The Baltimore Orioles today announced that they will host an opening ceremony for their new, state-of-the-art training academy in Guerra, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, January 16, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. AST. Several dignitaries are scheduled to attend the event, including Dominican Republic President LUIS ABINADER, Dominican Republic Vice Minister of Sports ELVIS DUARTE, and Dominican Republic Commissioner of Baseball JUNIOR NOBOA, along with Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager MIKE ELIAS, and Orioles Vice President of International Scouting and Operations KOBY PEREZ.

“This academy is the culmination of years of hard work by so many people, and I am grateful to everyone who made this a reality,” said Elias. “For the last several years, one of the main goals of our partnership group and front office has been to excel in Latin America, and I am very pleased by what we as an organization, led by Koby Perez, have accomplished in this sector. This grand opening marks another major milestone in scouting and player development that will keep our minor league pipeline flowing and preserve winning baseball in Baltimore for years to come.”

The 22.5-acre complex is home to the Orioles’ regional facility for Caribbean, Central, and South American player development operations, and includes three full fields, a sports turf agility field, batting and pitching tunnels, administrative buildings, dormitories, and educational facilities. The complex will house more than 100 players, coaches, and staff, providing dormitory-style rooms and entertainment spaces and includes three classrooms and a computer lab, which will provide on-site learning and an education plan for each player, as well as a dining room that will offer daily nutritious meals.

“I am incredibly proud to say that the Baltimore Orioles now have one of finest training facilities in the Dominican Republic,” said Perez. “The impact this complex will have on the future success of the Orioles, and the young players that we recruit and sign, is immeasurable. Having a state-of-the-art facility will not only allow us to continue to attract top international talent to the organization but will also allow us to teach them valuable life skills off the field that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”

The project was led by landowner and developer BRIAN MEJIA of Brison SRL. The Orioles were represented by renowned Dominican academy architect JOSÉ MELLA, who is considered one of the foremost training facility architects in the Dominican Republic, having designed around half of the current academies in the DR today.

An organization that isn’t hurting for infield prospects and choices made a depth move this morning.

The Orioles signed 29-year-old utility player Errol Robinson to a minor league deal. The announcement didn’t include mention of a spring training invite but he’s likely on the list.

Robinson is a local product, growing up in Boyds, Md. and attending St. John’s College High School in D.C. The Dodgers drafted him in the sixth round in 2016 out of the University of Mississippi.

The Reds claimed Robinson on waivers in December 2020 and the Cardinals signed him to a minor league contract in July 2022. St. Louis released him three months ago.

Robinson is a career .251/.332/.347 hitter in seven minor league seasons and hasn’t reached the majors. He’s totaled 82 doubles, 10 triples, 28 home runs, 196 RBIs and 95 stolen bases.

It’s been 29 days since the Nationals last made a major-league transaction. Way back on Dec. 12, they announced the signings of Nick Senzel and Dylan Floro, plus the designating of Jeter Downs for assignment. Since then? Crickets.

This should be cause for alarm. A full month with zero transactions? And it’s not like the roster is already set. This team still lacks a left-handed bat to play either left field, first base or designated hitter, and could probably use players to fill two of those positions. Another starting pitcher remains on the wish list, as well.

So there’s no argument out there that can make the case the Nats are better off having done nothing for 29 days.

The only saving grace? They’re not alone.

It’s been an incredibly slow offseason across the baseball world, aside perhaps from the Dodgers and Braves, who seem to make major news every week. Most everyone else has made only a few moves, electing instead to wait this out and theoretically swoop in at some point to start signing free agents.

Tim Bogar, let go by the Nationals at season’s end, won’t be returning to the major leagues this year but will get a chance to manage professionally again.

Bogar was named manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Diamondbacks’ Double-A affiliate, on Monday. The longtime Nats coach under Davey Martinez will have the opportunity to re-establish himself overseeing an entire team for the first time since 2013.

