone Friday, "but I never thought I'd be the guy to get traded.""
Diamondbacks acquire starter Trevor Cahill, reliever Craig Breslow in trade with Athletics
December 10
Arizona Republic
 
"Looking to dive headfirst through their window of opportunity, the Diamondbacks acquired right-hander Trevor Cahill and reliever Craig Breslow from the Oakland Athletics on Friday, opting for the certainty of established pitchers over the potential upside of prospects. In exchange, the Diamondbacks gave up three minor leaguers, including right-hander Jarrod Parker, who for three consecutive years rated as the No. 1 prospect in the organization. Outfielder Collin Cowgill and reliever Ryan Cook also were in the deal. At a time when multiple teams in the National League West seem to be retooling, the Diamondbacks view the trade as a way to beef up for what they hope is a prolonged run. "We"
Diamondbacks stay quiet during MLB winter meetings
December 9
Arizona Republic
 
"In the world of things accomplished at the winter meetings this week, Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers didn't have many items on his list as he left the Hilton Anatole on Thursday morning. They nearly completed a deal with backup first baseman Lyle Overbay -- a contract that will be worth about $249 million fewer than the one Albert Pujols is set to receive from the Los Angeles Angels -- and they selected a potential bullpen arm in the Rule 5 draft. And, well, that was about it. But the winter meetings are usually as much about laying groundwork as for the deals themselves, and in that department, Towers felt good about the week. "It's kind of a waiting game now," he said. They"
Eight pitchers among 12 drafted in Rule 5
December 8
MLB.com
 
"It was short and sweet -- not to mention upstaged by a very large free-agent signing -- but another Rule 5 Draft came and went with a host of Minor Leaguers hoping their selection will be a ticket to a better future. Twelve players were taken in the Major League phase, with 25 more going in the Triple-A and Double-A phases of the Rule 5 Draft. During the Major League phase, eligible players left unprotected from their clubs' 40-man rosters could be selected for $50,000. A player selected must now remain on his drafting team's active Major League roster next season or be offered back to the original club for $25,000. During the Triple-A and Double-A phases it costs less to take a player and"
Diamondbacks willing to make moves to set up playoff run
December 8
Arizona Republic
 
"Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers hoarded his better prospects in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline in July, saying time and again that he was unwilling to swing a deal he might end up regretting. But when Towers surveys the landscape now, taking in both the view of his organization and the others in the National League West, he sounds more willing to part with those same players, believing the time might be right to gear up for a run. "We see an opportunity in the next couple of years, and this is just our eyes, the way we view it," Towers said. "This is probably an opportune time to hopefully stay on top if we make the right moves and are able to make our club better,"
Arizona Diamondbacks' Kevin Towers waiting for responses to free-agent offers
December 7
Arizona Republic
 
"Kevin Towers' day consisted of one meeting after another. He went over the new collective-bargaining agreement with major-league officials, talked trade with other teams, met with agents about their clients and spent time in his suite talking strategy with his lieutenants. What he didn't do, however, was make any moves, and the Diamondbacks general manager didn't sound too confident that any transactions will come to pass before the end of the winter meetings Thursday morning. Though something originally was expected by late Monday night, there still was no resolution to the Lyle Overbay pursuit. However, Towers expressed optimism that a deal eventually would be reached that would make"
Diamondbacks get off to slow start, still eyeing Hiroki Kuroda
December 6
Arizona Republic
 
"The fast and furious pace of last year's winter meetings was absent Monday for the Diamondbacks, who swung no major deals and agreed to terms with no big-name free agents on Day 1 at the sprawling Hilton Anatole. Instead, they found themselves having to sit back and wait. Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers said he was scheduled to meet with Steve Hilliard, the agent for Lyle Overbay, on Monday night. He was expecting Hilliard to relay word on whether Overbay would accept or decline the club's one-year offer to be their backup first baseman."
Diamondbacks' Kevin Towers pleased with current roster
December 5
Arizona Republic
 
"Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers arrived in Dallas for this week's winter meetings believing that if he made no other moves he'd still be comfortable starting the season with his roster as currently constructed. It's something Towers has said often enough that it makes you wonder whether the Diamondbacks might have a slow week at the Hilton Anatole. They still have a handful of irons in the fire - namely, finalizing their rotation, adding a reliever (perhaps) and getting an answer from free agent Lyle Overbay, whom they would like to be their backup first baseman - but Towers believes he's operating from a position of strength, knowing that, unlike last season, his team isn't in"
Major League Baseball HGH program has a loophole: no in-season testing
December 4
Washington Post
 
