2011 – A court in the Dominican Republic clears Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon of all charges related to a December 31st shooting incident for which Simon was detained for two months this winter. The case is dropped after witnesses fail to appear at two scheduled hearings.
The Twins replace GM Bill Smith on an interim basis with Terry Ryan, who had previously held the post. The dismissal marks the first time since 1961, when the club left Washington to move to Minnesota, that the franchise has fired a general manager.
The Giants bolster their anemic offense by acquiring OF Melky Cabrera from Kansas City for Ps Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo.
Dan Duquette agrees to terms with the Baltimore Orioles to become their new general manager. He has been out of baseball since 2002.
2011 – The Phillies sign 41-year-old 1B Jim Thome to a free agent contract.
Jim Thome returns to the Phillies, inking a $1.25 million, one-year contract with the team as a free agent. The 41 year-old slugger, who hit .256 with 15 homers that included his 600th career round-tripper with the Twins and the Indians last season, had successfully completed three seasons of his six-year $85 million deal in his first stint with the club before being traded the White Sox in 2005 for Aaron Rowand and two southpaw pitching prospects, Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood.
A week after throwing the ceremonial first pitch before Game 7 of the 2011 World Series, St. Louis Cardinals great Bob Forsch dies suddenly at 61. He is the third winningest pitcher in Cards history, with 163 wins, pitched two no-hitters for the team and played in three World Series, including the 1982 World Champions.
Matty Alou, the 1966 National League batting champion and brother of Felipe and Jesus Alou, dies of complications from diabetes at age 72. Although he had little power, the middle Alou brother was a .307 hitter in 15 major league seasons.
Matt Wieters becomes the first Baltimore backstop to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The 25 year-old All-Star catcher, who appeared in 132 games behind the plate last season for the Orioles, was voted by the American League managers and coaches as the best defensive player in his position.
In one of the first moves of the new management team led by team President Theo Epstein, the Cubs fire manager Mike Quade. The long-time coach and minor league manager found success as Lou Piniella’s interim replacement at the end of the 2010 season, but 2011 was another story, as the Cubs finished 5th in…
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