Author: Daniel Seco 2

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.

As we hit the dog days of August, let's take a moment to catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

• The Yankees signed Derek Lowe after New York placed CC Sabathia on the DL with elbow stiffness. Lowe, 39, was released by the Indians last week after pitching to a 5.52 ERA in 21 starts for Cleveland this season.
• The Mets designated left-hander Garrett Olson for assignment. In 104 career big league appearances, Olson has a 6.26 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.
• Right-hander Andrew Carpenter signed a minor league contract with the Mets and has been assigned to Double-A Binghamton.
• The Diamondbacks designated pitcher Mike Zagurski for assignment. Zagurski had a 6.18 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 27.2 innings of work this season.
• The Red Sox put Kelly Shoppach and Mike Aviles on waivers on Friday while Nick Punto and Carl Crawford have now cleared waivers.
• Venezuelan left-hander Dedgar Jimenez signed with the Red Sox. The 16-year-old obtained a bonus of $175K.
• The Rangers designated infielder Alberto Gonzalez for assignment. Gonzalez appeared in 24 games for the Rangers this year, playing second base, third base and shortstop.
• The Blue Jays designated right-hander Scott Richmond for assignment. Richmond appeared in three games for Toronto this year, but has spent most of the season at Triple-A. 
• High school right-hander Felipe Perez signed with the Diamondbacks for a reported bonus of $400K.
• The Blue Jays claimed right-hander Juan Abreu off of waivers from Houston. The Astros designated Abreu for assignment on Tuesday.
• The Red Sox signed Scott Podsednik to a Major League contract. Boston traded the outfielder to the Diamondbacks in the Matt Albers–Craig Breslow trade, but Arizona released him a few days later.
• A few recognizable names find themselves headed to Triple-A after struggling at the big league level. The Rays outrighted Brooks Conrad to Triple-A Durham, the Tigers outrighted Don Kelly to Triple-A Toledo and the Dodgers outrighted Tony Gwynn Jr. to Triple-A Albuquerque.
• The Indians released Johnny Damon and Jeremy Accardo after previously designating both veterans for assignment.
• The Astros designated infielder Brian Bixler for assignment. He posted a .193/.253/.330 line in 96 plate appearances at the big league level.
• Bobby Abreu cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Dodgers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A.
• The Astros acquired utility player Tyler Greene from the Cardinals for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The 28-year-old has a .218 /.272 /.358 batting line in 197 plate appearances so far in 2012.
• The Rangers placed catcher Yorvit Torrealba on release waivers. Torrealba, 34, posted a .236/.302/.342 batting line in 182 plate appearances for Texas before getting designated for assignment.
• Kip Wells cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Tucson from the Padres.
• The Blue Jays outrighted Andrew Carpenter to Triple-A. Carpenter, 27, spent the bulk of July with the Blue Jays and saw just nine innings of work across six appearances.
• Drew Sutton's headed to Triple-A Indianapolis after the Pirates outrighted the outfielder, who posted a .243/.278/.419 batting line in 79 plate appearances. 
• The Indians designated infielder Jose Lopez for assignment. The 28-year-old posted a .249/.272/.366 batting line in 224 plate appearances.
• The Blue Jays designated right-hander Jesse Chavez for assignment. Chavez, 28, has an 8.44 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings with Toronto this year.
• Catcher Wil Nieves's found a new job as the Diamondbacks claimed the veteran off waivers from the Rockies. The 34-year-old posted a .298/.333/.404 batting line in 51 plate appearances this year.
• The Nationals outrighted catcher Carlos Maldonado to Triple-A Syracuse. He has spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he has a .223/.343/.405 batting line in 146 plate appearances.
• The Giants claimed left-handed reliever Jose Mijares from Kansas City. Mijares has a 2.56 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 33.3% ground ball rate in 38 2/3 innings this year.
• Infielder Cesar Izturis's headed to the Nationals after Washington claimed the veteran off of waivers from the Brewers. Izturis has a .235/.248/.333 batting line in 169 plate appearances this year.
• The Diamondbacks released Lyle Overbay after the veteran posted a .292/.367/.448 batting line in 110 plate appearances.
• The Royals designated Yuniesky Betancourt for assignment after the infielder posted a .232/.260/.408 batting line in 56 games with Kansas City this year. 
• Mike Fontenot finds himself without a job after the Phillies released the infielder. Fontenot, 32, hit .289/.343/.340 in 105 plate appearances this year for the Phillies.
• The Red Sox acquired third baseman Danny Valencia from the Twins for minor league outfielder Jeremias Pineda. Valencia has struggled this season hitting .198/.212/.310 in two tours with the Twins.
• The Tigers acquired Jeff Baker from the Cubs in exchange for two players to be named later. Baker, 31, has a .269/.306/.448 slash line in 144 plate appearances on the year. 

