Read More: Matt Garza (P – CHC), Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs

According to FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Texas Rangers may turn their attention soon to Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza. The Rangers — as well as the Cubs — are currently pursuing Japaneses free agent Yu Darvish.

Possibly the best pitcher to come from Japan in baseball history, the 25-year-old Darvish has drawn considerable attention from many MLB clubs, and recent rumors have suggested the Toronto Blue Jays potentially won the blind auction for Darvish’s negotiation rights. The Rangers hope to get Darvish, but Rosenthal reports they may choose to pursue Garza if they cannot get Darvish.

The Cubs acquired Matt Garza during the 2010 offseason, trading a cavalcade of prospects to the Tampa Bay Rays for the right hander. Garza proceeded to have an excellent season, pitching 198 innings of 3.32 ERA, 2.95 FIP ball.

For more on the MLB Hot Stove, tune in to MLB Daily Dish. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more updates on the Cubs, White Sox and all other matters Chicago sports related.

Read More: Matt Garza (P – CHC), Carlos Zambrano (P – CHC), Ryan Dempster (P – CHC), Mark Buehrle (P – CWS), Randy Wells (P – CHC), Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs

It’s unclear exactly how the Chicago Cubs are going to approach this offseason yet under the new front office led by Theo Epstein, but they’ve already had multiple discussions with the agent for former White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle. According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the team has spoken with Jeff Berry, Buehrle’s agent, multiple times recently.

If the money is right, Buehrle would certainly be a fit for the Cubs given their need for pitching. It’s unclear how much Carlos Zambrano will be able to contribute next season, if at all, so they really only have three established starters right now in Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Randy Wells.

Buehrle would give them a dependable lefty and a steady veteran presence, although the team should be worried about how his contact-oriented approach would work against a defense that was pretty bad last season. There’s a chance that the move from the more difficult American League to the National League would alleviate some of those concerns, though, especially for someone with such a long track record.

For more updates on the hot stove, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more on the White Sox, check out Bleed Cubbie Blue, SB Nation’s Chicago Cubs blog. And for news from around major league baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Read More: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs and Red Sox are after the same guy again; this time it’s Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. Alomar:

Sources told ESPNChicago.com’s Bruce Levine Tuesday that Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. will interview with the Cubs later this week. He is scheduled to be interviewed by the Red Sox on Wednesday.

The Cubs are also set to meet with Mike Maddux on Wednesday. Alomar would be the third prospective manager that both the Cubs and Red Sox have interviewed; both clubs already have interviewed Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin and Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum.

Alomar is familiar with Chicago, just not the north side of it. He spent 3+ seasons playing for the White Sox during his career.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Cubs be sure to visit Bleed Cubbie Blue. Visit Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the league.

CHICAGO – Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade expects to return next season, despite the team’s dismal record and numerous changes ahead, including the hiring of a new general manager.

Quade has one year left on his contract. He got the job after an impressive stint as an interim manager at the end of the 2010 season.

It has been a trying season – the Cubs are 69-87 after a 7-1 win over Milwaukee in the home finale Wednesday. Quade has had to deal with numerous issues, including injuries to two starters early in the season, the suspension of right-hander Carlos Zambrano and the firing of the man who hired him, general manager Jim Hendry. But Quade said Wednesday that he plans to be back and to do a good job next season.

Around the leagues

Oakland announced it had reached agreement on a three-year contract with manager Bob Melvin. He owns a 535-557 career managerial record in eight seasons. … Toronto third baseman Brett Lawrie (finger) will miss the rest of the season. …Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has received an injection of painkiller to alleviate a seven-year-old back injury that recurred. … White Sox shortstop Omar Vizquel, 44, wants to return for a 24th season.

CHICAGO (AP)—Starlin Castro(notes) desperately wanted to get his 200th hit of the
season in front of a supportive crowd at Wrigley Field.

Playing in the Chicago Cubs’ home finale, Castro got hits in his first two
at-bats to reach 199. But after that, he was walked intentionally, grounded out
and then walked again in his final plate appearance in the eighth inning of
Wednesday’s 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I was excited to try and do it here, to try and see what the fans would
do,” Castro said.

Now he’ll move on to St. Louis and try to reach the milestone.

