CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds acquired left-handed reliever Sean Marshall from the Chicago Cubs on Friday for young lefty starter Travis Wood and two other players.

It was the second time in a week that the Reds gave up several prospects for pitching help. They earlier sent four players, including Edinson Volquez, to San Diego for starter Mat Latos.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-7 Marshall was 6-6 with a 2.26 ERA last season. He had five saves. The Reds have been in talks to try to re-sign closer Francisco Cordero, who became a free agent after last season.

“Sean has been one of the best and most durable relievers in baseball the last couple of seasons,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement.

The 24-year-old Wood made 35 starts for the Reds over two seasons. He finished 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 2011, with a stint in Triple-A after struggling early in the year.

The Cubs also get 24-year-old outfielder Dave Sappelt, who batted .243 in 38 games with the Reds, and 19-year-old infield prospect Ronald Torreyes, who batted .356 in 67 games for Class-A Dayton.

“Twenty-four-year old left-handed starters who have already had success in the big leagues don’t grow on trees,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “We had to give up a great relief pitcher in Sean Marshall and someone we were proud to call a Cub, but we think to acquire Wood and the two young guys, it was worth doing.”

Wood made 17 starts for the Reds in 2010, going 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies before giving up a double to Carlos Ruiz, and left after finishing the ninth with the game scoreless.

Wood began last season in the Reds’ starting rotation, made 10 starts for Louisville, then returned to Cincinnati. He also had four relief appearances for Cincinnati.

“He had a little bit of a down year last year, a little bit of a sophomore slump, but we still think all the ingredients are there to make him an excellent starting pitcher in the big leagues and you tend to not be able to get guys like that after their strong rookie years,” Epstein said. “But sometimes you have a chance to get them after they take a little bit of their lumps on the learning curve.”

Wood said he relied too heavily on his cutter last season and “lost the ability to really stick that four-seam (fastball) in there.” His control was off, but he also sees a shot at redemption in Chicago.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. “The Reds do have a lot of depth in their rotation. … Hopefully, I can get to Chicago and make a difference.”

Besides the addition of Latos, the Reds return starting pitchers Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo. Aroldis Chapman, a left-handed reliever in his first two seasons, is also a possible starter next season.

In another move, Cincinnati claimed reliever Josh Judy off waivers from Cleveland. The 25-year-old right-hander pitched in 12 games over four stints with the Indians last season, with no record and a 7.70 ERA. He was 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 23 saves at Triple-A Columbus.

Epstein said the Cubs could still use some more starting pitchers in their farm system and at the major league level. He also said they’re weighing ace Matt Garza’s trade value versus locking him into a long-term deal. The right-hander was tendered a contract last week and is eligible for arbitration.

“It’s hard to find top-of-the-rotation-type guys, so if you have them and there’s a way to keep them around, I think that’s always compelling for the club,” Epstein said. “Now, that said, we’re in a mode where we have to listen on everybody. If there’s a way to improve the long-term outlook for this club in a significant manner, then we just can’t look past opportunities like that. We’re not in a situation where we have to do anything with Garza, but generally, we’re in the business right now of taking our short-term assets and turning them into long-term assets.”

___

AP sports writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed to this report.

DALLAS • The Chicago Cubs probably really aren’t in the Albert
Pujols sweepstakes, but new manager Dale Sveum has a rooting
interest in how it comes out. If the Cubs can’t get him, he doesn’t
want the Cardinals to retain him either, preferring that he wind up
elsewhere in the National League, if not in another league.

Relative to that latter suggestion, Sveum, who has been a coach
with and, briefly, manager of the Milwaukee Brewers over the half
dozen years, said, “That would be nice if we don’t have him (in the
division), no doubt about it. I had to watch it over the last six
years what he can do. And it’s pretty impressive. He’s definitely
the best hitter in baseball right now. What he did in the playoffs
and all that stuff speaks for itself. So … if he’s not with us,
you hope that he’s in another division.”

If the Cubs would sign a free agent first baseman, and that may
not happen, it would seem that Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder,
who has been with Sveum, would be a more likely choice.

“Like I said in my original press conference, he’s just one of
those special guys that comes around once … in a lifetime,” Sveum
said at baseball’s winter meetings Tuesday.

“He should have played the game in the 1950s and ’60s and ’70s
when guys played every day. They played as hard as they possibly
could every single day. They cared about winning. They cared about
their teammates. And Prince is all those things. He’s just one of
them special guys, who like I said, come around once in a
lifetime.”

