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Jed Hoyer

Cubs Notes: Hoyer, Epstein, Ramirez

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The Cubs will have a new manager in 2012, but it won't be Ryne Sandberg. Here are some links for Wednesday, as Cubs fans imagine their longtime second baseman in a Cardinals uniform…

  • The Cubs aren't focused on former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona and aren't likely to pursue a current manager, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein reached out to Sandberg to explain why he's not being considered for the managerial job, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • GM Jed Hoyer suggested the Cubs will spend some time rebuilding their pitching staff, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Long before he was a Major League GM, Hoyer was a skilled fantasy baseball player, according to the Sun-Times. Hoyer excelled in fantasy leagues as a youngster, even against adult professionals. For fantasy news on relief pitchers, check out CloserNews.com.
  • On a related note, Hoyer says he expects Carlos Marmol to close next year, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. 
  • Epstein, Hoyer and the rest of the front office are a team, but the GM remains impressed by Epstein's ability. "When he turns it on, it's pretty clear he has a gear the rest of us don't have," Hoyer said, according to Sullivan.
  • Former Cubs GM Jim Hendry graciously said the team hit a "home run" by hiring Epstein, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. "Tom Ricketts did the city of Chicago and the Cubs organization a great service by hiring Theo," Hendry said. The former GM hasn't ruled out returning to the game, but he's enjoying some time off for now. Hoyer said he's looking forward to reaching out to Hendry, according to Sullivan.
  • The Cubs don't have to pay Aramis Ramirez's $2MM buyout, since he declined his side of his contract option for 2012, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.

Padres Notes: Byrnes, Bell, Hoyer, McLeod

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The Padres officially named Josh Byrnes their general manager today, so the two-year-long Jed Hoyer era is over in San Diego. Here's the latest on the Padres as they prepare for their first offseason under Byrnes…

  • Byrnes says San Diego will likely offer Heath Bell arbitration, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). Bell is a Type A free agent, as MLBTR learned earlier today. If he declines arbitration to sign elsewhere, the Padres will obtain two draft picks in 2012. However, Bell has indicated that he will accept.
  • Padres CEO Jeff Moorad explained in a statement that he holds Byrnes' predecessor in high esteem. “Thanks to Jed Hoyer’s leadership, we are in a far better position to win consistently in the future than we were two years ago." The Padres played to a 161-163 record in two seasons under Hoyer, though that's just one imperfect measurement of his contribution to the team.
  • Jason McLeod, who left the Padres for the Cubs along with Hoyer, told Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres that leaving San Diego is bittersweet in a Q&A about his time with the team.
  • The Cubs offered Hoyer a five-year contract, which the Padres declined to match, according to Krasovic.

Hoyer, McLeod To Join Cubs; Byrnes Now Padres GM

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Theo Epstein's first deal as the Cubs' president of baseball operations may be one of the most significant moves of his tenure in Chicago. The Cubs and Padres have confirmed that San Diego GM Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod will leave the Padres to accept positions with Epstein. 

Once the World Series ends, the Cubs will introduce Hoyer as their executive VP and general manager and McLeod as their senior VP of scouting and player development. The Cubs will send the Padres a player to be named later as compensation for the two executives.

Meanwhile, Josh Byrnes will be introduced as San Diego's executive vice president and general manager next Monday, according to the Padres. Byrnes, formerly the Padres' senior VP of baseball operations, worked under current Padres CEO Jeff Moorad in Arizona, so he already knows his boss well. Byrnes was Arizona's GM from 2005-10, leading the Diamondbacks to a division title in 2007 before losing his job last July. MLBTR's Transaction Tracker offers a look back at his moves as the club's GM.

The NL West has featured some noteworthy personnel changes in the past year and a half. A.J. Hinch, the former D'Backs manager who was fired along with Byrnes last July, is now San Diego's assistant GM, so Hinch and Byrnes, two former D'Backs, now run the Padres while a longtime Padres executive, Kevin Towers, runs the D'Backs.

Byrnes worked with Epstein and Hoyer in Boston before leaving for Arizona. Before Hoyer obtained the San Diego job, he worked for Epstein as Boston's assistant GM from 2006-09. McLeod was Boston's scouting director from 2005-09.

