McIlvaine was with the Mets from 1980 through 1990 as director of scouting, vice president and director of player personnel, and vice president and director of baseball operations. He left to become the general manager of the San Diego Padres and returned shortly after Al Harazin was fired midway through the 1993 season.
Phillips, 34, spent more than six years as an infielder in the Mets organization before retiring in 1988. After returning to school and earning a degree, Phillips returned to the Mets in 1990 as administrative assistant of scouting and minor leagues. He became director of minor leagues in 1991, a position he held until his 1995 promotion to assistant general manager.
* Yankees DH Cecil Fielder will miss six to eight weeks after fracturing his right thumb in a head-first slide in Tuesday's win over Cleveland. Fielder, placed on the DL for the first time in his career, will undergo surgery today in New York.
* The Astros and Houston officials signed an agreement that the Astros said all but assured the baseball team would stay in the city. The agreement commits the City of Houston and Harris County to paying up to $180 million for a new downtown stadium while the NL team and a group of business backers pay the rest of the expected total cost of $250 million.
* In a trade of backup catchers, San Francisco sent Marcus Jensen to Detroit for Brian Johnson.
