Red Sox interested in Marlon Byrd

 

ESPN's Buster Olney believes that the Red Sox and Nationals could have interest in trading for Marlon Byrd.

The Cubs are in a rebuilding mode, and Byrd is entering the final year of a three-year contract that will guarantee him $6.5 million this season. Olney mentions that Byrd could be used as one piece of the Theo Epstein compensation with the Red Sox, but that is not considered likely to happen. Coming off a disappointing season, he would satisfy a short-term need for the Nationals  stats

Sox sign Hill to Minor League deal

 

 

Rich Hill's minor league contract has a prorated salary of $725,000 in the majors.

Hill was non-tendered earlier this month, but Boston decided to bring him back even though he underwent Tommy John surgery in June. He is not expected to be available until the middle of the 2012 season, or later.   stats

Buckner returns to Cubs organization

CHICAGO -- Bill Buckner is back with the Cubs.

Buckner, 62, was officially named the Class A Boise hitting coach on Friday. He returned to coaching last season as the manager of the Brockton Rox, and led the team to a 51-42 record in the independent CanAm League.

Buckner replaces Desi Wilson, who was named the hitting coach for the Cubs' Class A Daytona team.

Buckner rejoins the Cubs for the first time since playing for the big league team from 1977 to 1984. He won the 1980 National League batting crown and earned a spot in the 1981 All-Star Game. A 22-year veteran, he was the White Sox hitting coach in 1996 and 1997, and also was a hitting coach in the Blue Jays' Minor League system.

Buckner played for the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Angels and Royals, hitting .289 with 174 career home runs and 1,208 RBIs. He played in two World Series: 1974, with the Dodgers, and 1986, with the Red Sox.