Who is baseball's best manager?  The survey says ...  29m - MLB SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS CHICAGO CUBS + more  —  Bruce Bochy, Buck Showalter and Joe Maddon all earned raves in ESPN.com's manager survey for their longevity and leadership.  USA TODAY Sports

Braves Inquiring On Young Catchers, Willing To Deal Pitching Prospects  —  The Braves are looking to upgrade their offense and have let other clubs know that they're willing to trade from their recently bolstered stable of pitching prospects in order to acquire a bat, reports Jayson Stark of ESPN (via Twitter).

Giants Designate Travis Ishikawa For Assignment  —  12:52pm: The Giants have now announced the move, adding that Tim Hudson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, with Jake Peavy being activated to fill his roster spot.  —  12:42pm: The Giants will announce today that they have designated …

It's disgusting how jokester GM, cheap owners watch Mets burn  —  Mets general manager Sandy Alderson speaks to the media before a recent game at Citi Field.  —  PANIC CITY, NY - Oh, come on, let's be serious.  We are way past Panic City.  Panic City was a snapshot of the good times around the Mets.

Tigers Designate Joba Chamberlain, Tom Gorzelanny  —  The Tigers will designate right-hander Joba Chamberlain for assignment, Kurt Mensching of SB Nation and the Detriot News first reported (on Twitter).  Anthony Fenech of the Detroit News reports (via Twitter) that lefty Tom Gorzelanny will be designated for assignment as well.

Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Patrick Corbin says he's ‘ready to go’  —  For months, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale has tried to downplay the return of Patrick Corbin, his attempt at keeping expectations in check for the club's surgically repaired left-hander.  —  Corbin isn't buying it.

Top 10 Cuban Player Luis Yander La O Defects  —  DURHAM, N.C.—Make that two Cuban players who have defected here in North Carolina while traveling with the Cuban national team.  Luis Yander La O, a speedy, athletic infielder who ranked as the No. 10 player in Cuba in April …

A-Rod, Yanks settle bonus dispute, with team giving $3.5M to charities  —  30m - MLB ALEX RODRIGUEZ NEW YORK YANKEES + more

Inside Baseball: 12 possible sellers, who might go and proposed deals  —  There are, officially, only two confirmed selling teams as the calendar hit July, the very two who started the year as sellers - yes, the Phillies and Braves.  But there are at least 10 more teams with the potential to sell …

Angels Acquire Rafael Lopez From Cubs  —  3:12pm: Chicago will receive the 120th slot, which carries $149,700 in spending capacity, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com tweets.  —  1:56pm: The Angels and Cubs have agreed to a trade that will send minor league catcher Rafael Lopez to Anaheim in exchange …

Brewers bullpen catcher eats 23 cheesesteaks, breaks Citizens Bank Park record  —  Brewers bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel was looking surprisingly spry Thursday after making culinary history at Citizens Bank Park.  —  He'd just broken the record for cheesesteak consumption in the visitor's clubhouse …

Games of the Day  —  The Yankees are tied for first place in the AL East with Tampa Bay one game back as the Rays send Cy Young candidate Chris Archer against Masahiro Tanaka in New York.  Archer is blowing away batters this season with 133 strikeouts in 109 innings, with just 25 walks.

Cardinals Fire Scouting Director For Role In Astros Breach  —  4:55pm: Correa's lawyer, Nicholas Williams, offered the following statement to Goold when reached for comment: … 3:44pm: The Cardinals have fired scouting director Chris Correa for his role in the Cardinals' breach …