Week In Review: 8/12/12 – 8/18/12

As we tip our proverbial caps to King Felix for delivering perfection to the baseball world on Wednesday, let's catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

• Starlin Castro and the Cubs reached an agreement on a seven-year contract extension worth $60MM. The deal includes a $16MM option for 2020 which would boost the overall value of the deal to $76MM. 
• The Astros appointed Tony DeFrancesco as their interim manager after dismissing manager Brad Mills, hitting coach Mike Barnett, and first base coach Bobby Meacham. The 49-year-old was the skipper for the club's Triple-A affiliate.
• The Blue Jays signed Jeff Mathis to a two-year contract extension worth $3MM with a club option for 2015 worth $1.5MM. Mathis, 29, is hitting .215/.252/.415 with six homers in 147 plate appearances this season.   
• Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera received a 50 game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Cabrera hit .346/.390/.516 with 11 homers in 501 plate appearances during his first season in San Francisco, earning him his first All-Star Game nomination.
• The Marlins designated Gil Velazquez for assignment. Velazquez, 32, had one single in eight plate appearances with the Marlins since being called up earlier this week.
• The Nationals designated infielder Cesar Izturis for assignment. Izturis' stay in Washington lasted just eleven days as he was claimed off of waivers from Milwaukee on August 6th.
• Right-hander Mark Prior is in search of a new home after being released by the Red Sox in order to create space for the newly-acquired Pedro Beato, who arrived from the Mets in the Kelly Shoppach deal. During his time in Triple-A Pawtucket, Prior posted a 3.96 ERA with 13.7 K/9 and 8.3 BB/9 in a small sample size of 25 innings of work.
• The Red Sox placed Aaron Cook, Felix Doubront and Andrew Miller on trade waivers.
• The Phillies acquired right-hander Ryan O'Sullivan from the Dodgers to complete the Joe Blanton trade. O'Sullivan, 21, has pitched to a 3.05 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 88 1/3 innings at the Single-A level this season.
• Veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays after recently being released by the Rangers. Torrealba, 34, posted a .236/.302/.342 batting line in 182 plate appearances for Texas.
• The Blue Jays sent right-handed pitching prospect Kevin Comer to the Astros to complete last month's ten player trade.
• The Pirates signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league deal. The 32-year-old infielder hit .253/.335/.463 with 12 homers in 264 plate appearances in the White Sox's farm system earlier this year.
• Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Marmol cleared trade waivers. Soriano is now eligible to be traded anywhere, pending his approval due to his ten-and-five rights.
• The Athletics signed pitcher Jeremy Accardo, who will report to Triple-A Sacramento. The 30-year-old posted a 4.58 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 26 appearances for Cleveland this season.
• The Rockies designated Mike Ekstrom for assignment. Ekstrom, 28, allowed 11 runs in 15 2/3 relief innings for Colorado this season, striking out nine and walking two.
• Outfielder/first baseman Mark Kotsay agreed to terms on a $1.3MM extension with the Padres through the 2013 season. Kotsay, 36, has a .275/.333/.363 slash line with one home run in 111 plate appearances.
• The White Sox signed Jose Lopez to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate. Lopez, 28, hit .249/.272/.366 in 224 plate appearances for Cleveland this year while playing first, second, third and right field before being released.
• The Orioles designated right-hander Miguel Socolovich for assignment. The native of Venezuela pitched ten and one-third innings for the O's this season, allowing eight earned runs with six strikeouts and six walks.
• Infielder Yuniesky Betancourt can now sign with the team of his choosing after being released by the Royals. Betancourt, 30, has posted a career line of .266/.290/.392 with 67 homers in 3,869 plate appearances.
• The Padres designated left-handed pitcher Alex Hinshaw for assignment. Hinshaw, 30 in October, posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 28 innings of relief work for San Diego this season.
• The Orioles acquired J.C. Romero from the Indians for minor league infielder Carlos Rojas. Romero, 36, allowed nine runs in eight innings for the Cardinals earlier this season, and has pitched to a 2.74 ERA in 23 Triple-A innings.