Walking papers for Nats GM?  —  Buzz up!  —  So, what does Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo do for an encore after playing a key role in the signing of designated franchise savior Stephen Strasburg?  —  Would you believe lose his job?  —  Multiple sources insisted Tuesday that the Nationals …

How Much Did Your Team Spend?  —  Here's a look at how much each team spent on the top 10 rounds of the 2009 draft.  Complete draft budgets will not be available for several more weeks.  First-round pick Aaron Crow and supplemental first-rounder Tanner Scheppers are still eligible to sign …

Rangers reacquire Pudge  —  Rodriguez, 14-time All-Star, will be Texas' backup catcher  —  ARLINGTON — Ivan Rodriguez is returning to the Rangers to be a backup catcher.  —  The Rangers have completed a trade with the Houston Astros to reacquire the 14-time All-Star catcher for two Minor League players …

Royals hit new low; demote Gordon to Triple-A  —  In what looks like one of the most shameful service-time manipulations in baseball history, the Royals demoted Alex Gordon to Triple-A on Tuesday to make room for Kyle Farnsworth on the roster.  —  Ready or not, Gordon …

Sources: John Smoltz ‘strongly leaning’ toward signing with St. Louis Cardinals  —  John Smoltz is “strongly leaning” toward signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, two major league sources with direct knowledge of his negotiations told ESPN.com Tuesday night.  —  Smoltz

Draft in desperate need of repair  —  Next bargaining agreement in 2011 needs to be bring massive changes … Stephen Strasburg may be — whoop de doo — a Washington National now.  But you can bet every centavo of his signing bonus on this:  —  The draft that made that miracle possible will never be the same.

Blue Jays recall Travis Snider  —  Travis Snider was recalled by the Toronto Blue Jays today after scorching Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .337/.431/.662 line in 175 at-bats.  —  As has been clear for a while now, Snider was recalled once his potential eligibility for Super …

Ryan Church calls comments by New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel a ‘low blow’  —  NEW YORK — Ryan Church made it clear: He didn't appreciate those recent comments by New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel.  —  After Mets slugger David Wright was hit in the head by a pitch last weekend …

Moyer's relief job carries Phillies to 5-1 win  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jamie Moyer (FSY) had a quality start Tuesday night for the Philadelphia Phillies — out of the bullpen.  —  Moyer pitched six scoreless innings in relief of Pedro Martinez (FSY), who took his spot in the starting rotation …

Boston Red Sox's Tim Wakefield not ready to come off DL  —  TORONTO — Red Sox right-hander Tim Wakefield threw a bullpen session before Tuesday's game at Toronto and is not yet healthy enough to return to Boston's starting rotation.  —  Wakefield  —  Wakefield, 11-3 with a 4.31 ERA …

Seriously, who would do any better than Trembley?  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.  —  add this

Hampton to DL with strained left shoulder  —  Lefty unable to shake lingering injury; Astros recall Paulino  —  HOUSTON — The Astros placed left-hander Mike Hampton on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain and recalled right-hander Felipe Paulino from Triple-A Round Rock prior …

Melvin “working on something” for Bill Hall  —  The Brewers have until Friday to settle Bill Hall's future, but a resolution could come sooner.  —  The slumping Hall was designated for assignment by Milwaukee on Aug. 12, giving the team 10 days to trade Hall or release him and eat the more than $10 million left on his contract.

Maddon dyes hair black  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Joe Maddon is in favor of the change at the top of Tampa Bay's on-field leadership.  —  The Rays manager came to the ballpark for Tuesday night's game against Baltimore with his silver hair dyed black, a head start on a Johnny Cash-themed road trip next week.

Oakland Athletics' Jack Cust says Mitchell report is ‘kind of a joke’  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Jack Cust still wonders why his name appeared in the Mitchell report.  Now, the Oakland slugger has a more pressing question: How come some prominent Red Sox were missing?

Update on Brett Gardner  —  Brett Gardner, out since July 26 with a broken thumb, is scheduled to see a doctor on Wednesday.  If cleared, he will start a rehab assignment soon after.  According to Joe Girardi, Gardner should return quickly.  —  “He'll need some at-bats, but it shouldn't be too long,” the manager said.