The 57-year-old former infielder was the most prominent (and perhaps unexpected) of the four Nationals coaches who were dismissed in October. A member of Martinez’s staff since 2018, he served as first base coach for two seasons and then became the skipper’s right-hand man as bench coach for four seasons.

The Nats wound up replacing Bogar with Miguel Cairo, the White Sox’s former bench coach and interim manager. They also dismissed first base coach Eric Young Jr., third base coach Gary DiSarcina and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, replacing them with Gerardo Parra, Ricky Gutierrez and Chris Johnson, respectively.

“Obviously, it was a tough decision,” Martinez said in December when asked about the coaching changes. “Very close to all those guys. I’m going to miss them. But I thought it was an opportunity, being where we’re headed, to bring some fresh guys in and some guys that are very well capable of coaching young players. So I decided to make that change.”

The Orioles have announced participants and shared details for their three-day Birdland Caravan later this month.

Current Orioles players and coaches participating in select events include, alphabetically, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, manager Brandon Hyde, coaches Cody Asche, Matt Borgschulte, Ryan Fuller, Fredi González, Ryan Klimek and Tony Mansolino, and players Keegan Akin, Mike Baumann, Danny Coulombe, Colton Cowser, DL Hall, Austin Hays, Cole Irvin, Ryan McKenna, John Means, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Joey Ortiz, Grayson Rodriguez, Anthony Santander, Dillon Tate, Nick Vespi, Jacob Webb, Tyler Wells, Jordan Westburg and Bruce Zimmermann.

Also attending are prospects Jackson Holliday, Chayce McDermott, Coby Mayo and Cade Povich.

The weekend-long celebration runs from Jan. 25-27. A fourth day was eliminated to avoid a possible conflict with the Ravens, who qualified for the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The conference championship games are slated for the 28^th.

Buses will be arriving at Bowlero Timonium and Topgolf Germantown that give fans an opportunity to interact with players and staff. The caravan will make stops in 13 cities, including Baltimore City, Capitol Heights, Catonsville, Columbia, Frederick, Gambrills, Hagerstown, Halethorpe, Hanover, Havre De Grace, Laurel, and Timonium.

The Orioles today announced the return of the club’s ‘Birdland Caravan,’ a three-day winter tour, that will take place from Thursday, January 25, through Saturday, January 27, at multiple locations throughout the region. The weekend-long celebration will include meet and greet photo opportunities, community projects, fan rallies, and happy hours.  

The caravan will include experiential events at Bowlero Timonium and Topgolf Germantown to give fans a unique and fun opportunity to interact with Orioles players and staff as they bowl and tee off together. Designed to take the Oriole Park experience directly to the fans, the Birdland Caravan will make stops throughout Maryland in 14 different cities throughout the three-day winter tour, including Baltimore City, Capitol Heights, Catonsville, Columbia, Frederick, Gambrills, Germantown, Hagerstown, Halethorpe, Havre De Grace, Laurel, and Timonium. Fans in Easton and Westminster will also have the opportunity to meet and take photos with the Oriole Bird and Mr. Splash while holding the American League East Champions flag. 

Current Orioles players and coaches participating in select events include KEEGAN AKIN, CODY ASCHE, MIKE BAUMANN, MATT BORGSCHULTE, DANNY COULOMBE, COLTON COWSER, RYAN FULLER, FREDI GONZÁLEZ, DL HALL, AUSTIN HAYS, RYAN KLIMEK, TONY MANSOLINO, RYAN McKENNA, JOHN MEANS, RYAN MOUNTCASTLE, CEDRIC MULLINS, JOEY ORTIZ, GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ, ANTHONY SANDERS, DILLON TATE, NICK VESPI, JACOB WEBB, TYLER WELLS, JORDAN WESTBURG, and BRUCE ZIMMERMANN along with Orioles prospects JACKSON HOLLIDAY, CHAYCE McDERMOTT, COBY MAYO, and CADE POVICH. Additionally, Orioles Executive Vice President, General Manager, and MLB Executive of the Year MIKE ELIAS and American League Manager of the Year BRANDON HYDE will attend select events throughout the weekend. 

