Baseball notes: Astros hire Mills as manager

Astros hire Mills as manager

HOUSTON - Brad Mills is finally getting his chance to run a big-league team.

Mills, 52, was hired by Houston after six seasons as Terry Francona's bench coach in Boston. He'll manage in the majors for the first time, though he's managed a total of 11 seasons in the minors, with affiliates for the Chicago Cubs (1987-92), Colorado Rockies (1993-96) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2002).

"One thing that I'm going to bring in is a freshness, being with a champion and bringing that freshness in," Mills said. "It's a fresh voice, it's a new voice."

General Manager Ed Wade said Mills agreed to a two-year contract, with a team option for the third. The Astros made an offer to former Nationals manager Manny Acta over the weekend, but Acta took the Cleveland Indians' job instead.

Tigers' Sizemore undergoes surgery

DETROIT - Scott Sizemore, a former player at VCU and the Detroit Tigers' minor league player of the year in 2009, has undergone surgery on his fractured left ankle.

Sizemore suffered the injury Oct. 22 in an Arizona Fall League game.

He combined to hit .308 with 17 home runs, 66 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 130 games with Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo.

NATIONALS: Washington made two more additions to its rebuilt front office, hiring Kasey McKeon as director of player procurement and Jay Robertson as special assistant to the general manager.

McKeon, son of former major league manager Jack McKeon, spent the past seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies, where he was assistant to the GM.

Robertson has been special assistant to the GM with the Texas Rangers for the past eight season. Before that, he worked 11 seasons for the Cleveland Indians.

CUBS: The sale of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and other assets from the Tribune Co. to the Ricketts family is complete.

The Ricketts family said that it has taken a 95 percent controlling interest in the baseball franchise, its storied ballpark and 25 percent of Comcast Sportsnet.

The deal is valued at $845 million. Billionaire Joe Ricketts is the founder of Omaha, Neb.-based TD Ameritrade.

RAYS: Outfielder Gabe Kapler has re-signed to a one-year deal. The 34-year-old Kapler played in 99 games this season, batting .239 with eight homers and 32 RBI.

-From Wire Reports