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D’Backs Announce Option Decisions

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The D'Backs announced that they exercised their sides of the mutual options for Henry Blanco and Willie Bloomquist, while declining their team options for Zach Duke and Aaron Hill (Twitter link). However, Bloomquist has declined his side of the mutual option and would like to work out a longer deal, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (on Twitter).

Blanco's option is worth $1.15MM and includes a $250K buyout. It's not yet clear whether he'll return to Arizona for a second season. In 112 plate appearances in 2011, the 14-year veteran posted a .250/.330/.540 line with eight home runs. Bloomquist's option was worth $1.1MM. The 33-year-old played left field, shortstop and second base in 2011, while posting a .266/.317/.340 battling line in 381 plate appearances.

Hill posted an .878 OPS with the D'Backs after struggling in Toronto for a combined season line of .246/.299/.356. Though the D'Backs would like him back, his $8MM option was too much for GM Kevin Towers' liking. Hill's contract also included an $8MM team option for 2013. Duke posted a 4.93 ERA with 3.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 76 2/3 innings, so there was no doubt that the team would decline its $5.5MM club option in favor of the $750K buyout.

NL West Notes: Harang, Bloomquist, Blanco, Dodgers

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Earlier today the Giants agreed to a new two-year deal with Javier Lopez and exercised Jeremy Affeldt's 2012 option. Here's some links from around the rest of the division:

West Notes: Matsui, Angels, Gibson, D’Backs

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Here are a handful of interesting notes from around baseball's West divisions:

  • The Athletics' interest in re-signing impending free agent DH Hideki Matsui is waning, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland wants to get younger, according to Slusser, and Matsui, now 37, doesn't fit that bill. A return isn't entirely impossible, though, and A's GM Billy Beane will meet with Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, next week.
  • Angels owner Arte Moreno said that the Halos' 2012 payroll will be in the $130-140MM range, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), which would prevent them from pursuing any expensive free agents. In the Angels' installment of MLBTR's Offseason Outlook series, Ben Nicholson-Smith calculated that the Angels will have about $120MM on the books before accounting for players making the league minimum, so new GM Jerry Dipoto will have about $10-20MM to play with.
  • Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson's 2013 club option vested when the Snakes reached the playoffs this year, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D'Backs almost certainly would have picked up the option anyway considering Gibson's success in his first full season as skipper, but Arizona's postseason berth assured it. Gibson's coaches have all been extended through 2013, as well.
  • D'Backs GM Kevin Towers will focus on position players this offseason rather than pitchers, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, with second base being a key spot of interest. It's been expected that Aaron Hill's $8MM 2012 club option will be declined, though Arizona would like to re-sign him, according to Gilbert.
  • Towers doesn't expect to find a new vice president of scouting and player development, the position vacated by Dipoto, according to Piecoro. As well, Towers and Dipoto will hash out which executives the latter will be allowed to bring to Anaheim, with director of international scouting Carlos Gomez expected to be a person of interest in those talks. "That'd be a tough one," Towers said. "He's good. International guys are hard to find, especially young guys. He is under contract. I plan on offering him even a second year."

Angels Name Jerry Dipoto GM

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2:51pm: Dipoto's deal is for three guaranteed years followed by two option years, clarifies Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times on Twitter.

SATURDAY, 9:45am: The team announced that Dipoto received a five-year contract to be GM in a press release. His introductory press conference will be held at noon PT today.

FRIDAY, 10:34am: The Angels' exhaustive search for a new general manager is over. They will name Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks their next GM, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

The 43-year-old was the top name on MLBTR's list of GM candidates. He emerged as one of the game's top executives after a successful stint as Arizona's interim GM, but he told Tim Dierkes in August that he's always looking for more knowledge.

"The day I feel like I've stopped learning about baseball is the day I should go home," he said. "Every single day you're going to learn something new and start to adjust your lines of thinking.  It's an ongoing education.  Every person I meet in the game, my first instinct is to learn something from them.  My mentor is the game."

Dipoto, a former Major League reliever, was Arizona's senior VP of scouting and player development before landing the Angels job. After an eight-year playing career that included stints with the Indians, Mets and Rockies, Dipoto joined Colorado's front office. Later, he worked in Boston's front office and was with the Red Sox for their 2004 title, before returning to the Rockies and then leaving for Arizona.