The 21-year-old Castro is bidding to become just the fifth major league
player since 1940 to collect at least 200 hits while being 21 years old or
younger, the Cubs said in citing the Elias Sports Bureau.

The list is impressive: Alex Rodriguez(notes) (1995), Garry Templeton (1977), Vada
Pinson (1959) and Al Kaline (1955).

In his final at-bat, Castro had a 3-0 count but didn’t get the green light
to swing from manager Mike Quade because the Cubs were so far ahead.

“The game is not even close. If you swing at that pitch and miss, the other
pitch (might be) in my back,” Castro said.

That’s how Quade saw it, too.

“If you see someone cut lose with that kind of lead, the next one might be
in his ribs,” Quade said. “Then he’s got no shot to get to 200. He’ll get it,
knock on wood.”

Matt Garza(notes) pitched a six-hitter for the Cubs, his second complete game of
the season and the first one as a winner. He also went the distance in a 1-0
loss to the White Sox in July.

Quade said he even asked Garza, who was up before Castro’s last at-bat, to
strike out and avoid hitting into a double play that could deprive Castro of one
more chance.

But Garza did swing and grounded out to the pitcher.

“I’m trying to hit, too,” Garza said. “I want 20 wins. I want 200
innings. I want 200-plus strikeouts. I was in my mode, so I’m going to go out
there and compete. I’m not going to just give up.”

What about Castro’s quest for 200?

“I know he has six more games to get it,” Garza said. “I’m pretty sure
he’s going to do it. That’s all I have to say about that.”

Garza’s pitching and Marlon Byrd’s(notes) three-run homer prolonged the Brewers’
chase to nail down the NL Central.

The loss left the Brewers’ magic number for winning the division title and
closing out second-place St. Louis at three. The Cardinals beat the Mets 6-5 on
Wednesday night.

Garza (9-10), 3-0 in his last five starts, allowed just an unearned run and
struck out 10 in pitching his second complete game this season and eighth of his
career. He walked one in a 123-pitch effort.

“There was no way I was coming out of this thing,” Garza said.

The Brewers dropped two of their games against the Cubs and finished 39-42
on the road. They now go to Miller Park to wind up the regular season with a
six-game homestand against the Marlins and Pirates beginning Friday.

“It’s nice to clinch at home, but I really don’t care,” Milwaukee manager
Ron Roenicke said. “I just want to get it. We would have loved to have done it
here.”

DJ LeMahieu(notes) broke a 1-all tie with two-out, two-run double in the fifth off
Randy Wolf(notes) (13-10) on a ball center fielder Nyjer Morgan(notes) appeared to lose in the
sun.

Byrd’s three-run shot, his ninth homer of the season, followed singles by
Jeff Baker(notes) and Geovany Soto(notes) in the sixth.

Wolf, who entered the game with a 1.37 ERA in three previous starts this
season against the Cubs, allowed 10 hits and six runs in six innings.

He said his cut fastball not the same after he was hit in the wrist with a
pitch by Garza while attempting to bunt in the third inning. He said the wrist
was stiff, but he expected to be OK in a couple of days.

“I don’t know how much it affected me throwing. My cutter after that wasn’t
really the same, but it wasn’t painful, so I could battle through it,” he said.

“For the most part after that, it was OK, not great, but that one inning,
I’ve got a couple of dunk hits and I left a cutter out with Marlon and he
punished it.”

Wolf said the chance to clinch at home and claim the franchise’s first
division title since 1982—the only time the Brewers made the World Series—
will more than make up for the wait.

“Definitely we want to get it over with. I think the one thing that was a
possibility that we really didn’t want was to clinch on our off-day (Thursday).
That would have been anticlimactic,” he said.

“It will be great to do it at home so we can spray some of the fans with
champagne, that’s something they’ve been dying for. Something I definitely want
to do to them. Not in a bad way,” he said.

NOTES: Castro has reached base in 34 straight games, matching the Cubs’
record for a shortstop set in 1929 by Woody English. … Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez(notes)
sat out with a leg injury in what could have been his final home game for the
Cubs. … A crowd of 30,965 gave the Cubs a home attendance for 2011 of
3,017,966. It marked the eighth straight season the Cubs have drawn more than 3
million fans. Chicago finished 39-42 at home.