Iapoce has spent the past six years as a big league hitting coach. He worked in that capacity with the Rangers from 2016-18 before assuming the same role with the Cubs. The 48-year-old spent the next three seasons on Chicago’s North Side, but his contract was not renewed at the end of last season.

The Cubs had a middle-of-the-pack offense during Iapoce’s tenure. Chicago’s 101 team wRC+ between 2019-21 (excluding pitchers) checked in 16th of the league’s 30 clubs. They were 18th in that category (98 wRC+) last season, although Iapoce and the rest of the coaching staff obviously had to navigate the trade deadline departures of a few of the franchise’s most recognizable and productive players.

Boston also announced the hiring of longtime big league infielder Chad Tracy as the manager of their Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. The 41-year-old had spent the past seven seasons with the Angels, working both as a skipper in the low minors and as the club’s minor league field coordinator.

Tracy played parts of nine seasons in the big leagues, including 2013, when he hit .202/.243/.326 in 136 plate appearances with the Nationals. Tracy finishes his career with a .274/.333/.439 line in 2,988 plate appearances. In addition to the Nats, he also played for the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Marlins. He hit 27 homers with Arizona in 2005, then 20 more the following season.

Pena, a 13-year MLB veteran, was an everyday player until last season.  Spending most of 2013 with the Astros, Pena slashed .207/.321/.346 in 328 plate appearances.  As that line would indicate, Pena has hung his hat on his ability to get on base via the walk, which he has done at about twice the league-average rate throughout his career.  Once a major power threat – he hit 172 home runs between 2007 and 2011 – Pena's HR/FB rate has dropped from a peak of 29.1% down to around the 15% level in recent seasons.  Pena, who signed with the Angels in late January, does not plan on retiring because "I love the way it feels when you square up a ball, when you make a good play in the field" (per MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez on Twitter).

Even though Tracy batted just .202/.243/.326 in 136 plate appearances with the Nationals in a pinch-hitting role last season, he batted .269/.343/.441 in a similar role in 2012.  Tracy broke through with an outstanding sophomore campaign with the Diamondbacks in 2005 when he belted 27 homers and slashed .308/.359/.553.  However, he's been unable to replicate that form in his subsequent big league seasons.

There was some confusion earlier today, as the Orioles agreed to a minor league deal with the veteran minor leaguer of the same name (that Tracy happens to be the son of former Rockies and Dodgers manager Jim Tracy).

In Tracy, the Angels have added a potential bench bat with nine seasons of Major League experience under his belt. Though he batted just .202/.243/.326 in 136 plate appearances with the Nationals in a pinch-hitting role last season, he batted .269/.343/.441 in a similar role in 2012. Tracy broke through with an outstanding sophomore campaign with the Diamondbacks in 2005 when he belted 27 homers and slashed .308/.359/.553. However, he's been unable to replicate that form in his subsequent big league seasons.

The Angels have brought in several notable MLB veterans recently, as they also added outfielder Brennan Boesch and first baseman Carlos Pena on minor league contracts yesterday.

• Johnson confirmed that the club isn't interested in a rental, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com (link). Rizzo also adds that he plans to monitor Detwiler's progress for awhile longer before deciding on whether the Nats need to make a move. “If Detwiler is healthy, that helps me make any and all decisions we have to make," he said. 
• Rizzo has no plans to acquire a replacement for struggling left-handed bench bat Chad Tracy via trade, Kilgore Tweets. "Tracy is a good left-handed pinch hitter," Rizzo said. "Theres no doubt about that."
• In an article for MASNSports.com, Dan Kolko suggests that Rizzo should try to put together a deal for a left-handed version of Scott Hairston, whom the Nats acquired from the Cubs earlier this month. Tracy's .149/.187/.276 line represents a significant drop from his production in 2012, when he hit .269/.343/.441 off the bench and provided the team with several big hits. "I'm a veteran guy, I've been through it before," Tracy said of his struggles. "I should be able to make the adjustment and I just haven't done it."

FRIDAY: The Nationals have agreed to a contract extension with Chad Tracy, manager Davey Johnson told reporters, including Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (on Twitter). The one-year extension will keep the Octagon client in Washington through 2013.

Tracy, 32, returned to the Major Leagues this year after spending the 2011 season in Japan. He has a .283/.353/.517 batting line in 68 plate appearances as a backup corner infielder and pinch hitter. Tracy earns $750K this year, but his 2013 salary is unknown.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Reynolds, 26, was the second overall pick in the 2006 draft and has pitched to a 7.47 ERA in 94 big league innings from 2008-2011. He missed most of 2009 and part of 2010 with shoulder problems. Tracy, 26, has never appeared in the big leagues. He's a .269/.340/.466 career hitter in the minors, spending the last two seasons at Triple-A (.260/.342/.485 hitter at the level). Tracy has played first base, left field, and catcher in his career.

Tracy, 31, owns a .278/.337/.445 line in seven big league seasons, but hasn't produced much at the plate since 2007. The corner infielder spent the 2011 season with the Hiroshima Carp, posting a .235/.293/.336 line in 164 plate appearances. Carroll, 29, has big league experience in each of the past five seasons and can play all three outfield positions. In 322 career plate appearances, he has a .203/.281/.322 line. Paul spent the 2011 season with the Pirates and Dodgers, posting a .255/.292/.346 line in 262 plate appearances.

• Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that Esteban German is returning to the Rangers on a minor league deal.  German, 33 in January, hit .280/.371/.388 in 567 Triple-A plate appearances this year, playing all around the diamond.  He was outrighted on November 5th and chose to become a free agent.
• The Royals signed outfielder Brett Carroll to a minor league contract, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is a .205/.284/.325 career hitter in 319 plate appearances with the Marlins.
• Infielder Scott Moore signed a minor league deal with the Cubs, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun. He originally broke in with the Cubs back in 2006, but was later traded to the Orioles for Steve Trachsel.
• Infielder Chad Tracy signed with the Hiroshima Carp for about $1.3MM according to a report passed along by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman (Twitter link).

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

• If Miguel Olivo's option is declined by Colorado, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro thinks Olivo could be a good fit behind the plate for the Marlins.  We know the Fish are looking for a catcher this winter, and Olivo is a known quantity who played for the club in 2006 and 2007.
• Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com thinks that by extending Edwin Rodriguez's contract just through 2011, the team is "only treading water until they move into their new ballpark in 2012."
• The Marlins are focusing on an extension for Dan Uggla before they return to negotiations with Ricky Nolasco on a long-term deal, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
• Larry Beinfest tells Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that relief pitching will be a priority for Florida in the offseason.  “In terms of addressing the bullpen, we’ve kind of opened up ourselves to every avenue, whether it be free agency, keeping one of our own free agents or looking elsewhere. We are cultivating trades,” Beinfest said.
• Beinfest also tells Capozzi that it's "possible" the Marlins will look into bringing back free agents Will Ohman, Jorge Sosa and Chad Tracy.

The 30-year-old hit .250/.327/.295 with the Cubs this year before they designated him for assignment and released him. The Yankees signed Tracy and stashed him in the minors, but he opted out of his contract less than a month after signing it. 

• I'll be appearing on Sporting News Radio at 8:25pm PT tonight to talk about the deadline. You can listen in here.
• ESPN's Jayson Stark named his trade deadline winners and losers, with the Rangers, Padres, and Yankees among the teams earning praise.
• The Phillies released Triple-A outfielder Chris Duffy, reports Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
• Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that he "had a chance to do something surprising and big," and that it was like "getting the wind knocked out of you" when it fell through. He didn't elaborate any further, so we'll have to keep playing the guessing game.
• Joel Sherman of The New York Post says the Yankees took on $4.8MM at the deadline, more than any other team (Twitter links). The bankrupt Rangers came in second at $4.1MM. 
• Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that he was working on some deals in recent days, but they "fell apart at the end." 
• ESPN's Buster Olney tweets the Red Sox finished second in the Kerry Wood race, ditto the Rays and Lance Berkman, both of whom ended up with their biggest rival.
• Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider tweets that Yunesky Maya's deal with Washington will be made official within the hour. 
• The Padres inquired about Jacoby Ellsbury before picking up Ryan Ludwick, but were told he's not available according to ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes (Twitter links).
• ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Dodgers took on about $3MM with all their deadline moves. Their financial situation has been in question basically all season.
• Chad Tracy has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Yankees and is now a free agent, tweet Conor Foley with the Triple-A Scranton Yankees.
• Barret Loux has joined the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League according to the team's official Twitter feed. Loux was the sixth overall pick in last month's draft, but recently failed his physical with the Diamondbacks and could be looking to rebuild his stock.
• The Royals traded minor league catcher Jeff Howell to the Twins for future considerations according to milb.com's official Twitter feed.

When the Cubs signed Tracy to a minor league deal over the winter, they hoped he could replicate some of the success he enjoyed early in his career. From 2005-06, Tracy posted an .848 OPS and averaged 24 homers and 38 doubles as a corner infielder and outfielder with the D’Backs.

Tracy batted just .250/.327/.295 for the Cubs in 49 plate appearances this year. The 30-year-old provides the Yankees with some depth in case Alex Rodriguez’s hip forces him to miss time.

• Chad Tracy's agent told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that his client has interest in playing for Mike Rizzo's Nationals, since Rizzo, Arizona's former scouting director, drafted Tracy in 2001 (Twitter link).
• You can listen to MLBTR's Tim Dierkes talking trades on the YES Network's Off the Wall podcast right here.
• Earlier in the week we heard that the Braves weren't crazy about David DeJesus and that remains true, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi says the Braves are not pursuing DeJesus or Jose Guillen.
• The Brewers would listen to offers for Todd Coffey and Carlos Villanueva, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter).
• Assistant GM Scott Proefrock told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the current edition of the Phillies has to perform. Chase Utley will miss eight weeks or more and Placido Polanco will miss three to four weeks, so the Phillies’ depth will be tested if they don’t make a trade.
• As expected, the Yankees promoted Dustin Moseley, according to Conor Orr of the Star Ledger. Some teams called the Yankees to inquire about the righty's availability as his opt-out date drew nearer.
• One GM who just did an overview of the Royals' farm system told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he's impressed by the team's prospects.
• D'Backs president Derrick Hall says the team won't likely start searching for a permanent GM until the offseason, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
• Not surprisingly, the D'Backs have yet to ask the Dodgers for permission to interview assistant GM Logan White, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
• Red Sox supplemental rounder Anthony Ranaudo is looking to be paid like a top-ten pick, according to Amanda Comak of the Cape Cod Times. Check out the complete list of first rounders to sign right here.
• The Brewers released Triple A outfielder Trent Oeltjen, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

JUNE 25: The Cubs designated Chad Tracy for assignment, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). The Cubs had to create roster space for Aramis Ramirez, who is coming off the DL.

Tracy, 30, hit .250/.327/.295 for the Cubs in 49 plate appearances this year. He did not come close to matching the success he had with the D'Backs earlier in his career. From 2005-06, Tracy posted an .848 OPS and averaged 24 homers and 38 doubles as a corner infielder and outfielder. He signed a minor league deal worth $900K with the Cubs over the winter.