The Angels are far from the only team affected by the move. Rays executive Andrew Friedman — apparently owner Arte Moreno's top choice — won't be going to Anaheim. The Orioles, who had interviewed Dipoto for their GM opening, lost their chance to hire Dipoto. Meanwhile, Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays, De Jon Watson of the Dodgers and John Stockstill of the Orioles have improved chances of becoming Baltimore's GM.

The Angels also considered Thad Levine of the Rangers, Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler of the Yankees, former GMs Dan Evans and Omar Minaya,  Kim Ng of MLB and Rick Hahn of the White Sox. The Angels won't announce the move before Saturday, since MLB prohibits major announcements during the World Series.

MLBTR's Transaction Tracker offers a look back at the moves Dipoto made while running the Diamondbacks last summer. He acquired Daniel Hudson from the White Sox and obtained Joe Saunders and prospects Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin from the Angels.

Front Office Notes: Duquette, Gwynn, Padres, Wilken

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Earlier today we learned that the Angels will name Jerry Dipoto as their new GM while the Orioles are leaning towards hiring Tony LaCava for the same role. Let's round up the latest front office news from around the game…

  • The Diamondbacks are unlikely to fill Dipoto's position, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). The team believes scouting director Ray Montgomery and farm director Mike Bell can handle the responsibilities.
  • Dan Duquette was among those interviewed by the Angels, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Duquette has served as GM of the Expos (1991-1994) and Red Sox (1994-2002), but most recently has been involved with the Israeli Baseball League and New England Collegiate Baseball League.
  • The Mariners have hired Chris Gwynn to be their director of player development, reports Dan Hayes of The North County Times (on Twitter). Gwynn had previously been the Padres director of player personnel.
  • Hayes hears from a source that Padres assistant GM A.J. Hinch will not assume the departed Jason McLeod's duties (Twitter link). The team will look to hire new evaluators following the departures of McLeod, Gwynn, and Jed Hoyer.
  • “I’m very happy that we got him over here for a number of reasons," said Cubs scouting director Tom Wilken to The Chicago Sun-Times when asked about working for McLeod, who now oversees the team's scouting and player development. “[His hiring] just kind of brought a smile to my face, and we’ve talked a little bit here in the last few days. And I really look forward to getting together with him and putting together this plan here to make us World Champions."

NL West Notes: Hill, Kuo, Ross

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It's been a busy day in the NL West. The Padres announced a leadership change and the Dodgers' bankruptcy trial was delayed. Here's more news from the division…

  • Aaron Hill has switched agents and is now a client of Greg Genske of Legacy Sports, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Hill, a former Beverly Hills Sports Council client, could return to the Diamondbacks in 2012 if the team picks up its $8MM option. Though the D’Backs would like Hill back, they’d rather work out a new deal, according to Gilbert. You can keep track of every player’s agent using MLBTR’s Agency Database.
  • Dodgers left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow, according to the team (on Twitter). He would earn about $2.5MM if the Dodgers offer arbitration, which makes him a non-tender candidate. He intends to pitch in 2012, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
  • Cody Ross told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has not yet started negotiating a potential deal with the Giants. The free agent outfielder says the sides have mutual interest in a new deal, but Schulman doubts the Giants would match Ross' 2011 salary of $5.3MM (Twitter links).

Front Office Notes: Red Sox, Minaya, Cashman

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The Cubs and Red Sox introduced the new leaders of their respective baseball operations departments today. Theo Epstein met with the media in Chicago and Ben Cherington did the same in Boston. Here are some more notes from front offices around MLB…

  • Epstein sounded extremely confident in Cherington’s ability to bring the Red Sox back to the playoffs. “He’s had such a well-rounded development,” Epstein said of Cherington. “He’s got so much integrity. He’s so bright. He’s got great management skills of people. This guy is going to do a fantastic job.” Alex Speier of WEEI.com has more quotes from Epstein.
  • Speier hears from an insider who won't be surprised if the Red Sox and Cubs need the help of the commissioner's office to resolve the issue of compensation for Epstein.
  • Former Mets and Expos GM Omar Minaya is one of top candidates for the Angels’ GM job, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees expect to have a new deal with GM Brian Cashman by Monday, according to Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff explains that Rangers executive A.J. Preller rooted for the Yankees before getting his first job in professional baseball. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes spoke to Preller earlier this month for our GM Candidates series.
  • The Diamondbacks announced that they promoted Junior Noboa to VP of Latin Operations. Noboa, Arizona's first ever international hire, enters his 18th season with the organization. He has overseen the acquisition of players such as Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra.
  • For the latest on the Orioles’ GM search, click here, for notes on MLB managers click here and for more front office rumors click here.

