Ballbug: Pirates to extend Tabata, Walker (Rob Biertempfel/PittsburghLIVE.com)

Enrique Rojas / MLB:

Source: Pirates sign Tabata to 6-year extension — ORLANDO — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata has signed a contract extension for six years, a source close to the negotiations told ESPNdeportes.com on Friday. — Tabata's new deal with the Pirates is guaranteed through the 2016 season …

Discussion: MLB Rumors, baseballmusings.com and Baseball Nation

Pirates to extend Tabata, Walker — The Pirates are putting the finishing touches on a long-term contract with outfielder Jose Tabata and also are deep into talks with second baseman Neil Walker about a similar deal, several team and league sources told the Tribune-Review today.

Discussion: MLB Daily Dish, MLB Rumors, Eye on Baseball, HardballTalk and Bucs Dugout

Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:

Pirates, Jose Tabata Nearing Extension — 5:32pm: Rojas reports that the total value of the contract would be $37.25MM if the three options are exercised (link in Spanish). Tabata would receive a $1MM signing bonus, and his salary in 2011 would increase to $500K.

Discussion: Where Have You Gone …, MLB Daily Dish, HardballTalk and PittsburghLIVE.com

Enrique Rojas / MLB:

Source: Pirates, Tabata near 6-year extension — ORLANDO — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata is close to signing a contract extension for six years, a source close to the negotiations told ESPNdeportes.com on Friday. — Tabata's new deal with the Pirates would run through …

Discussion: HardballTalk

Bruce Levine / ESPN:

Fifth-place Cubs fire general manager Hendry — With one of the highest payrolls but the second worst record in the National League, the Chicago Cubs fired general manager and vice president Jim Hendry on Friday. — Assistant general manager Randy Bush was named Interim general manager, the team announced.

Discussion: Baseball Prospectus, Bleed Cubbie Blue, Yahoo! Sports and BBTF's Baseball Primer …

Chicago Tribune:

Hendry out as Cubs GM; Bush promoted on interim basis — Jim Hendry is out as general manager of the Chicago Cubs and assistant GM Randy Bush will take over the job on an interim basis, the team said Friday. — “It's professional baseball ... if you don't win enough games over a couple of years …

Discussion: Yahoo! Sports, FanGraphs Baseball and Where Have You Gone …

Toni Ginnetti / Chicago Sun Times:

Cubs delayed firing of GM Jim Hendry for a month — A week after the All Star break, with the Cubs' record having fallen 21 games below .500 (39-60), team owner Tom Ricketts and his family made the final decision to fire general manager Jim Hendry. — But breaking the business decision …

Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
MLBPA files grievance on behalf of Zambrano

Discussion: MLB Daily Dish, baseballmusings.com, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors

Adam McCalvy / Brew Beat:

Brewers' Rogers suspended for stimulant — A lousy season got worse Friday for Brewers pitching prospect Mark Rogers, who drew a 25-game suspension after a second positive test for a stimulant in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Discussion: HardballTalk

Michael Blaustein / New York Post:

Reality host Lopez convinces home-run legend to face ‘H8R’ — Barry Bonds will try to rehabilitate his tarnished image by confronting a fan who hates him on the upcoming reality show “H8R.” — On the show, the MLB home-run king will watch a tape of one of his biggest detractors chewing him out …

Discussion: HardballTalk

Sports Illustrated:

Draft maneuvers by Nationals, Pirates drawing the ire of Selig … While the Nationals and Pirates were patting themselves on the back for jobs well done after their amateur draft signings, baseball commissioner Bud Selig wasn't nearly as impressed. According to people in attendance …

Discussion: MLB Rumors, Mike Scioscia's tragic illness and Bucs Dugout

Jayson Stark / ESPN:

NL MVP race just one big mess — Selecting the winner right now is, well, not easy ... and it might not get easier — Here comes a question we've been tossing at people all over baseball for the past two weeks. And it has reduced every one of them into doing more bumbling and stumbling than rumbling and grumbling.

Discussion: MLB Rumors

Angels blog:

Angels change season-ticket policy — The Angels recently notified season-ticket holders that the deadline to renew and pay for next season's ticket packages had been moved up to early October. In the past, season ticket renewals had to be paid in January, just three months before Opening Day.

Discussion: True Grich and 6-4-2

Associated Press:

Masterson goes six strong; Indians top White Sox to win series — CHICAGO — Justin Masterson pitched six effective innings, Kosuke Fukudome had a tiebreaking RBI triple and the Cleveland Indians inched closer to the top of the AL Central with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.

Discussion: Hardball Times, Lone Star Ball, Bleed Cubbie Blue, MLB.com and South Side Sox

Discussion: Let's Go Tribe and Yahoo! Sports