The Kansas City Royals today announced they have extended the contract of General Manager Dayton Moore through the 2014 season. Moore has exercised his option for 2011 with the Royals extending the deal to cover the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons. Consistent with club policy, terms of the extension were not disclosed. ?Although it has been a disappointing season,? said Royals? President Dan Glass, ?I believe we are heading in the right direction and Dayton is an important part of the process.?

The Pirates have signed right-handed pitcher Jorge Julio to a deal. The club assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis soon after.

The Twins have signed left-hander Ron Mahay. Mahay agreed to the contract on Friday. He had a 4.79 ERA in 41 appearances for the Royals, who released him this week.

The Nationals have signed right-hander Livan Hernandez and he will start Wednesday night?s game against the Cubs, according to an Associated Press report on Tuesday. The 34-year-old was released by the Mets on Thursday and signed by Washington on Tuesday.

The Rockies have signed veteran pitcher Russ Ortiz to a minor league deal. Ortiz went 3-6 with a 5.57 ERA in 23 games, including 13 starts, with the Astros before being released earlier this season.

The Rockies have reportedly agreed to a deal with Jason Giambi. Giambi was released by the Athletics earlier this month after hitting just .193 with 11 home runs in 83 games. "Jason is 100 percent healthy and definitely plans to continue playing," his agent Arn Tellem told the Associated Press when Giambi was released. "He is confident he'll be able to contribute to a team down the stretch." He will reportedly join Triple-A Colorado Springs to get at-bats and then report to the Rockies on Sept. 1 when rosters are expanded.

The Astros have signed reliever Armando Benitez to a minor league contract. Benitez, 36, was pitching for the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic League. He was 1-0 with 16 saves and a 2.86 ERA in 34 appearances. "We'll give Armando a chance to finish the season at Round Rock and then determine where we go from there," Astros general manager Ed Wade said in a statement Saturday.

Stephen Strasburg signed his record-setting, four-year, $15.1-million contract only 77 seconds before midnight. If Strasburg hadn?t signed by then, he would have re-entered the draft next year. Instead of cursing Strasburg and hard-nosed agent Scott Boras this morning, Nats fans can hope better days are coming.

The Giants have signed their top two selections in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, the club announced tonight. The club signed right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler, their 1st pick and the 6th overall selection to a 2010 deal. San Francisco also signed catcher Thomas Joseph, their 2nd pick and the 55th overall selection in the 2009 draft. The Giants have come to terms with 35 players from this year's draft, including each of their 1st 17 selections.

The Athletics signed first-round pick Grant Green to a contract with a $2.75M bonus just before Monday?s deadline, according to an Associated Press report. Oakland GM Billy Beane said he reached the deal with agent Scott Boras about 10 minutes before the 9 p.m. PDT deadline.