NEW YORK (AP) —rs as chief operations officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association and been replaced by Xavier D. James Bartolo Colon Jersey , who had been his deputy.James, 51, was hired by the union last year after working as lawyer for gospel singer DeLeon Richards Sheffield, the wife of former All-Star outfielder Gary Sheffield. James will oversee organizational infrastructure, human resources, staffing Jon Niese Jersey , and budgeting.A graduate of the University of California at Irvine and George Washington Law School, McGuiness taught Renaissance history and English literature in Florence, Italy. He had been president of the McGuiness Group, a lobbying firm that represented the MLBPA, before joining the union at the start of 2014. The players’ union said Monday he will return to private practice, and he will represent the union in that role.Leonor Colon was promoted to senior director of international and domestic player operations from director of player operations. The 41-year-old worked for the commissioner’s office from 2000-04 and the New York Mets from 2008-10 before joining the union. She is married to Tim Slavin Edinson Volquez Jersey , the union’s chief of business affairs.Associate general counsel Greg Dreyfuss, 32, was given the additional title of director of analytics and baseball operations. Vastly outnumbered in analytics ability by Major League Baseball, the union intends to increase resources in that area. Dreyfuss worked for SFX Baseball (later Relativity), then was hired by the union in 2014.Jeffrey Hammonds was hired as associate director of player programs and initiatives. Now 48, he retired as a player after the 2005 season and had been a special assistant on the union staff since 2014.Hiram Arnaud Kendall Graveman Jersey , a 30-year-old Cornell Law School graduate who has worked for unions, was hired as an associate general counsel. The San Diego Padres are in last place in the National League West, but they are reportedly looking to acquire a No. 1 starting pitcher as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres "checked in" on the availability of New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard. Lin described San Diego's pursuit as a "wide-ranging search for a frontline starter."Syndergaard is on the disabled list with hand, foot and mouth disease, perJames Wagnerof theNew York Times Jose Canseco Jersey , but he is a dominant force when healthy and pitching at his best. The 2016 All-Star has made 13 starts this season and sports a 2.89 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 74.2 innings.While health problems have plagued him of late and he made just seven starts last year, Syndergaard is 25 years old and figures to have a bright future ahead of him.San Diego doesn't seem like a logical trade partner given last-place teams are typically sellers and not buyers at this time of year, but Syndergaard isn't set for unrestricted free agency until 2022. He could anchor the Padres rotation for years to come if the Friars acquired him and satisfy their search for an ace.San Diego ranks an ugly 24th in MLB with a 4.83 starters' ERA and needs a stabilizing force if it is going to contend for a playoff spot in 2019 and beyond.Syndergaard could represent just that.