Six weeks after beginning their search for a new manager, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have decided that Los Angeles Angels bench coach Joe Maddon is the right man for the job. The team selected Maddon over incumbent Devil Rays bench coach John McLaren as Lou Piniella’s successor.

The Baltimore Orioles officially announce that they will not be bringing back outfielder Sammy Sosa or first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, though both have indicated that they would like to return to baseball. “At this point, we are heading in a different direction,” club executive VP Mike Flanagan says.

2005 – John Shelby is hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a first base and outfield coach, becoming the third member of Jim Tracy’s staff with the Los Angeles Dodgers to join him in Pittsburgh. Shelby, like pitching coach Jim Colborn and bench coach Jim Lett, was a member of Tracy’s staff in Los Angeles last season. Shelby is a former major league outfielder who played for the Orioles, Dodgers and Tigers, and was a Dodgers coach for eight seasons, six of them as first base coach. He had been on the Dodgers’ coaching staff since 1998 after previously managing four seasons in the organization’s farm system.

Bud Selig, after delivering his annual address to major league general managers, tells reporters he favors revised congressional legislation that would suspend players for a half-season for using steroids. Also, the commissioner, while admitting the postseason umpiring calls need to be examined, continued to state his opposition to use instant replay for baseball.

SBC announces the San Francisco home of the Giants will getting its third name in three years. The corporation will adopt the better known AT&T brand for its identity as the result of the likely merger of the two companies planned for later this year.

Glenn Hoffman, the older brother of free agent closer Trevor Hoffman, is hired as third base coach of the San Diego Padres.

Third baseman Vinny Castilla is traded by the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Brian Lawrence and cash considerations.

Former Houston Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker is named senior vice president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, giving the club a proven front office executive to work with the club’s young and inexperienced head of baseball operations.

Roberto Alomar and Danny Bautista are reinstated from the voluntary retired list by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the pair file for free agency.