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...

The Orioles have "jumped into" the bidding for outfielder Matt Holliday, write Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  But despite the leap, the writers question the team's seriousness and Holliday's inclination to play in Baltimore,...

News and notes from around the big leagues tonight... Derek Lowe tells MLB.com's Mark Bowman that he doesn't expect to be back in Atlanta in 2010 and feels rather disrespected by being put on the trade market just a year after signing with the...

Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun are reporting that the Orioles have reached an agreement with corner infielder Garrett Atkins to a one-year contract.  The deal is contingent on Atkins passing a physical later this week, and...

The possible sale of the Texas Rangers from current owner Tom Hicks to a group led by Chuck Greenberg won't have any major repercussions on the team's current front-office composition or any of their planned winter transactions.  In regards to the...

Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports (via Twitter) that the Dodgers have signed Luis Ayala to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.  Hernandez added that should Ayala make L.A.'s major league roster, the reliever will earn...