Quick Hits: Braves, Diamondbacks, Padres, Epstein

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On this day 36 years ago, Joe Morgan's ninth-inning RBI single helped earn the Big Red Machine a Game Seven win over Boston. That 1975 World Series was ranked by ESPN as the second-greatest in baseball history. While this year's Fall Classic has a long way to go to reach that level, the Cardinals and Rangers are off to a good start, having traded one-run victories so far. Here are today's links from around the league, as we await Game Three….

  • The Braves have hired Greg Walker, formerly of the White Sox, as their hitting coach, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Walker was one of three candidates interviewed by Atlanta.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic shares scouting reports and biographies for eight international free agents signed by the Diamondbacks this summer. The reports, via Arizona's international scouting director Carlos Gomez, are must-reads for D'Backs fans.
  • Within Piecoro's piece, he adds that the Diamondbacks re-signed a pair of players, Mike DeMark and D.J. Johnson, to minor league deals.
  • Dan Hayes of the North County Times spoke to Baseball America's Jim Callis about the improvement of the Padres' farm system this season.
  • With Theo Epstein officially heading to Chicago, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald lists the five best and five worst moves the former GM made for the Red Sox.

NL West Notes: Rockies, Spilborghs, Winfree, Padres

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Here's a look at a handful of items out of the National League West..

  • There will be an agreement in place to prevent the raiding of the Padres' front office by the Cubs once the departures of Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod are official, a team source tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).
  • Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart and outfielder Ryan Spilborghs would like to play winter ball after disappointing seasons, but they are on the fence because of their arbitration-eligible status, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.  Both players are non-tender candidates and could wind up as free agents on December 12th.
  • The Diamondbacks added infielder David Winfree to their major league roster, according to their official Twitter page.  Arizona also did some roster shuffling yesterday when they outrighted Sean Burroughs, Alberto Castillo and Robby Hammock to Triple-A.
  • With Jed Hoyer expected to join Theo Epstein in Chicago, Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres gives his impression of Hoyer as a GM.  While some Padres fans are upset with Hoyer for leaving the club, Krasovic believes that the soon-to-be 38-year-old is simply seizing a rare opportunity.
  • The Padres don't expect to lose scouting director Jaron Madison to the Cubs if Hoyer and Jason McLeod join the organization, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).

Quick Hits: Byrnes, Reds, Uehara, Young, Inge

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The World Series is tied at a game apiece after the Rangers' thrilling 2-1 victory over the Cardinals tonight.  As we look forward to Game Three on Saturday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, here are a few news items to round out the evening…

  • The Diamondbacks will receive "a significant level of financial relief – and perhaps total relief" when and if Josh Byrnes becomes the Padres' new general manager, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Byrnes had five and a half years remaining on his contract with Arizona when he was fired on July 1, 2010, but the Snakes could be off the hook for the remaining four years left on that deal should Byrnes get another GM job.
  • There is nothing new to report on the Reds' negotiations with Brandon Phillips or Francisco Cordero, Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • Koji Uehara has told people close to him that he wants to return to the Orioles, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  After being dealt to Texas in July, Uehara struggled in the first two rounds of the playoffs and was left off the Rangers' World Series roster.  The Japanese right-hander made enough appearances to activate a $4MM vesting option for 2012, so if the O's want Uehara back, the Rangers would probably be happy to unload him.
  • The Red Sox have given the Athletics permission to interview pitching coach Curt Young about the pitching coach vacancy in Oakland, reports Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link) reports Young and the A's are already in negotiations.  Young served as Oakland's pitching coach from 2004-2010 before going to Boston to replace John Farrell last winter.
  • The Tigers have enough money coming off the books this winter that Tom Gage of the Detroit News thinks Brandon Inge's contract could be swallowed if the team can find a better third base option on the trade market.  Inge is set to earn $5.5MM in 2012 and the Tigers hold a $6MM club option on their longtime third baseman for 2013.
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