The San Diego Padres didn't want Kevin Towers to be the general manager anymore so they canned him three weeks ago. And now it's looking like the team is close to bringing on 35-year-old Boston Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer to take his place, according to ESPN. (Rumor has it that Towers could take Hoyer's place in Boston.)

Hoyer, who has been employed by the Red Sox since 2002 when he was 28, has been interviewed by the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates in years past for GM jobs but it looks like he's going to get the gig this time around.

The former star pitcher for Wesleyan University (who reportedly still has the school's saves records) has never lived away from New England.

Source: ESPN

Kevin Towers is still getting paid to be the general manager of the San Diego Padres even though the team has relieved him of his duties so he's apparently planning to enjoy his free time for a little bit before signing on with any other club.

The Boston Red Sox have reportedly told Towers that they would make a job for him if he wanted to come to New England, according to the Boston Globe. Since Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer is a supposed frontrunner to take over the job Towers left behind, Towers could end up taking Hoyer's spot in Boston if Hoyer gets the job in San Diego.

Of course, if the Red Sox are sniffing around, you gotta believe the New York Yankees are interested, too. Towers has a pal in Yankees GM Brian Cashman so it's believed that the Yanks will eventually offer him a position as well.

Source: Boston Globe

The Boston Red Sox are apparently going to try and get San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez(notes) this off-season via trade, according to the Boston Globe. The team supposedly thought about grabbing Gonzalez at the trading deadline.

The 27-year-old his 40 dingers and 99 RBIs this past season and led the majors in walks, which helped him gain a .407 on-base percentage.

He's "only" supposed to make $4.75 million next year and the Padres have a $5.5 million option for 2011. But the question is whether the Red Sox have anything the Padres want to make the exchange happen.

Adding fuel to the fire on this potential deal is that Red Sox assistant GMs Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington are both supposedly in the running to become the Padres' next general manager. So if either one of those gets brought on board in San Diego, a smoother trade path clearly opens between the two teams.

Source: Boston Globe

The day the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading into the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies also brings the news that owner Frank McCourt and his wife of 30 years, team CEO Jamie McCourt, are going to separate and it isn't clear who will end up with the team, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reminds readers, the San Diego Padres had a similar situation recently when the owner Moores got very publicly and contentiously divorced and the team ended up getting sold last spring.

Guess we should have seen this coming. The McCourts didn't sit close together during the NLDS series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Obviously, this shouldn't change anything for the division series other than some seating arrangements but it will certainly be felt this off-season when free agents are starting to be signed.

Source: Los Angeles TimesYahoo! Sports