The Detroit Tigers decided Ivan Rodriguez was worth another $13 million.

The Tigers exercised an option Tuesday on the All-Star catcher's contract, retaining him for a fifth season at a hefty price.

The Tigers could have bought Rodriguez out of the last year of his deal for $3 million, but they didn't like the prospect of not having him behind the plate next year.

"People just throw around other options like you can get anybody to catch, but there are not a lot of future Hall of Famers available," Detroit manager Jim Leyland told the AP. "To me, this was a no-brainer and I'm tickled to death to have him back.

"It eases our mind to know who our catcher is going to be next year. That's one less headache for us right now."

La Russa decision delayed by Jocketty dismissal: The St. Louis Cardinals' dismissal of general manager Walt Jocketty last week has complicated the decision-making process for Tony La Russa, who is deliberating whether to return for a 13th season.

La Russa will wait for a GM to be hired before deciding whether to return for a 13th season, team spokesman Brian Bartow said. La Russa's decision was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on its Web site.

"The GM is the guy I would work for directly," La Russa was quoted as saying. "So why would I get in a situation where the manager is not the guy who (the new general manager) would hire?"

Boras hints A-Rod likely to opt out of contract: Alex Rodriguez is ready to cash in. Again.

Agent Scott Boras hinted A-Rod will opt out of the final three seasons of his contract with the New York Yankees and seek a new deal in the free-agent market that will lock him up through his pursuit of Barry Bonds' home-run record.

Boras negotiated Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year agreement with the Texas Rangers before the 2001 season, a contract the Yankees took over when they acquired A-Rod before the 2004 season. His next deal could last for more than a decade.

"Alex wants to be in one uniform for a long, long time, if not to the end of his career," Boras said of the 32-year-old, headed to his third AL MVP Award. "I think Alex could play very reasonably until he's 45. So you're talking about a situation where we want this guy to be identified with one franchise and one uniform for a very, very long time."

Rodriguez enters next year 17th on the career home-run list with 518 and is 242 behind Bonds, who also hopes to play next season. The expected chase will be factored into the negotiation.

The wait is on for Torre and Yankees: The wait is on for Joe Torre and his Yankees players, a fiercely loyal bunch.

Nearly everyone in New York wanted to know whether owner George Steinbrenner will keep his longtime manager or let him go after 12 straight playoff appearances.

No answers yet.

"Have some patience. Things take time. There will be a process and we'll work through that, and it will lead us where it leads us," general manager Brian Cashman said. "My speculation is I'm not going to have anything to report in the coming days."

Few players were at Yankee Stadium, a day after their season-ending 6-4 loss to Cleveland, the third straight year New York was eliminated in the first round.

Phillies give Manuel two-year contract with club option: The Philadelphia Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for 2010, keeping around the folksy manager who led the franchise to their first NL East title since 1993.

Manuel was rewarded for rallying the Phillies to the division title on the final day of the season. It took a historic collapse by the New York Mets — they became the first team in major league history to blow a seven-game lead with 17 remaining — for the Phillies to finish one game ahead in the standings.

"I am very happy to be back for another two years," Manuel said. "I'm proud of what the team accomplished this year and I'm looking forward to defending our division title and reaching our goal of winning a World Series for Philadelphia."

The Phillies were swept 3-0 by the Colorado Rockies in Philadelphia's first postseason appearance in 14 years.

The 63-year-old Manuel led the Phillies to an 89-73 record in his third season with the team.

Manuel, who previously managed the Cleveland Indians, is 262-224 in three years in Philadelphia.

Blue Jays hire Denbo to be new hitting coach: The Toronto Blue Jays hired Gary Denbo as their new hitting coach, filling the only vacancy on their coaching staff for the 2008 season.

Denbo, who was given a two-year deal, replaces Mickey Brantley, whose contract was not renewed after a season in which Toronto hit .259, the third lowest batting average in the AL. The Blue Jays scored 753 runs, fifth lowest in the AL.

Giants fire two coaches: The San Francisco Giants fired hitting coach Joe Lefebvre and first-base coach Willie Upshaw.

Lefebvre just completed his sixth season on the Giants' staff, fifth as hitting coach, and worked closely with Bonds. Upshaw was a hitting assistant in 2005 and 06 before being promoted this past season. He also previously served as minor league hitting coordinator.

General manager Brian Sabean said both Lefebvre and Upshaw have been offered other positions within the organization.

Astros announcer Hamilton recovering after heart attack: Longtime Astros radio announcer Milo Hamilton was recovering in a Houston hospital after having a heart attack over the weekend.

The 80-year-old Hamilton underwent an angioplasty, had a stent put in and was doing well, the team said. He began experiencing chest pains on Sunday at lunch and went to an emergency room, where doctors discovered an artery that was completely clogged.

"I had a heart attack and there was some minimal damage," Hamilton said in a team release. "Only time will tell how much. I'm feeling pretty good and I'm relaxed. Hopefully, I'll leave the hospital soon, likely on Thursday or Friday."

The heart attack postponed hip replacement surgery that had been scheduled for Monday. That surgery will likely be delayed for six to 12 weeks.

Hamilton has been calling major league games since 1953 and has been with the Astros since 1985.

\. He began working only home games in 2006.

He also has worked for the Cardinals, Braves, Pirates and both Chicago teams.