In Minneapolis, Phil Miller reports newly hired Twins manager Paul Molitor "agreed to a three-year contract but declined to disclose its terms." The team "conducted a background check on their new manager, and had a frank conversation with him about the more inauspicious aspects of his past." Molitor "has admitted to a period of heavy drinking and frequent drug use while he was a player, he fathered children out of wedlock and endured a contentious divorce from his first wife." Twins GM Terry Ryan said, "There are areas of his history that he’s not proud of, and we addressed that to make sure that it’s not a part of his present or his future." President Dave St. Peter said, "We understand that we’re all human, we've all made mistakes. The great thing about Paul is he’s owned up to that" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/5).
OUT OF HIBERNATION: SI.com's Tom Verducci wrote the Cubs now "matter more than any time since 2008, when they last made the playoffs, and it's because they officially hired" Joe Maddon as their manager. The team "went for the star power of Maddon and paid for it with star money," but Maddon "is one free agent who is worth it." The team that "lost 400,000 paid customers over the past five years, all of them losing seasons, is the 'it' team now." Winter ticket sales "should be brisk" (SI.com, 11/4).
GAME OF THRONES: In K.C., Sam Mellinger wrote Royals GM Dayton Moore's "directive to be 'fearless' will be important in shaping the franchise's encore to a rejuvenating ride that will put the Royals in the national spotlight from the first day of spring training." The Royals made $10-14M "from playing host to eight playoff games, money that was not in the team's budget before the season." They ended up with a payroll around $94M this year, and "turned a profit largely by seeing attendance grow" by about 12%. The Royals "should be able to play next year" with a payroll over $10M "for the first time in franchise history" (KANSASCITY.com, 11/1)
TRIBAL COUNCIL: In Cleveland, Zack Meisel noted Indians manager Terry Francona this week inked a two-year extension to remain with the team through '18, and his "long-term commitment" to the organization "serves as a symbol for the foundation the Indians have constructed." The team's core players are "locked up, and affordably so, for years," while the starting rotation "is under team control on the cheap for at least another three seasons." Francona's extension "adds an element of stability to a roster that should begin to reap the rewards of that trait" (CLEVELAND.com, 11/4).