Tickets are required for meet and greet photos, as well as the experiential events at Bowlero and Topgolf. Fans must purchase tickets in advance as availability will be limited. Proceeds from the meet and greets will go to the nonprofit organizations the caravan visits throughout the weekend. Tickets for meet and greet photos, Bowlero, and Topgolf will go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9, at 12:00 p.m. ET at Orioles.com/Caravan.  

Birdland Caravan will begin on Thursday, January 25, at Banditos Taco & Tequila in Columbia with a live Justin, Scott, and Spiegel Show on 98ROCK, the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network. The event, sponsored by Corona, is open to fans of all ages and will feature live in-person interviews and photos with current players and coaches.  Thursday will continue with a private community project with ShareBaby, where players and staff will craft care packages of diapers and essential items for young children in Baltimore with unmet needs. In the evening, fans may purchase tickets for a screening of the new documentary 101: The Story of the 2023 Baltimore Orioles at The Charles Theatre in Station North. Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. showing will be available to purchase at Orioles.com/Caravan starting on Tuesday, January 9 at 12:00 p.m. Ticket proceeds will benefit the Y in Central Maryland.  Fans who purchase a ticket and attend the screening will receive a 101: The Story of the 2023 Baltimore Orioles movie poster autographed by Brandon Hyde.

The 2024 season, as has been mentioned before, is a big one for the Nationals. After tearing down the last vestiges of a championship roster in 2021 and 2022, then starting to see a new group of young players come together in 2023, there is legitimate reason for optimism heading into the new year.

There’s another reason why this upcoming season is really important for the Nats, though. It’s time for the organization to win back a fan base that has willingly remained patient through the first 2 1/2 years of a rebuild but is now itching to see actual positive results on the field.

That fan base has done a pretty impressive job sticking with the club through a turbulent time. Hardly anything has gone right since the night of the 2019 World Series parade, when Stephen Strasburg opted out of his previous contract and set in motion a chain of dominoes that could not be stopped until every last one fell, at which point the Nationals could only pick up the pieces and try to build a new, sturdier track.

To the immense credit of the fan base, attendance at Nationals Park hasn’t been that bad. Yes, it went down in 2022, but it still topped the 2 million mark for the ninth consecutive non-COVID-impacted season. And though that streak finally ended last season, a total attendance figure of 1.865 million for a team coming off a 107-loss showing and featuring few known marketable players was still respectable.

But eventually, it takes more wins than losses to keep the turnstiles moving. And it’s going to take more than 71 wins this year to flip the attendance trend back in an upward line.

Johnny DiPuglia, who led the Nationals’ international scouting department for a decade-plus before his departure late in the 2023 season, has joined the Royals’ front office.

Kansas City announced this week it has hired DiPuglia as special assistant of international scouting, adding one of baseball’s most respected Latin American evaluators to its staff.

DiPuglia’s new position is not as high-ranking as his previous one with the Nats was. He’ll report to Royals senior vice president of major league and international operations Rene Francisco. But it’s nonetheless a prominent landing spot for the 60-year-old, who surprisingly found himself looking for work this offseason.

Initially hired by the Nationals in 2009, DiPuglia was one of the organization’s longest-tenured employees and one of general manager Mike Rizzo’s most-trusted confidants. Tasked with overseeing a Latin American program that was in disarray following a scandal involving the falsifying of supposed top prospect Esmailyn Gonzalez’s name, age and playing ability, he helped turn the operation around during his 15 years in charge.

DiPuglia’s most notable achievement with the Nats was the discovery and signing of teenage outfielder Juan Soto, but he signed a number of other young Latin American prospects who reached the big leagues, including Victor Robles, Luis García, Joan Adon, Jose A. Ferrer, Wander Suero, Reynaldo López, Wilmer Difo, Jefry Rodriguez and Israel Pineda. Among the homegrown Latin American prospects still in the Nationals’ farm system are Jeremy De La Rosa, Cristhian Vaquero and Andry Lara.