When asked if his relationship with Fielder would be a factor in
the “process” of signing Fielder, Sveum, at first, said, “I don’t
know what process you’re talking about exactly. You know there’s
rumors out there and all that but I don’t think that we’ve even
started any talks or anything like that. I think if it ever got
that far, you know, I think there would be the process. But we’re
not in any kind of process talking to him or anything like that
yet.”

Later, though, Sveum agreed he probably would have a role if the
Cubs pursued Fielder more aggressively. “If it ever happened, I’d
probably have a big phone bill to Florida (where Fielder lives),”
said Sveum. “We’re very close. You’d have to find yourself in a
pretty decent role of that.”

Sveum, 48, also had two interviews with Boston for that managing
job but didn’t wait any longer when the Cubs offered him their
position.

“It was basically that time where somebody was going to offer me
a job or not offer me a job,” said Sveum, who managed 12
regular-season games and four more in the playoffs with Milwaukee
as interim manager when Ned Yost was fired late in the 2008
season.

“The Cubs offered me the job first and that’s kind of where it
ended up anyway, after my second interview (with them),” Sveum
said. “After going through all those second interviews, it was just
nice to get one offer.”

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said last week he felt he would have
a team that would compete for a division title next season. And
Sveum, contrary to what some other observers think, said, “We
definitely have the pitching to go out there and compete.

“If you have Carlos (Zambrano) and (Matt) Garza and (Ryan)
Dempster and fill in with the other two guys and have a bullpen
like we do, you have a chance of winning,” said Sveum, who said he
“had a blast” when he managed for those three weeks three years
ago.

“I was very comfortable in that seat,” said Sveum. “A lot of us
want to do things but we never know if we’re going to be
comfortable when it happens. And I was very comfortable when I was
on that hot seat.

“It was more fun than agonizing.”

Sveum, an infielder for 12 seasons in the majors, managed three
years in the Pittsburgh minor league system and coached with the
Red Sox for two years before moving to Milwaukee.

“I’ve done just about everything to prepare for all this,” said
Sveum. “I don’t think (I) will be caught off guard.”

Read More: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona did not entirely rule out a return to managing this year, but removed himself from consideration for the Chicago Cubs job, telling “The Waddle and Silva Show” on ESPN 1000 he needed to re-energize.

“I don’t know that I can confirm that [report that he won't manage in 2012],” Francona said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I talked to [CSNNE.com] this morning and what I told him was that I did interview in St. Louis. I really did want to. It was a genuine interest on my part. And then when I didn’t get the job I thought it was necessary to step back and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do?’

“I think that is, take a step back, take a deep breath, figure out what I do want to do, so when there is a next time — and I hope there is — I’ll be refreshed and energized so you can do the job that’s necessary. It’s a tough job. At the end of every year, you’re beat up. And at the end of this year, we were all beat up. To do the job right, you have to be all in, and that’s how I feel right now.”

Francona was a candidate to replace Tony LaRussa in St. Louis, but the Cardinals passed on Francona in favor of Mike Matheny. Francona was a candidate in Chicago before removing himself from the equation, saying he doubted he was the right person for the job.

“Me and Theo [Epstein] have talked to so much the past month,” Francona said. “I think he knows how I feel, and I know he feels. Sometimes I just think as close as we are and we’ll always be close, I’m not sure I was the right person for that job right now. You have to be all in, and it has to be the right fit and has to be right fit for them, too. Because of our relationship they were easy conversations.

“To do the job correctly you have to be ready to do it all day every day. I was genuinely excited about the St. Louis job, and when it didn’t happen, it allowed me to step back and rethink and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do now?’ It’s not anything like … the Cubs job is one of the premiere jobs out there. With Theo and [GM Jed Hoyer] there, they’re going to win. May not be tomorrow, but they’re going to win.”

Francona has been approached about broadcasting positions by multiple major networks and said he is intrigued by the possibility.

“I’m going to explore some things in broadcasting and see where it leads,” he said. “It may be a way to stay in the game, enjoy it and also be able to step back and look at things.”

– For more Red Sox coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Over the Monster.    

Read More: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona did not entirely rule out a return to managing this year, but removed himself from consideration for the Chicago Cubs job, telling “The Waddle and Silva Show” on ESPN 1000 he needed to re-energize.

“I don’t know that I can confirm that [report that he won't manage in 2012],” Francona said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I talked to [CSNNE.com] this morning and what I told him was that I did interview in St. Louis. I really did want to. It was a genuine interest on my part. And then when I didn’t get the job I thought it was necessary to step back and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do?’