Front Office Notes: Orioles, Cashman, Cubs, Padres

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Theo Epstein is officially the Cubs' president of baseball operations and the Red Sox have announced that Ben Cherington will be Boston's next GM, but there's still lots of front office turnover on the horizon. Here are the latest details from around MLB:

  • De Jon Watson's interview for the Orioles' GM job will take place on Wednesday, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). I spoke to Watson, the Dodgers' assistant GM, last month. He's up against Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks and Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays.
  • Chase Headley and Heath Bell told Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune that they expect a smooth transition from Jed Hoyer to Josh Byrnes when Hoyer leaves the Padres to become the Cubs' new GM.
  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune explains that Cubs president Crane Kenney will move exclusively to the business side now that Epstein is the club's president of baseball operations. Kenney is a polarizing figure in Chicago and the role he played in obtaining Epstein is unclear, according to Sullivan.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says letting assistant GM Randy Bush go would be a mistake for the Cubs.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with Hal Steinbrenner in New York today and Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the sides expect to be able to complete a new deal for Cashman with relative ease (Twitter link).

Epstein, Hoyer, Cubs Links: Saturday

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The Red Sox officially announced last night that GM Theo Epstein had resigned from his position to take over as the the Cubs president of baseball operations. Both teams will hold press conferences on Tuesday; the Cubs to introduce Epstein, and the Sox to likely announce that Ben Cherington is taking over as GM. The two sides have "reached an agreement regarding a process by which appropriate compensation will be determined" and the issue will be "resolved in the near term."

Meanwhile, the Padres have officially granted the Cubs permission to speak to GM Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod. San Diego has already agreed to a list of players from which they will choose their compensation package. Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes is expected to replace Hoyer after the World Series, and the Cubs will not raid the Padres' front office any further. As news trickles in about the three-way GM carousel, we'll keep track of it all right here, with the latest up top…

  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe cautions Red Sox fans not to expect a "windfall" in exchange for Epstein. Abraham expects Boston to receive two or three prospects, or one prospect and a complementary Major Leaguer like Jeff Baker.
  • Dan Hayes of The North County Times says (on Twitter) we're unlikely the learn the full list of players the Padres can choose from, but a source confirmed that Starlin Castro and Andrew Cashner are not on it. That's not surprising, the Padres are expected to receive minor leaguers in exchange for letting Hoyer and McLeod leave.
  • In a pair of tweets, WEEI.com's Alex Speier notes that because he is coming in as an outsider, Epstein is likely to value the Cubs' prospects differently than those already in the organization. That could lead to a swift resolution of the Cubs-Red Sox compensation talks.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney points out (on Twitter) that Epstein will cost the Cubs about the same as what Alfonso Soriano makes per month. He calls it a "huge per-dollar talent grab" for the north siders.
  • With a handful of front-office types and a manager changing teams this offseason despite being under contract, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders whether the Red Sox could seek another team's manager to be their next skipper (Twitter).

Epstein, Hoyer To Join Cubs; Byrnes In As Padres’ GM

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2:18pm: The deal is done, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). Hoyer will join Epstein in Chicago and Byrnes will become the Padres' new GM.

10:47am: The Red Sox and Cubs are "finalizing" an agreement that would bring longtime Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to Chicago, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The teams are expected to announce the deal tomorrow, as MLB has told the Cubs they can hold a news conference during the World Series travel day. Brett Jackson, Trey McNutt and Matt Szczur will not join the Red Sox in the trade, but another prospect will, according to Levine. 

The Cubs will name Jed Hoyer their GM within a few days, Levine reports (Epstein would be the club's president of baseball operations). However, the Cubs have not officially asked for permission to interview Hoyer. The Padres will make Josh Byrnes their GM and won't demand compensation for losing Hoyer, according to Levine.

Alex Speier of WEEI.com confirms that Epstein is expected to be named the Cubs' president of baseball operations with Hoyer joining him as general manager. Compensation between the Cubs and Red Sox hasn't been finalized yet, Speier reports. 

Epstein is "close" to joining the Cubs, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports confirms (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of SI.com confirms that Hoyer is also joining the Cubs and notes that Josh Byrnes is becoming San Diego's GM (Twitter links).

