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White Sox Promote Williams; Hahn To Be GM

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9:07am: The White Sox announced the promotions, naming Williams executive VP and naming Hahn senior VP and general manager. Williams will "maintain oversight and final approval on major baseball decisions,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said.

8:14am: The White Sox will announce today that they've promoted their top two baseball executives, according to Mark Gonzales of Chicago Tribune. Kenny Williams will now oversee the baseball operations department and Rick Hahn will take over Williams' duties as general manager. The long-anticipated transition will be announced at a news conference today.

Williams, 48, has been Chicago's GM since the end of the 2000 season. He is the sixth longest tenured general manager in baseball, behind only Terry Ryan (Twins) Brian Sabean (Giants), Billy Beane (Athletics), Brian Cashman (Yankees) and Dan O'Dowd (Rockies).The White Sox have reached the playoffs twice under Williams; they won the 2005 World Series and won the AL Central in 2008. Chicago finished the 2012 season in second place with an 85-77 record.

Hahn featured prominently on MLBTR's list of GM candidates last summer. He was considered for general manager jobs last offseason, including one with the Cubs. The 41-year-old has also been linked to general manager jobs with the Pirates, Cardinals, Mariners, Mets and Angels, according to Gonzales.

Cafardo On Mets, Davis, Lincecum, Peavy

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The Yankees are obviously frustrated with how their 2012 campaign turned out, but an American League General Manager told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that they won't have to blow things up the way that the Red Sox did in order to improve.  “[I] don’t think they necessarily have to hit rock bottom like Boston to get better," said the GM.  "We always said you can’t do that in Boston, but it happened. We always say that can’t happen with the Yankees, so I guess we’ll see.  But I just see Brian Cashman trying to get this team younger while still competing. That’s what I think will happen.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • We've heard that the Mets will be open to trading Ike Davis, but special assistant J.P. Ricciardi would be shocked to see any movement on the first baseman.  Davis has often been linked to the Red Sox and the Rays would also be a fit.  Tampa Bay could certainly afford to part ways with a pitcher in order to improve their offense.
  • Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum will be available in trade and it will be interesting to see what kind of market develops for him.  The Giants say his problems were strictly mechanical, but other teams wonder why his fastball dipped from around 96 mph to 92 mph for most of the season.  The 28-year-old is due $22MM in the final year of his deal.
  • The White Sox will decline Jake Peavy's $22MM option for 2013 and one National League GM sees him fetching a three-year deal worth $36-40MM on the open market.  Understandably, the GM cautioned that team doctors would have to do a thorough check on him despite the fact that he stayed healthy this past season.
  • Ricciardi's deal with the Mets is up but he expects to return.  So far, no one has inquired on him as a GM candidate or something close, though he says he would like to return to the front office.

Central Links: Soriano, Cubs, White Sox, Mills, Royals

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The Cardinals and Tigers have met three times in the World Series, tying them with Red Sox/Cardinals and Reds/Yankees as the seventh-most common matchup in Series history.  Could the two teams share their fourth date in the Fall Classic this season?  Here's the latest from both the AL and NL Central…

  • Alfonso Soriano wants to keep playing the outfield, so the Cubs may have trouble convincing him to waive his no-trade clause to join an AL team looking for a designated hitter, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  "I don't know what I could do the whole season [as a DH]. To me, playing DH is boring. You only play like half [the game]," Soriano said.  "I always play defense and offense, so I'd always have to work hard on my mind, 'Now I'm an offense guy only.' "
  • The Cubs are likely to pursue veterans looking to rebuild value on one- or two-year contracts, opines ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine as part of a chat with fans.  Levine cites Shaun Marcum, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jeff Francis, Francisco Liriano, Joe Blanton and Brandon McCarthy as types of pitchers that could interest the Cubs.  Levine also discusses several other Cubs and White Sox-related topics in the all-Chicago chat.
  • The Indians will not bring back hitting coach Bruce Fields or third base coach Steve Smith, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Smith had already said he was taking 2013 off, while Fields already has another job.  Former Astros manager Brad Mills is expected to join the Indians staff in some capacity; Mills worked on Terry Francona's coaching staffs in both Philadelphia and Boston.
  • Alcides Escobar appears to be the Royals' long-term answer at shortstop, but Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes that the club has compiled lots of young depth at the position in the minor leagues.
  • From earlier today on MLBTR, I compiled some Cardinals notes, Tim Dierkes looked at the Brewers' arbitration-eligible players, and Ben Nicholson-Smith compiled a set of Tigers notes plus profiled the Cubs in the latest entry in our Offseason Outlook series.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Ray Olmedo

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The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

  • The White Sox announced that they outrighted infielder Ray Olmedo off of the 40-man roster to Triple-A Charlotte (Twitter links). Olmedo will now become a minor league free agent, according to the team. Olmedo hit .273 at Triple-A after signing with the White Sox as a minor league free agent last November. Chicago now has one open 40-man roster spot.

Quick Hits: Phillies, Alomar, Red Sox, White Sox

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Here are some links from around the league as the League Division Series round of the postseason opens…

  • “Center field is something we have to address. That will be one of our priorities," said Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Salisbury looked at some free agent and trade options who could fit the team's needs.
  • The Indians hired Terry Francona earlier today, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter) that interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. has been offered a spot on the team's coaching staff.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter) that had the Indians not hired Francona, he would have not taken the Tigers' manager job had they fired Jim Leyland after the season.
  • The Red Sox have not yet begun their search for a new manager after firing Bobby Valentine on Thursday, a source insists to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams confirmed to CSNChicago.com that the team's entire coaching staff will return next season.