"Anti-doping experts and political figures have taken great pains in the last two weeks to laud Major League Baseball for a new agreement to test players for human growth hormone beginning next spring. When that happens, MLB could beat the NFL to the distinction of becoming the first U.S. pro sports major league to implement HGH analysis, after years of entrenched resistance to blood testing. But baseball's program contains a loophole that could allow use of HGH from opening day until the end of the World Series, experts say, at a time when a rigorous testing program could make a big impact. For the first year at least, MLB will conduct more than 1,000 HGH tests — more than any Olympic"
Players Association ratifies new agreement
December 1
MLB.com
 
"The Major League Baseball Players Association ratified a new five-year Basic Agreement forged by the union and the owners on Thursday at its executive board meeting in Irving, Texas. The deal, which will expire on Dec. 1, 2016, was announced at a media conference in New York on Nov. 22. The owners are in the process of approving the pact, which will give MLB 21 years of labor peace by the time it is through, although approval is considered to be a formality. The owners meet again for their first quarterly session of 2012 on Jan. 11-12 in Paradise Valley, Ariz."
Teamwork of baseball owners, players maintain labor peace
November 23
Denver Post
 
"Labor peace is not perfect. The measure of baseball's new collective bargaining agreement is that both sides hurt a little in the compromise. But in reaching a deal that will mark 21 years without a work stoppage, the parties made adjustments dripped in common sense. Other than the anvil dropped on amateur players in draft bonus slotting. More on that later. After watching the NFL haggle for months and the NBA remain deadlocked, the MLB players and owners again show they've learned lessons from cancellation of the 1994 World Series? and from the steroids era. They operated more as partners than adversaries. The headline change is that baseball will become the first sports league to conduct"
MLB, union announce five-year labor deal
November 22
MLB.com
 
"Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a preliminary agreement on a new Basic Agreement. The five-year deal was officially announced on Tuesday afternoon at a news conference. The new deal through the 2016 season gives MLB a span of 21 years of labor peace since the strike-shortened 1994 season and delayed start of the '95 season. The current CBA, which was signed without any rancor in 2006, was set to expire on Dec. 11. The new agreement needs to be formalized in writing and ratified independently by the players and owners. "I am thrilled for the fans that the clubs and the players of Major League Baseball, together, have the opportunity to further build on our"
New Contract Will Enable Baseball to Test for H.G.H.
November 20
New York Times
 
"Major League Baseball's owners and players are on the verge of completing a new labor deal that for the first time will include blood testing for human growth hormone, according to two people in baseball briefed on the matter. The testing will be a significant step for baseball, allowing it to move ahead of other professional sports leagues, including the N.F.L., in confronting the troublesome issue of a drug that has long evaded detection. The bargaining agreement, which is expected to be announced early this week, calls for blood testing to begin in February, when players report to spring training. Players who test positive will face a 50-game suspension, which will be the same as the"
Sources: Handshake labor deal reached
November 19
ESPN.com
 
"Baseball's labor negotiators have reached a "handshake agreement" on all major issues, and the sport's new five-year collective bargaining agreement is likely to be announced Tuesday, sources told ESPN.com Friday. The sources were hesitant to use words such as "done" or "over" to describe the negotiations, because the two sides are still in the process of putting the agreement into writing. However, one source went so far as to say there are "no issues that remain to be negotiated." A second source was even more reluctant to characterize the new agreement as a finished product, saying: "Either there is a signed labor deal or there isn't -- and right now, there isn't." Nevertheless, all"
Kevin Towers leaves GM, owners meetings optimistic
November 18
Arizona Republic
 
"Kevin Towers stepped out of the Pfister Hotel and into the biting wind here on Thursday morning, ready to head home after three days at the general managers' and owners' meetings. While he couldn't say it was a week full of accomplishment, the Diamondbacks general manager didn't necessarily have a lot to do. His organization is highly regarded throughout the game, seen as a team on the rise, and Towers said multiple times this week that the beauty of his situation is that he'd be comfortable with the status quo if the right moves don't present themselves. "I laid some groundwork, which is good, leading up to the winter meetings," Towers said, referring to the off-season's main event, to be"
MLB to add second Wild Card as soon as '12
November 18
MLB.com
 