“I think that is, take a step back, take a deep breath, figure out what I do want to do, so when there is a next time — and I hope there is — I’ll be refreshed and energized so you can do the job that’s necessary. It’s a tough job. At the end of every year, you’re beat up. And at the end of this year, we were all beat up. To do the job right, you have to be all in, and that’s how I feel right now.”

Francona was a candidate to replace Tony LaRussa in St. Louis, but the Cardinals passed on Francona in favor of Mike Matheny. Francona was a candidate in Chicago before removing himself from the equation, saying he doubted he was the right person for the job.

“Me and Theo [Epstein] have talked to so much the past month,” Francona said. “I think he knows how I feel, and I know he feels. Sometimes I just think as close as we are and we’ll always be close, I’m not sure I was the right person for that job right now. You have to be all in, and it has to be the right fit and has to be right fit for them, too. Because of our relationship they were easy conversations.

“To do the job correctly you have to be ready to do it all day every day. I was genuinely excited about the St. Louis job, and when it didn’t happen, it allowed me to step back and rethink and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do now?’ It’s not anything like … the Cubs job is one of the premiere jobs out there. With Theo and [GM Jed Hoyer] there, they’re going to win. May not be tomorrow, but they’re going to win.”

Francona has been approached about broadcasting positions by multiple major networks and said he is intrigued by the possibility.

“I’m going to explore some things in broadcasting and see where it leads,” he said. “It may be a way to stay in the game, enjoy it and also be able to step back and look at things.”

– For more Red Sox coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Over the Monster.    

Read More: Greg Maddux (P – LOS), Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs

On Thursday and Friday, the Chicago Cubs brought in their first managerial candidate, Pete Mackanin (pronounced “ma KAN in”), the Philadelphia Phillies bench manager.

The Cubs, eschewing the typical interview process, will be putting all their managerial candidates through a CIA-like interview process which requires candidates to watch video of a Boston Red Sox game and answer questions as though they were managing the game. The grueling interview process is then followed by a small press conference, meant to give Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs execs a feel for the candidate’s ability to handle the press.

The interview schedule, according to CSN Chicago, will follow this general schedule:

Thursday, Friday: Pete Mackanin
The first of the Cubs interviews, Mackanin finished last Friday, describing the process as “comprehensive.” For more on the Mackanin interview, check out his post-interview press conference.

Monday, Tuesday: Dale Sveum
The Brewers hitting coach appears to be the top target for the Boston Red Sox, who interviewed him only days ago. Judging by the Mackanin interview, this interview may last until Tuesday.

Wednesday through Friday (expected): Mike Maddux, Sandy Alomar Jr.
The biggest name of the interview process and another co-candidate for the Red Sox job, famous Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux — brother of Greg Maddux — is expected to interview later in the week. He was originally slated to be interviewed earlier, but a case of laryngitis set him back.

Sandy Alomar Jr., who was widely expected to be a part of the interview process, will indeed recieve and interview sometime this week. Presumably, the Cubs will see Maddux first, then Alomar.

Following Week: DeMarlo Hale, Dave Martinez
CSN reports the Cubs will also give an interview to DeMarlo Hale, current coach for the Red Sox and a Chicago native. Hale was a lead candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays managerial opening last year and is reported to have a good rapport with Epstein.

Dave Martinez, the present bench manager for the Tampa Bay Rays, is also expected to interview at some point, but the Cubs have not officially named him as a candidate yet.

Mike Quade, during a game in August.
(Gene J. Puskar / AP)

Theo Epstein put a first emphatic stamp on the Chicago Cubs, announcing today that Mike Quade will not return as manager of the team.

“[General Manager] Jed Hoyer and I had an all-day meeting with Mike last Thursday at Wrigley Field, and Mike and I continued our dialogue with a lengthy phone conversation yesterday after the press conference [at which Hoyer was introduced]. Today, I flew to Florida to inform Mike in person that the Cubs have decided not to bring him back as our manager for the 2012 season,” Esptein, the team’s president, said in a statement released by the Cubs.

Quade was named interim manager when Lou Piniella retired in 2010. He kept the job in 2011 and went 71-91 (95-104 overall). The Cubs finished 25 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division.

“When I joined the Cubs last week, I knew that Mike had a reputation as an outstanding baseball guy, as a tireless worker, and as a first-rate human being,” Epstein’s statement continued. “After spending some time with him this past week, it became apparent to me that Mike’s reputation is well deserved. His passion, knowledge of the game, commitment, and integrity stood out immediately. While Mike is clearly an asset to any organization and any major league staff, Jed and I believe that the Cubs would benefit long-term from bringing in a manager for 2012 who can come in with a clean slate and offer new direction.”

Quade, who beat out Ryne Sandberg for the job, has a year left on his contract.