June 2011 - Baseball Wiretap

White Sox Name Robin Ventura Manager
Robin Ventura has agreed to a multiyear deal to manage the White Sox.

ESPN.com

Sources: Mets Have Eye On Former Managers For Bench
The Mets are stil brainstorming candidates former managers to become bench coach next season.

ESPN.com

D-Backs Win To Force Game 5 In NLDS
The D-Backs beat the Brewers 10-6 on Wednesday night.

ESPN.com

Francona: 'Maybe It Was Just Time'
Terry Francona said he didn't think he was the right person to mange the red Sox going forward.

ESPN.com

Mets Make Changes To Coaching Staff
The Mets will retain only pitching coach Dan Warthen and hitting coach Dave Hudgens next season.

ESPN.com

A's Add Chip Hale As Bench Coach
The A's have hired Chip Hale as their bench coach for next season.

ESPN.com

Cardinals Beat Phillies To Force Game 5
David Freese drove in four runs as the Cardinals beat the Phillies 5-3 on Wednesday night.

ESPN.com

Cashman: Yankees Consider Granderson To Be 'Above-Average' Defensively
Some advanced metrics depict Curtis Granderson as a below-average defensive outfielder.

Ken Rosenthal/FOX Sports

Young: It Doesn't Matter Who Rangers Play
The Rangers are waiting for the Yankees and Tigers to play Game 5 on Thursday night.

MLB.com

Pirates Will Attempt To Re-Sign Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee's willingness to return to the Pirates remains unknown.

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Hamilton Apologizes To Rays For Past Behavior
The Rays drafted Josh Hamilton with the first overall pick back in 1999.

MLB.com

Francona Will Fill In For McCarver During ALCS
Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona will work as an analyst alongside Joe Buck for Fox during the first two games of the ALCS.

Big League Stew

Damon, Upton Want To Remain With Rays
Johnny Damon and B.J. Upton, the two most important Rays with uncertain futures, both say they want to remain with the franchise.

St. Petersburg Times

C.J. Wilson Will Start Game 1 Of ALCS
C.J. Wilson lost Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rays, but the Rangers won the next three games.

Richard Durrett/ESPN.com (via Twitter)

Cliff Lee Will Be Available As Reliever
The Phillies could use left-hander Cliff Lee out of the bullpen in Wednesday night's Game 4 against the Cardinals.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Beane: Biggest Challenge To A's Job Is Putting Together Business Plan
The A's have been in limbo on a new stadium for several years.

Tyler Bleszinski/Athletics Nation

30-Team MLB Scoop, Division Series Edition
Jason Heyward's future in Atlanta, the end of Rocktober in Colorado, "Beast Mode" in Milwaukee, text messages between Yankees and Toronto's offseason plans.

Andrew Perna/RealGM

CC Opt-Out Would Put Yankees In Tough Spot
CC Sabathia can opt out of his seven-year, $161 million contract after this season.

New York Post

Pirates Retain All Coaches
The Pirates had another losing season, but they improved a bit and will keep their core staff intact.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Boston's Henry Ends Silence With Tweet
John Henry did not address whether the team has been approached by the Cubs for permission to speak with general manager Theo Epstein.

Gordon Edes/ESPN.com

Sabathia Available To Pitch In Game 5
Ivan Nova will start Thursday night's Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.

Andrew Marchand/ESPN.com

Pujols Pans Late-Afternoon Start Times
Tuesday's Game 3 between the Phillies and Cardinals was scoreless until the seventh inning, perhaps because of tough shadows at Busch Stadium.

ESPN.com

Rays Owner Calls Current Business Model 'Untenable'
The Rays have been to the playoffs in three of the last four years, but their attendance is still down.

Associated Press

Burnett Credits Defense For Game 4 Win
Curtis Granderson made a pair of incredible catches to help A.J. Burnett allow just one run over more than five innings.

Associated Press

Report: Cubs Ask To Talk To Epstein
The Cubs have asked the Red Sox for permission to talk with Theo Epstein, according to the Boston Globe.

ESPN.com

Rangers Advance To Second-Straight ALCS
Adrian Beltre led the Rangers to the ALCS with a trio of home runs in Tuesday afternoon's Game 4.

RealGM Staff Report

Beltre Hits Three HRs In Game 4
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre has become just the sixth player in Major League history to hit three home runs in a postseason game.

Richard Durrett/ESPN.com

Cubs Have Backup Plan If They Can't Land A-List GM
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts has finalized a short list of respected assistants he'll turn to if he can't land an A-list general manager.

Chicago Tribune

Nationals Still Targeting Denard Span
The Nationals and Twins discussed a trade for Denard Span during the 2011 regular season.

Jim Bowden/ESPN (via Twitter)

Grady Sizemore Has More Knee Surgery
Grady Sizemore should be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks.

Paul Hoynes/Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter(