Ruben Amaro Jr., who interviewed with the Astros recently and also was rumored to be a leading candidate for the Pirates' GM job, is close to being named GM of the Astros, the Post-Gazette reports. That's fine with me - they can have him. I'm sure he's a very bright guy, but I see little in the Phillies' track record that excites me.
The P-G also reports that Jack Zduriencik, the Brewers' scouting director, may interview with the Bucs, but that seems to be based on a quote from Brewers GM Doug Melvin that was published at MLB.com. I'd heard that earlier today but, since there was nothing else to corroborate it and the Pirates had not yet asked permission to speak to Zduriencik, I decided to wait on it.