CAA To Represent Jake Peavy

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MLB agent Jeff Berry will represent Jake Peavy in an offseason that will likely see the right-hander hit free agency, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. Berry, an agent with CAA’s baseball division, said Peavy is open-minded with weeks to go before he’s expected to appear on the free agent market.

“Jake loves his teammates and the organization,” Berry told Gonzales. “Having said that, he’s excited to experience the free agent process for the first time in his career.”

Peavy’s contract includes a $22MM option for 2013, and the White Sox are expected to decline the option in favor of a $4MM buyout. The right-hander had also considered hiring John Boggs or representing himself before selecting Berry.

Rick Hahn, the White Sox executive who will soon be named the team’s general manager, has negotiated a number of significant contracts with Berry in the past, Gonzales writes. Peavy has set himself up for a multiyear deal with his best season in years.

“Jake is 31, a three-time All-Star, a Cy Young winner, one of the best competitors in the game and pitching as well as ever,” Berry said.

Peavy posted a 3.37 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 219 innings for the White Sox this past season. He’ll join Zack Greinke as one of the top free agent pitchers available, assuming the White Sox decline his option. Barry Axelrod represented Peavy until deciding to join the Diamondbacks organization.

As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, CAA represents a number of prominent players, including Ryan Braun, Roy Halladay and Matt Cain.

Central Notes: Myers, Soriano, Ryan, Morgan, Cubs

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Earlier today, we looked at the latest on the White Sox courtesy of Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The club will decline options on Jake Peavy and Kevin Youkilis, but Kenny Williams will still work to retain both veterans.  Speaking of Williams, he will soon be promoted from General Manager to team president with Rick Hahn assuming his former title.  Here's more out of the Central divisions..

  • Williams says that reliever Brett Myers could start for the White Sox in 2013, writes Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com.  The White Sox hold a $10MM option on Myers for next season that they can buy out for $3MM.
  • Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano told reporters that he is open to being traded in the offseason, according to the Associated Press.  Soriano hopes to have one more shot at making a trip to the World Series before his career is through.  The 36-year-old went on to say that he is open to retiring after the two remaining years on his contract are up.
  • Twins manager Rod Gardenhire suggested to Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that the club will probably have a press conference tomorrow to remove the interim tag from General Manager Terry Ryan's title.
  • Brewers outfielder and former ACES client Nyjer Morgan says that he is now represented by agent Rex Gary, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.  The outfielder is set to be a free agent for the first time following the 2014 campaign.
  • The Cubs dismissed third base coach Pat Listach tonight, tweets Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.  The decision was made by the club and manager Dale Sveum said that he would recommend him for any other coaching job (Twitter link).

White Sox Notes: Pierzynski, Peavy, Youkilis

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The White Sox will soon promote their top two baseball executives, Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com confirmed today. Williams will become the team’s president and Hahn will be the general manager and the team’s primary baseball decision maker, as expected. Here’s the latest on three of the organization’s free agents…

  • Catcher A.J. Pierzynski loves playing for the White Sox and is close with owner Jerry Reinsdorf. A two-year, $16MM contract could work for both sides, Heyman suggests.
  • The White Sox will decline Jake Peavy’s $22MM option, but they hope to agree to terms on a new deal to keep the right-hander in Chicago, Heyman reports. Though there will be lots of competition for Peavy, Heyman guesses the White Sox will be able to re-sign him as long as they make a competitive offer.
  • The White Sox plan to decline Kevin Youkilis’ $13MM option for 2013, Heyman reports. However, they loved having the third baseman on the roster this year, so Heyman suggests they’ll try to work out a two-year contract, perhaps in the $15MM range.

Agency Notes: Luis Cruz, Jake Peavy

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Here are the latest agency-related notes from around MLB…

  • Dodgers infielder Luis Cruz hired John Boggs to represent him, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). Boggs also represents Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and a number of others.
  • Numerous agents contacted White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy after he revealed he might hire a new representative, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Peavy is still deciding between various options and may end up representing himself this offseason, when he's expected to hit free agency.
  • Here are some related updates from last night. Be sure to check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for details on which agents represent which MLB players.

Peavy Pondering Representation Options

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With agent Barry Axelrod no longer able to represent his clients to due a new role in the Diamondbacks' front office, Jake Peavy is mulling his options for this coming offseason. Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that Peavy is contemplating representing himself or hiring one of John Boggs or Jeff Berry (Twitter links).

Peavy's resurgence this season has been a key component to Chicago's surprising run at the American League Central Division title. The oft-injured 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner has fired 211 innings of 3.37 ERA ball with a 7.9 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and 36.6 percent ground-ball rate. His 90.8 mph average fastball velocity is down from his best years with the Padres when he averaged better than 92 mph, but he's still posted his highest innings total since that 2007 season.

The White Sox hold a $22MM option on Peavy for next season, but despite his bounceback campaign they're expected to pay a $4MM buyout rather than make Peavy one of baseball's highest paid pitchers in 2013.

Boggs' agency — John Boggs & Associates — represents big-name players such as Adrian Gonzalez, Cole Hamels and Trevor Cahill, as MLBTR's Agency Database shows. Berry, a high-ranking agent within CAA Sports, has many high-profile clients in his own right, including Joe Blanton, Buster Posey and a pair of pitchers that Peavy knows well — John Danks and Mark Buehrle.

Regardless of who ends up doing the negotiations, Peavy's strong season has almost assuredly earned him a multi-year deal this winter.

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