Author: Daniel Seco 2

With the trade deadline less than 48 hours away, let's take a moment to catch up on the busy week that was here at MLBTR…

• The Angels acquired Zack Greinke in a trade with the Brewers. Milwaukee received top infield prospect Jean Segura and Double-A right-handers Ariel Pena and John Hellweg in exchange for its ace.
• The Phillies signed Cole Hamels to a six-year contract extension worth at least $144MM. The contract, which includes limited no-trade protection for Hamels, includes an option for a seventh year.
• Hanley Ramirez must hope that heading West will lead to improved production after being traded to the Dodgers. Los Angeles acquired the infielder and Randy Choate from the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi and minor league right-hander Scott McGough. 
• The Tigers acquired Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez from the Marlins in exchange for top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, along with Rob Brantly and Brian Flynn.
• The Pirates acquired left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez from the Astros in exchange for minor leaguers Rudy Owens, Robbie Grossman, and Colton Cain. 
• Ichiro Suzuki bid farewell to the only big league team he's ever known. The Yankees acquired  the outfielder and cash from the Mariners in exchange right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar.
• The White Sox acquired Francisco Liriano from the Twins for infielder Eduardo Escobar and left-hander Pedro Hernandez.
• The Padres announced the signing of Carlos Quentin to a contract extension through the 2015 season with a mutual option for 2016. 
• The Giants designated infielder Emmanuel Burriss for assignment in order to clear room for the newly acquired Marco Scutaro. San Francisco acquired Scutaro and cash considerations from the Rockies in exchange for minor league second baseman Charlie Culberson.
• Jason Kendall retired on Tuesday after a long career in which he earned three All-Star appearances. 
• Houston claimed first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce off of waivers from the Orioles.
• Chuckie Fick was claimed off of waivers by the Astros from the Cardinals, who designated the right-hander for assignment last week.
• The Indians acquired Brent Lillibridge from the Red Sox for right-hander Jose De La Torre. 
• The Angels acquired right-handed pitcher Barry Enright from the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.
• First baseman/outfielder Brandon Allen is headed to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after the Rays sold his rights.
• The Nationals released Rick Ankiel after the team designated the outfielder for assignment last week.
• Miguel Batista will remain in the National League as the Braves agreed to sign the right-hander after the Mets released the 41-year-old on Thursday.
• The Rays designated Hideki Matsui for assignment to create roster space for newly-acquired infielder Ryan Roberts.
• The Indians designated Aaron Cunningham for assignment.
• The Brewers designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment after activating Jonathan Lucroy from the disabled list. Catcher Humberto Quintero signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee. 
• The Brewers also designated outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard and infielder Edwin Maysonet for assignment.
• The Orioles designated left-hander Dana Eveland for assignment.

With a flurry of trades and transactions marking the theme of the last seven days, let's catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

