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).

Home Runs, Koehler Lift Marlins to 2-1 Win Over Cubs  —  CHICAGO — Justin Bour and Christian Yelich homered and the Miami Marlins got six impressive innings from Tom Koehler in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.  —  Bour's solo home run in the sixth inning off Cubs starter Jason Hammel snapped a 1-1 tie.

Cubs Acquire Clayton Richard From Pirates  —  The Cubs have acquired lefty Clayton Richard from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports on Twitter.  Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes on Twitter that Richard appeared to be headed …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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

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 …

Cardinals fire scouting director  —  ST. LOUIS  • The St. Louis Cardinals have terminated the services of their scouting director, Chris Correa, after an “imposed leave of absence,” a lawyer for Cardinals executives said Thursday.  —  James G. Martin, lawyer for chairman Bill DeWitt Jr …