With the trade deadline but a distant memory, let's catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

• The Giants acquired right fielder Hunter Pence from the Phillies for right fielder Nate Schierholtz, minor league reliever Seth Rosin and minor league catcher/first baseman Tommy Joseph.
• The Rangers acquired Ryan Dempster from the Cubs for minor league third baseman Christian Villanueva and minor league right-hander Kyle Hendricks.  
• Shane Victorino has taken his talents to Chavez Ravine as the Dodgers acquired the outfielder from the Phillies for starting pitching prospect Ethan Martin and reliever Josh Lindblom.
• The Dodgers claimed Cliff Lee off of waivers from the Phillies, who didn't appear to be interested in letting the left-hander go for salary relief alone.
• The Padres agreed to sign Huston Street to a two-year extension that includes a club option for 2015. The contract between the Padres and the Hendricks Sports client will be worth $14MM and the '15 option will be valued at $7MM.
• Brandon League switched leagues this week as the Mariners traded the reliever to the Dodgers for prospects Leon Landry and Logan Bawcom.
• The Reds added a late-inning reliever by acquiring Jonathan Broxton from the Royals in exchange for Triple-A lefty Donnie Joseph and Double-A righty J.C. Sulbaran.
• The Dodgers acquired Joe Blanton from the Phillies for a player to be named later or cash considerations after claiming the right-hander on waivers. 
• Left-hander Paul Maholm and outfielder Reed Johnson find themselves atop the National League Wild Card standings as the Cubs traded the duo along with cash considerations to the Braves in exchange for right-handers Jaye Chapman and Arodys Vizcaino.
• The Diamondbacks acquired third baseman Chris Johnson from the Astros for minor league outfielders Marc Krauss and Bobby Borchering.
• The Pirates acquired first baseman Gaby Sanchez and right-handed reliever Kyle Kaminska from the Marlins for outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and a competitive balance pick.
• Reliever Craig Breslow finds himself in the American League East as the Red Sox acquired the reliever from the Diamondbacks in exchange for Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik.
• The Cardinals acquired reliever Edward Mujica from the Marlins for third baseman Zack Cox.
• The Indians designated Jeremy Accardo for assignment after the right-hander posted a 4.58 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 26 appearances this season with Cleveland.
• Xavier Nady's getting another chance as the Giants agreed to a minor league contract with the veteran outfielder. The Nationals designated Nady for assignment in late July before granting him his unconditional release last Sunday.
• The Blue Jays signed Jack Cust to a minor league deal after being cut loose by the Yankees on Wednesday.
• The Orioles designated Endy Chavez for assignment after the outfielder posted a .190/.222/.281 batting line in 47 games for the Baltimore this year.
• Catcher Wil Nieves cleared waivers and rejected an assignment to the minors to become a free agent after the Rockies designated nine-year veteran for assignment. 
• The Blue Jays designated Andrew Carpenter for assignment. The right-hander threw nine innings over six appearances with Toronto.
• The A's acquired right-hander Pat Neshek from the Orioles in exchange for cash.
• Right-hander Kip Wells recorded more walks (20) than strikeouts (19) this season, which may have led to the Padres' decision to designate the veteran for assignment.
• The White Sox sent minor league right-hander Chris Devenski to the Astros to complete the trade that sent Brett Myers to Chicago.
• The Nationals designated catcher Carlos Maldonado for assignment to make room for newly-acquired Kurt Suzuki.
• Johnny Damon may be in search of a new team as the Indians designated the veteran outfielder for assignment.
• The Tigers designated utility player Don Kelly for assignment despite his versatility around the diamond. 
• The Yankees designated Ramiro Pena for assignment to clear roster space for Casey McGehee, who was acquired from the Pirates on Tuesday in exchange for Chad Qualls. 
• Right-hander Derek Lowe may be able to make a return to pitching-starved Boston as the Indians designated the veteran for assignment.
• The Reds designated Mike Costanzo for assignment as the infielder struggled at the plate during his limited tenure in Cincinnati.
• The Rays released Hideki Matsui after the team had designated the outfielder for assignment last week.
• Infielder Mike Fontenot's in search of work after being designated for assignment and later released by the Phillies. The veteran should attract attention from other teams given his solid hitting ability.
• The Dodgers designated Bobby Abreu for assignment. Abreu joined the Dodgers after being released by the Angels earlier in the season.
• The Indians acquired first baseman/left fielder Lars Anderson from the Red Sox for Double-A starter Steven Wright.
• Catcher Yorvit Torrealba may be in search of a new home as the Rangers designated the veteran for assignment after Texas acquired Geovany Soto from the Cubs.
• The Diamondbacks designated first baseman Lyle Overbay for assignment. Overbay, 35, posted a .292/.367/.448 batting line in 110 plate appearances this year. 
• The Mariners acquired outfielder Eric Thames from the Blue Jays for reliever Steve Delabar.
• The Blue Jays and Pirates swapped outfielder Travis Snider for right-hander Brad Lincoln.