• The White Sox acquired Brett Myers from the Astros in exchange for right-hander Matt Heidenreich, left-hander Blair Walters and a player to be named later. The Astros will also send cash to Chicago.
• Ten players from the Astros and Blue Jays find themselves playing in a new uniform after the two teams completed a mega deal on Friday. The Astros obtained seven players from Toronto: right-hander Francisco Cordero, outfielder Ben Francisco, minor leaguers Joe Musgrove, Asher Wojciechowski, David Rollins and Carlos Perez, and a player to be named. The Astros sent left-hander J.A. Happ and right-handed relievers Brandon Lyon and David Carpenter to Toronto in the trade.
• The Cubs acquired Justin Germano from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. The veteran right-hander was designated for assignment by Boston early last week to make room for Jacoby Ellsbury's return from the disabled list. In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated Jairo Asencio for assignment.
• After activating Xavier Nady off the DL, the Nationals designated the outfielder for assignment. Nady hit just .157/.211/.275 with three homers in 109 plate appearances for Washington this season.
• The Diamondbacks released Geoff Blum, who was in the second season of a two-year, $2.7MM contract signed after the 2010 campaign.
• The Orioles acquired Omar Quintanilla from the Mets for future considerations. The Mets designated Quintanilla for assignment on Tuesday to create roster space for Jason Bay. 
• Brad Bergesen is headed to Arizona after the Diamondbacks claimed the right-hander from the Orioles, who designated him for assignment last week.
• The Rockies and Royals agreed to a trade that sent left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to Colorado for right-hander Jeremy Guthrie. Sanchez was designated for assignment last week following a short and disappointing stint in Kansas City. 
• The Cubs signed Dominican right-hander Juan Carlos Paniagua to a contract with a $1.5MM signing bonus.
• Mark Hamburger is headed to the Astros organization after Houston claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Padres. San Diego designated the Hamburger for assignment last week.
• The Royals signed veteran catcher Jason Kendall to a minor league contract. Kendall has reported to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
• The Yankees designated Darnell McDonald for assignment after claiming the outfielder off of waivers from the Red Sox just over two weeks ago. 
• Dana Eveland cleared waivers and the Orioles outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk.
• The Phillies outrighted right-hander Brian Sanches to Triple-A for the second time this season.
• The Red Sox designated utility player Brent Lillibridge for assignment. Boston acquired Lillibridge in the trade that sent Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox last month. 
• Left-hander Will Ohman signed a minor league deal with the Reds after being designated for assignment by the White Sox earlier this month. 
• The Nationals designated Rick Ankiel for assignment to create roster space for Drew Storen. He appeared in 68 games as the Nationals' center fielder and posted a .228/.282/.411 batting line with five home runs in 171 plate appearances.
• The Orioles designated Steve Pearce for assignment after the first baseman posted a .254/.321/.437 slash line in 83 plate appearances for the O's this year.
•  Left-hander J.C. Romero signed a minor league deal with the Indians after opting out of a deal with the Orioles last month. 

With the non-waiver trading deadline quickly approaching, let's catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

• MLB upheld the $4.5MM contract between the Rangers and Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras. However, MLB suspended Beras for one year after determining that the prospect lied about his age.
• The Blue Jays signed Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year, $27MM contract extension. Encarnacion, who was set to hit free agency this offseason, added a multi-homer game over the weekend and now has 25 homers on the season.
• With minutes remaining before the deadline to sign draft picks, the Orioles agreed to sign first round selection Kevin Gausman to a deal that includes a $4.3MM bonus. 
• Meanwhile, the Pirates failed to reach a deal with first round pick Mark Appel, as the right-hander will return to Stanford for his senior season. Appel was the only first round selection who didn't sign.
• The Cubs agreed to sign first round selection Albert Almora for $3.9MM; the Marlins agreed to sign first round selection Andrew Heaney for $2.6MM; first round selection Lucas Giolito agreed to sign with the Nationals for $2.925MM; first round selection Richie Shaffer agreed to sign with the Rays for $1.7125MM; and first-round draft pick Ty Hensley signed with the Yankees for $1.2MM.
• The Cardinals signed Brian Fuentes to a minor league contract after the Athletics released the Beverly Hills Sports Council client earlier last week.
• The Yankees signed Kosuke Fukudome to a minor league contract and is expected to report to New York's Triple-A affiliate.
• Some AL teams added pitching depth, as the Blue Jays signed right-hander Chris Jakubauskas to a minor league deal and the Athletics signed right-hander Chris Ray and assigned him to Triple-A.
• The Mariners signed David Pauley to a minor league deal. This is the right-hander's second stint with the M's, after being dealt from Seattle to Detroit as part of the Doug Fister trade last July.
• Jay Gibbons announced his retirement from baseball after playing nine season in the big leagues with the Orioles and Dodgers. 
• Left-hander J.C. Romero opted out of his deal with the Orioles and elected free agency.
• The Dodgers acquired minor league infielder Osvaldo Martinez from the White Sox for cash considerations.
• The Orioles designated Dana Eveland for assignment and outrighted Ronny Paulino to Triple-A.
• The Red Sox designated Justin Germano for assignment in order to clear roster space for the return of Jacoby Ellsbury from the disabled list.

