Washington rehires Robinson as manager
Frank Robinson was rehired Thursday as manager of the Washington Nationals after a lengthy delay caused by the team’s lack of a permanent owner.
Robinson, who turned 70 in August, had been uncertain of his status since the end of the season.
While baseball officials originally said a new owner for the Nationals would be selected by Labor Day, the commissioner’s office still hasn’t identified which of the bidding groups will get the franchise.
With spring training two months away, general manager Jim Bowden began talks last week to bring back Robinson for a fifth season.
“We said from the outset that we wanted to wait until new owners were in place,” Bowden said. “We also said there would come a time where we couldn’t wait any longer, and that time has come.”
Robinson was hired by the commissioner’s office to manage the Montreal Expos after the franchise was bought by the other 29 teams in 2002.
Robinson initially expected to hold the job for one year while the team was eliminated, but instead the franchise was moved to Washington at the end of last year.
M’s purchase reliever’s contract
The Seattle Mariners purchased the contract of left-hander reliever Luis Gonzalez from the Colorado Rockies and will let him try to win a job at spring training, reported the Everett Herald.
The addition of Gonzalez could create an interesting competition for bullpen roles.
It would seem unlikely that the Mariners would keep four left-handed relievers – Matt Thornton, George Sherrill and Gonzalez, plus left-handed closer Eddie Guardado – on their 25-man opening-day roster.
Gonzalez, 22, has never pitched in the major leagues, but he went 7-2 with a 2.21 ERA and seven saves last season for the Dodgers’ Class AA team in Jacksonville, Fla., with 46 strikeouts and 34 walks in 61 innings. However, his ERA leaped to 9.21 in 92/3 innings of work for AAA Las Vegas.
The M’s also announced Thursday that they outrighted pitcher Jeff Harris to Class AAA Tacoma and that pitcher Cha Seung Baek has been designated for assignment.
Clearing the bases
Braden Looper and St. Louis agreed to a $13.5 million, three-year contract. Looper had 28 saves in 36 chances with a 3.94 ERA for the New York Mets last season but will be a setup man for closer Jason Isringhausen with the Cardinals. … The Minnesota Twins agreed to a one-year contract with two-time All-Star third baseman Tony Batista. Batista hit .263 in 559 at-bats with 27 homers and 90 RBIs last year for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan’s Pacific League. … Philadelphia outfielder Jason Michaels was placed in a program for first-time offenders after his arrest last summer for assaulting a police officer outside a nightclub.
Right-handed reliever Roberto Hernandez finalized his $2.75 million, one-year contract with Pittsburgh after passing a physical. … Reliever Doug Brocail passed his physical and finalized a $1 million, one-year contract with the San Diego Padres. … Left-hander reliever Mike Myers and the New York Yankees finalized their $2.4 million, two-year contract. … The Los Angeles Angels requested unconditional release waivers on outfielder Jeff DaVanon, who batted .231 while appearing in 108 games last season.