Ex-astros manager Virdon dies at 90

Bill Virdon, the steady center fielder who won the 1955 National League Rookie of the Year for St. Louis and guided the Houston Astros to three straight postseason appearances as a manager, has died. He was 90. No cause of death was given.

Virdon was a career .267 hitter in 12 seasons with St. Louis and Pittsburgh, winning a World Series in 1960 with the Pirates and a Gold Glove in 1962. He retired for good in 1968 and went into coaching, going 995-921 during a 13-year managerial career that in addition to the Astros featured stints with Pittsburgh, the New York Yankees and Montreal.

His greatest success came during an eight-year run with the Astros from 1975-82, when he led the franchise to its first two postseason appearances. Virdon remains the Astros’ career wins leader as a manager (544).

Franco, Rays near deal:

After making it to the majors last season as a 20-year-old, Wander Franco and the Tampa Bay Rays are close to finalizing a 10-plus year deal that will guarantee him close to $200 million.

Several iterations of the deal have been exchanged, and the final version is expected to look like this: 11 years for $182 million guaranteed, with a 12th year option and performance bonuses based on MVP award finishes that could push the total value of the deal to $223 million. If consummated, the final deal will be the largest in Rays history.

Franco hit .288 after being called up June 22, including .314 after the All-star break. He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting despite appearing in only 70 games.