MLB notebook: Former GM Towers dies at 56

[January 31, 2018]  Former Major League Baseball general manager Kevin Towers has died following a bout with cancer, MLB confirmed Tuesday morning. He was 56 years old.

Towers was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer in December 2016. He was serving as special assistant to the GM/player personnel for the Cincinnati Reds at the time of his death.

"Kevin Towers devoted his life to baseball," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "In addition to the successful teams he led, Kevin is remembered for being one of the most well-liked individuals in our game whose love of life and baseball will be missed."

Towers was general manager for the San Diego Padres from 1992-2009 and held the same role with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010-14. He also served as a special assignment scout for the New York Yankees for the 2010 season prior to being hired by the D-backs.

--MLB reportedly hopes to avoid its own version of SpyGate.

With much recent attention on league efforts to quicken its game pace, MLB also plans one under-the-radar method that could also address recent controversies relating to sign stealing around baseball: recording dugout phone conversations. According Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, new telephones will be installed in every MLB dugout and the league plans to monitor all in-game conversations on those phone lines.

The issue of sign stealing has become a concern for baseball and a point of paranoia for managers as technology around the game has evolved rapidly. One anonymous skipper told Rosenthal the league hopes to keep teams "from stealing signs through video technology in violation of the sport's rules."

 

--The Milwaukee Brewers stayed busy this offseason by finalizing a deal with reliever Matt Albers.

The 35-year-old right hander inked a two-year, $5 million deal. According to reports, Albers is slated to earn $2.5 million in each year of the agreement and can make another $1 million in incentives each season if he appears in at least 35 games.

Albers comes off arguably his best season in the majors with the Washington Nationals in 2017, when he finished 7-2 with a 1.62 ERA. In his 63 appearances, he allowed just 35 hits and 17 walks in fashioning a career-best 0.85 WHIP while striking out 63 in 61 innings.

--The Reds announced the signing of free-agent reliever David Hernandez to a two-year contract.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though the Cincinnati Enquirer reports the pact is worth $5 million. He will make $2.5 million each year and can earn an extra $1 million in performance bonuses.

Hernandez, 32, spent last season with the Los Angeles Angels and the Diamondbacks. He posted a 3.11 ERA in 64 total appearances, striking out 52 and walking only nine batters in 55 innings.

--Field Level Media

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