"The long-talked-about expansion of Major League Baseball's playoffs is in the works and could be incorporated as soon as this coming season, Commissioner Bud Selig announced after the conclusion of Thursday's final quarterly joint Owners Meeting of the year. The new format will expand the Wild Card to a pair of additional teams, one each in the American and National Leagues.The two Wild Card teams will meet in a one-game playoff prior to the three-tiered postseason, which will remain the same, Selig said. "You don't do things for only one year. You do things for a long period of time," Selig said. "We believe after a lot of study and a lot of thought that the addition of two Wild Cards is"
Diamondbacks' Kevin Towers, San Diego Padres' Josh Byrnes have no animosity despite situation
November 17
Arizona Republic
 
"Kevin Towers and Josh Byrnes, general managers who have essentially swapped teams between Arizona and San Diego in the past couple of years, arrived in town on the same flight earlier this week. "I happened to be in first class and he wasn't," Towers recalled. "He said, 'Let's make the first trade between our clubs. I'll take your seat and you take mine.' I said, 'No, I've got a no-trade provision on this one.' " Although a frostiness still exists between the teams that stems from the highest reaches of each organization, there's no such animosity between Towers and Byrnes, who respect each other as peers and have worked together on past trades."
Diamondbacks' Kirk Gibson wins NL Manager of the Year
November 17
Arizona Republic
 
"Kirk Gibson said he was honored to be named the National League Manager of the Year on Wednesday, and though he now has another thing in common with two of his managerial idols, Sparky Anderson and Jim Leyland, they have one accomplishment he still wants. "I still want to win a World Series as a manager," Gibson said on a conference call Wednesday, the day it was announced he had received 28 of 32 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. The Milwaukee Brewers' Ron Roenicke (three first-place votes) and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals' Tony La Russa (one first-place vote) were second and third, respectively."
Gibson, Maddon named top skippers in 2011
November 16
MLB.com
 
"Both men were responsible for remarkable turnarounds in 2011 -- one on the drop of a dime in a one-month span, the other in stark contrast to the team's finish from a year previous. Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon and Arizona's Kirk Gibson on Wednesday were named the American League and National League Manager of the Year, respectively, by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Maddon received 26 of a possible 28 first-place votes from two BBWAA writers in each AL city, for a total of 133 points. Detroit's Jim Leyland and Texas' Ron Washington each received one first-place vote and finished second and third, respectively."
Diamondbacks' talks with Miguel Montero at standstill
November 16
Arizona Republic
 
"When it comes to a long-term contract, interest is mutual between the Diamondbacks and catcher Miguel Montero. The question seems to be about the length of the term. General Manager Kevin Towers said he has spoken with Montero this off-season about a contract extension, but talks are at a standstill because Montero is seeking more guaranteed years than the Diamondbacks are comfortable offering. "He's a big part of our organization," Towers said Tuesday at the Pfister Hotel, where he spent the day in meetings with fellow general managers. "I'm hoping at some point in time there's a meeting of the minds on where we go and we can find middle ground where we'd be comfortable.""
Diamondbacks' Kirk Gibson receives praise for performance
November 16
Arizona Republic
 
"When the topic of his candidacy for the National League Manager of the Year award was broached by a reporter in September, Kirk Gibson bristled and got angry, perhaps the first time in sports history that an interview subject was upset by a positive question. Gibson might have to grudgingly accept some praise Wednesday. The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce its Managers of the Year at noon (Arizona time) Wednesday, and it is widely expected that Gibson will take home some hardware. Already last month he was named the Sporting News Manager of the Year. Gibson, attempting to keep the focus on the team and on winning, was reluctant to endorse any of his players for"
Sources: MLB labor deal close
November 15
ESPN.com
 
"Baseball negotiators are on the verge of a new labor deal that will dramatically alter the landscape of the sport, multiple sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday. Two sources with knowledge of the negotiations gave almost identical descriptions of those discussions Tuesday, one saying that a deal was "within striking distance" and a second saying that the sides were "on the verge of an agreement." Negotiations are on hold temporarily, until the conclusion of MLB's quarterly owners meetings on Thursday. But sources said it's possible that negotiations could resume as soon as Thursday evening and could reach a quick conclusion shortly thereafter."