June 2012 - Baseball Wiretap

Farrell Reached Out To Ross Almost Immediately
Cody Ross was not a member of the Red Sox when John Farrell served as the team's pitching coach under Terry Francona.

Peter Abraham/Boston Globe (via Twitter)

Cabrera, Fielder Below Expected Production In Run To World Series
The Tigers have made it to the World Series on the strength of their starting pitching and almost in spite of their superstar hitters.

RealGM Staff Report

Verlander Has Chance To Record Five Playoff Wins
No Major League pitcher has ever won five games in a single postseason, but Justin Verlander should have a chance to do so.

David Schoenfield/ESPN

Valentine: Ortiz Shut It Down After Blockbuster Trade
David Ortiz returned from the disabled list in late August for one game and didn't play again after the Red Sox completed a major trade with the Dodgers.

Gordon Edes/ESPN

Giants Announce Rotation, Lincecum Staying In Bullpen
Madison Bumgarner will pitch Game 2, followed by Ryan Vogelsong in Game 3 and Matt Cain in Game 4.

Associated Press

Valverde Working On Pitching Mechanics
Jose Valverde is preparing for the World Series after not pitching in the ALCS after blowing a save in Game 1 against the Yankees.

Rob Beard/Detroit News

Mets Won't Tender Pelfrey, But Will Chase Him As Free Agent
The team views Mike Pelfrey as a piece that can help them either in the starting rotation or bullpen.

Mike Puma/New York Post

Acta, Tracy Are Potential Blue Jays Managers
Both Manny Acta and Jim Tracy have roots in Montreal, just like Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos and assistants Dana Brown and Tony LaCava.

Bob Elliott/Toronto Sun

Twins Looking To Add Three Starting Pitchers
Scott Diamond is the only starter penciled into next year's rotation.

Phil Mackey/1500 ESPN

Orioles, Diamondbacks Complete Saunders Trade
The Orioles sent cash to Arizona to complete the deal when the sides couldn't agree on a player to be named.

Ben Nicholson-Smith/MLB Trade Rumors

Ortiz Nearing Two-Year Deal With Red Sox
The two-year term has been agreed upon, but the monetary value is being negotiated.

Gordon Edes/ESPN

Ozzie Guillen Fired By Marlins
The Marlins have fired Ozzie Guillen.

Clark Spencer/Miami Herald

Lohse Could Receive Deal Similar To C.J. Wilson
In 33 starts, Kyle Lohse went 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA and nearly four times as many strikeouts as walks.

Buster Olney/ESPN

Pagan May Have Earned Himself Significant Payday
Some baseball executives wouldn't be shocked if Angel Pagan winds up getting a four-year deal for something in the range of $50 million or more.

Buster Olney/ESPN

Mariners Hire Hansen As Hitting Coach
Dave Hansen replaces Chris Chambliss, who was fired after the season.

Associated Press

Rangers Looking For Catcher, Expected To Inquire With Blue Jays
The Rangers are looking for a catcher this offseason and the Blue Jays have a ton of depth at the position.

T.R. Sullivan/MLB.com

Yadier Molina Is First To Go 4-For-4 In A Game 7
Yadier Molina is also the first player to record four hits in a Game 7 loss.

ESPN Stats & Info

Wiley Named Colorado's Director Of Pitching Operations
The 64-year-old has spent 43 seasons in pro baseball, including the last five with the Marlins.

Associated Press

Padres To Move In Some Of Petco Park's Fences
Work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center at Petco Park.

Associated Press

Scutaro Named NLCS MVP After Tying Record With 14 Hits
Marco Scutaro is headed to the World Series for the first time in his career at age 36.

Associated Press

Giants Rout Cardinals To Win NL Pennant
The Giants beat the Cardinals 9-0 on Monday night to advance to the World Series against the Tigers.

ESPN.com

Blue Jays Expect Quick Managerial Search With Few Candidates
Sandy Alomar Jr., DeMarlo Hale and Brian Butterfield were finalists along with John Farrell two years ago.

Ken Fidlin/Toronto Sun

Pineda May Not Pitch For Yankees Until June
Michael Pineda had surgery to repair a torn labrum, an injury that sometimes takes two years to completely heal.

Craig Calcaterra/Hardball Talk

Dombrowski Built Tigers Around Power Pitchers
Dave Dombrowski built his team around a stable of power pitches, but even he couldn't have envisioned that Detroit would pitch that well.

Shawn Windsor/Detroit Free-Press

Derek Lowe Still Wants To Start
Derek Lowe contributed out of the bullpen as a member of the Yankees down the stretch, but he doesn't want to remain in that role.

George A. King III/New York Post

Twins Hire Three New Coaches Under Gardenhire
The Twins have hired three new coaches -- adding Tom Brunansky as their hitting coach, Bobby Cuellar as bullpen coach and Terry Steinbach as a bench coach and catching instructor.

Associated Press

Blue Jays Looking To Trade Escobar
The shortstop supply is weak, but his poor reputation hurts his value.

Jon Heyman/CBS Sports (via Twitter)

Fister, Sanchez, Scherzer Will Follow Verlander
The Tigers don't know who their opponent will be in the World Series, but that hasn't stopped Jim Leyland from setting the team's starting rotation.

Jason Beck/MLB.com

Giants Have Never Won A Game 7 In Franchise History
The Giants haven't had much luck in Game 7s over the years.

John Schlegel/MLB.com

NLCS Has Gone Seven Games Nine Times In 27 Years
The Giants and Cardinals will play a do-or-die Game 7 with a trip to the World Series on the line Monday night.

John Schlegel/MLB.com