Padres Rumors: Front Office, Lackey, Bell

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The latest Padres rumors:

  • Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts met with Padres owner Jeff Moorad, Byrnes and Hoyer during the regular season finale, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
  • Most baseball people expect Hoyer, not Byrnes, to join Epstein in Chicago, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • The Padres have internally discussed the possibility of acquiring John Lackey from the Red Sox if Boston takes on most of the right-hander's salary, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  Lackey pitched for the Angels when Padres manager Bud Black was the team's pitching coach. 
  • When Theo Epstein joins the Cubs, he'll likely bring along someone from the Padres front office, according to Center.  GM Jed Hoyer, assistant GM Jason McLeod and senior VP of baseball operations Josh Byrnes are candidates to join Epstein in Chicago. 
  • Contract talks have begun between the Padres and Heath Bell, tweets Center.  The Padres are aiming for a two-year deal with an option, while Bell wants three guaranteed years.  He's never had a multiyear deal in his career.  Center recently wrote that the Padres are in the two-year, $15-16MM range.  If no deal can be worked out, the Padres must decide by November 23rd whether to offer arbitration to the Type A reliever.
  • Theo Epstein wouldn't tell the people he'd want to bring to Chicago until he's officially part of the Cubs, a source close to Epstein tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link).  The source believes recent rumors are "just speculation."  Yesterday, SI's Jon Heyman reported that Epstein is interested in poaching some combination of top Padres executives Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod, and Josh Byrnes.  Today, Heyman writes that Hoyer is "definitely in the mix for a job with the Cubs once Epstein officially goes to Chicago."  
  • Tom Krasovic thinks that if Hoyer joins the Cubs he'd bring McLeod with him.  Byrnes, a favorite of Padres owner Jeff Moorad, would likely become San Diego's GM.

Theo Epstein Rumors: Tuesday

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The latest on the Cubs' attempt to add Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to their front office…

  • Epstein is actively looking to hire a general manager to join him in Chicago, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 37-year-old is exploring GM candidates while he waits for the Red Sox and Cubs to work out compensation for his departure. The Cubs would bring Epstein in as their president of baseball operations and he would hire a general manager to assist with the daily grind of the job.
  • The Red Sox are "holding tough" on their asking price and don't anticipate resolution tonight, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • Hoyer told Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio that he's not going to comment on media speculation (Twitter links).  "I'm excited about what we continue to build here in San Diego," he said. 
  • The Cubs haven't asked for permission to talk to any Padres executives, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link).
  • Carrie Muskat of MLB.com points out that obtaining Hoyer could prove difficult, as he is under contract through 2013 with an option for 2014 (Twitter link).  But Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres doubts owner Jeff Moorad would hold up a deal if it meant Byrnes became the Padres' next GM (Twitter link).
  • Current Padres GM Jed Hoyer is being considered by the Cubs and Epstein, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  In that scenario, Josh Byrnes would become the Padres' GM.  Heyman notes that the Cubs are also looking at Padres executives Byrnes and Jason McLeod for themselves, should Hoyer stay.  All the executives were once members of the Boston front office with Epstein.
  • Yesterday we learned that the Red Sox started out the Epstein compensation discussions by asking the Cubs for righty Matt Garza, which CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam says was "rejected out of hand."  Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says that "the sides slowly have moved their position to a more realistic center" as they discuss Cubs prospects.  
  • Cafardo says the Red Sox have been focusing on Trey McNutt, Brett Jackson, Matt Szczur, and Josh Vitters, the latter three labeled as unlikely by Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com yesterday.  McNutt and Andrew Cashner are unlikely as well, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, while McAdam says McNutt's inclusion is "far from guaranteed at this point."
  • An announcement today has been ruled out, writes McAdam, with "significant work" remaining to reach an agreement on compensation.  He says Friday's World Series off-day is the earliest possibility, assuming the teams come to terms and get Bud Selig's permission for an announcement.  McAdam says that although progress has been made, the Cubs feel that precedent calls for minimal compensation while the Sox think this situation defies precedent.
  • McAdam writes that the issue of Epstein taking Red Sox employees with him is not an issue, with a mutual understanding in place that he will not raid Boston's baseball operations department. 
  • Most reports, including this one from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, suggest that the five-year, $18.5MM deal between Epstein and the Cubs is not in jeopardy.  Still, as Cafardo notes, both teams have a lot of team-building to do.    

Jed Hoyer’s First Year

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Jed Hoyer has been the general manager of the Padres since October 26th, and much of his first year is in the books.  We looked at Alex Anthopoulos yesterday; now it's Hoyer's turn.

  • Signed Chris Denorfia to a minor league deal - 12-18-09.  This early move was a winner, as Denorfia has a .266/.324/.456 line in 189 plate appearances for the Padres.  
  • Acquired Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham from Athletics for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Eric Sogard, 1-16-10.  Cunningham has hit well in 85 big league plate appearances, though he didn't do anything with 246 PAs in Triple A.  Hairston has disappointed in his return campaign.  Neither Kouzmanoff nor his replacement Chase Headley have hit much.  This trade might ultimately be settled by comparing the careers of Sogard and Cunningham, as the veterans could be non-tendered this winter.  
  • Signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a one-year, $2.125MM deal – 1-18-10.  Hairston has performed as expected – versatile glove, weak bat.  He deserves credit for playing an apparently passable shortstop this year. 
  • Signed Jon Garland to a one-year, $5.3MM deal – 1-26-10.  The Garland signing was praised as a bargain at the time, and he's provided 139.3 innings of 3.55 ball.  His peripheral numbers predict something closer to 4.50 from here on out, but the innings are good value at that price. 
  • Signed Matt Stairs to a minor league deal worth $700K – 1-26-10.  A knee injury is partially to blame, but Stairs hasn't hit at all this year. 
  • Signed Yorvit Torrealba to a one-year, $1.25MM deal – 2-9-10.  Hard to go wrong with this below-market contract, and Torrealba has pleased the Padres with a .317/.381/.400 line. 
  • Acquired Miguel Tejada and $1.1MM from Orioles for Wynn Pelzer, 7-29-10.  It remains to be seen if a move back to the NL will rejuvenate Tejada's bat, but they needed an infielder and there wasn't much out there. 
  • Acquired Ryan Ludwick from Cardinals and cash from Indians, giving up Corey Kluber and Nick Greenwood, 7-31-10.  Nice move by Hoyer, picking up a power hitter many people didn't realize was available.  Ludwick is under team control for 2011, too. 
  • The key to Hoyer's first draft will be signing prep righty Karsten Whitson, opines ESPN's Keith Law.  Whitson was drafted out of high school, ninth overall.
  • The Padres' surprising 64-46 record and first place standing indicates Hoyer has done something right or at least not made any moves to hurt the club.  He inherited the majority of the team's stellar pitching staff, so Kevin Towers deserves a fist bump.  The Garland and Torrealba signings were solid, though both players might have given the San Diego discount.  Hoyer's trades have yet to show a return.

Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Jones, Stauffer, Oliver, Lowell

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Links for Saturday…

  • The Phillies considered Chad Gaudin according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, but they decided he wasn't enough of an upgrade over what they already have in-house.
  • The Twins have informed Jacque Jones that he will not make the team, reports MLB.com's Kelly Thesier. Minnesota brought the long time Twin back on a minor league deal in February.
  • On the heels of another strong outing from Tim Stauffer, MLB.com's Corey Brock speculates (via Twitter) that the Padres could receive a mid-level prospect from a team in need of pitching if they opted to trade him. Stauffer's four shutout innings today lowered his spring ERA to a tidy 2.57 with an 11:3 K:BB ratio through 14 innings.
  • Jon Paul Morosi tells the great story of Darren Oliver's resurgence after nearly retiring in 2005 and wonders who the next veteran will be to make a similar run.
  • Doug Mientkiewicz was told he will not make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, according to a report from the Associated Press. Mientkiewicz was excused from camp today so he can weigh his options in regards to his future in baseball.
  • Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says Mike Lowell's injury "almost kills his trade value, which was already low to begin with." Lowell suffered a knee contusion when he fouled a ball off his left knee Friday. 
  • Blue Jays' team president and CEO Paul Beeston chatted with fans on the team's official site yesterday. He discussed the latest on Adeiny Hechevarria and the club's policy on long-term contracts, among other topics.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney says that some general managers believe the reason there's so little movement on the trade front is because there are still viable alternatives on the free agent market.
  • As Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune notes, Joe Mauer's new deal may have turned one of the team's top prospects in a prime piece of trade bait.
  • New Padres' GM Jed Hoyer isn't as brash as Kevin Towers used to be, writes Nick Canepa of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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