6:15pm: The deal is official, as per a press release by the Pirates. The deal is Chavez for Iwamura straight-up. 4:34pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tells us the Rays will receive reliever Jesse Chavez in return. Chavez, 26, posted a 4.01 ERA in 67.3...

12:50pm: According to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune, a Cubs source "quickly responded to the report by saying the rumor has 'no legs at all,' adding the team has not discussed the possibility of bringing Wells to the North Side.&...

The Astros hired former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills as their new manager, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  The Astros fired Cecil Cooper with 13 games remaining in the season, replacing him with Dave Clark. Mills inherits a club w...

Pat Lackey informs us that a Cardinals source confirmed to Fanhouse's Ed Price that Mark McGwire has been hired to replace Hal McRae as the St. Louis hitting coach. McGwire, 46, played in St. Louis for four and a half seasons, hitting 220 ho...

Scott Boras believes Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday are both "blue-collar superstars," learned Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Boras considers both to be "complete players," and finds Holliday unique in the upcoming free agent...

We haven't had a World Series rematch since the Yankees and Dodgers squared off in 1977 and then again in 1978, but that doesn't stop ESPN's Buster Olney from looking at what stands in the way of another Yanks-Phils Fall Classic in 2010. Let's...

According to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times, the Dodgers have declined Jon Garland's mutual $10MM option for 2010. The Diamondbacks will pay Garland his $2.5MM buyout, as per the terms of August's trade for Tony Abreu. Garland made 32+ starts...

Here's some Thursday links... Brett Myers said it would be "upsetting" to leave Philadelphia, according to FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. It would make sense for Myers to market himself as a starter this offseason, but Morosi points out that...

Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times reports that the White Sox have announced that Mark Kotsay was given a one year, $1.5MM contract to return to the team in 2010. It's essentially the same contract he signed with Boston last January. Kotsay,...

Just two days after being acquired from Tampa Bay, Akinori Iwamura said he's "interested" in exploring a long-term deal with the Pirates during a conference call, according to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. "I'm definitely...