By Daniel Seco with Ben Nicholson-Smith.

As we head to Kansas City for the All-Star break, let's catch up on the week that was here on MLBTR…

• The Marlins acquired first baseman Carlos Lee from the Astros for third baseman Matt Dominguez and left-hander Rob Rasmussen. The move provides the Marlins with an instant upgrade in their lineup and gives the Astros young talent as they continue to rebuild.
• The Mariners signed third overall pick Mike Zunino, who obtained a $4MM bonus. The former University of Florida catcher projects to be an above-average hitter for his position and has intangibles similar to those of Jason Varitek.
• Former Marlins sensation Dontrelle Willis announced his retirement after spending the majority of the season in the Orioles organization.
• The Royals claimed Adam Moore on waivers after the catcher was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week. 
• The Indians granted right-hander Chris Ray his release from Triple-A Columbus. Ray, 30, posted a 2.75 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
• After being released by the Indians late last month, Andy LaRoche signed with the Red Sox and joined the organization's Triple-A affiliate.
• The Pirates outrighted Doug Slaten and Chris Leroux to Triple-A after the duo cleared waivers.
• The White Sox claimed left-hander Daniel Moskos off of waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A. 
• Jamie Moyer's future as a Major League pitcher took a hit as the Blue Jays became the third team to part ways with the veteran this season.
• The Cubs agreed to sign second round pick Duane Underwood for $1.05MM. 
• The Reds released right-hander Michael Wuertz after signing him to a minor league contract in May.
• Matt Young is headed back to Toledo after the Tigers outrighted the utility player to Triple-A. 
• The Orioles outrighted left-hander Zach Philips to Triple-A after he cleared waivers.
• The Royals requested unconditional release waivers on catcher Humberto Quintero.
• Chris Schwinden's whirlwind season continues as the Mets claimed the right-hander off of waivers from the Yankees and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo.
• The Braves released right-hander D.J. Carrasco as the veteran now faces having to find a third team to call home this season.
• The Blue Jays designated David Pauley for assignment as the right-hander struggled to get outs in five appearances with Toronto..
  
• First round selection Marcus Stroman signed a contract with the Blue Jays for $1.8MM.
  
• The Royals designated outfielder Mitch Maier for assignment as the former first round pick collected more strikeouts than hits and walks combined this season.
• The Yankees claimed outfielder Darnell McDonald off of waivers from the Red Sox to provide New York with depth off the bench.
• Xavier Paul opted out of his contract with the Nationals and elected free agency in hopes of catching on with a team willing to give him an opportunity at the big league level.
• The White Sox released left-hander Will Ohman after designating the veteran for assignment late last month.
• The Mets designated left-hander Justin Hampson for assignment. Hampson, 32, appeared in three games and faced eight batters for New York.
• Bobby Jenks reached a contract termination settlement with the Red Sox and was placed on unconditional release waivers by Boston. 
• The Padres‬ signed supplemental first-rounder Walker Weickel for $2MM.
• The Athletics designated left-hander Brian Fuentes for assignment. In 25 innings for the Athletics this year Fuentes posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
• In a flurry of international signings from across the league, the Mets signed shortstop Amed Rosario to a $1.75MM bonus.
• The Indians signed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Hector Caro to a deal worth $1.1MM.
• The Yankees signed Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens for $1.3MM.
• Venezuelan right-hander Jose Mujica signed with the Rays for $1MM.
• The Twins signed Dominican infielder Amaurys Minier for $1.4MM.
• The Giants signed Dominican center fielder Gustavo Cabrera for $1.3MM.
• Venezuelan left-hander Jose Castillo signed with the Rays for $1.55MM.
• The Blue Jays signed Venezuelan shortstop/centerfielder Franklin Barreto, who obtained a $1.45MM bonus.