It's been three weeks since our last Q&A, and I'd like to say a lot has happened since then. That, of course, would be a lie. The Nationals have made no consequential news since mid-December, and though one of these days they're going to do something, that day hasn't come yet. (Watch them announce a big move this morning while we're in the middle of the Q&A!)

But press on we must, and that means another chance for you to pose whatever questions you have on the Nats. Be creative. Come up with something different. The way this offseason has gone so far, there's nothing to lose!

Submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Signed undrafted free agent RHP Dominic Freeberger to a minor league contract.

Pick any lineup the Nationals fielded in September out of a hat, and you’re guaranteed to find the names of several players who have received scant attention around here all winter.

Jake Alu. Alex Call. Carter Kieboom. Ildemaro Vargas. Jacob Young.

Every single lineup card Davey Martinez filled out in September included at least two of those players. Many of them included three, or even four of them.

They received some of the most regular playing time on the roster late last season, and they’re all still part of the 40-man roster. But who – if anyone – is actually in the Nats’ 2024 plan?

If the rest of the winter plays out as expected, none should be in line to start Opening Day. And only a couple or three of them should even wind up on the Opening Day bench.

As they sought reasons for optimism one year ago, the Nationals knew they could point to the development of their young players, the potential bounce-back performances of some veterans and improved defense (especially around the infield).

They also hoped Major League Baseball’s new schedule format would make a positive difference.

The 2022 Nats were bad at everything, but they were especially bad at beating their division rivals. They finished an atrocious 17-59 against the NL East, a .224 winning percentage that was the worst by any big-league club since division play began in 1969.

Ah, but in 2023 the schedule underwent its most dramatic makeover since interleague play debuted in 1997. For the first time in baseball history, every NL team would play every AL team in at least one three-game series.

The domino effect of that increase in interleague play: A dramatic drop in intra division games, from 76 (19 vs. each opponent) to 52 (13 vs. each opponent). And boy did the Nationals benefit from that.

On his way to recording 417 saves – the eighth-most in MLB history – with a chance this year to move to fourth on the list, new O’s closer Craig Kimbrel has featured a most unusual set-up out of the stretch position.

Bent over at the waist, his right arm dangles out to the right and there is a bit of a stare-down before each pitch. When Kimbrel talked to O’s reporters early last month, he discussed how he got to that pre-pitch routine, also hinting it could change at times next season.

“It’s pretty simple,” Kimbrel said on an O’s video call with media. “There was never really much behind it. I’ve always leaned over, but my arm for a long time was behind my back. In growing up and going from being a young kid playing the game to an older man playing the game, my arm just wasn’t going behind my back anymore. So, I started to let it hang and it kind of transformed into something that I would use to lock in. To say, ‘OK, It’s time to go.’ The fun, the happy, the joking, the loving Craig we get for most of the day, it’s time for him to get serious and to focus. It was a tool I was able to use over the years to really lock in pitch-to-pitch.

“You know I have a couple of ideas this year to try to work with that with the new rules of the game – the pitch clock and windup and things. The game is changing, so I need to change a little bit. Kind of excited this spring to try and make that work. The game is forever changing and if we don’t keep up with that, we’ll be left behind. It’s something I’ve done for a long, long time and something I will continue to do, but I think this year we might see something a little quicker and a little better.”

It will be interesting to see how that plays out. The biggest concern for the team will be, of course, not how he looks in throwing the ball but what happens after he lets it go.

When the calendar shifted from 2022 to 2023 one year ago, the Nationals had already addressed two of their stated needs, signing a third baseman (Jeimer Candelario) and a No. 5 starter (Trevor Williams). They still needed a left fielder and a first baseman (or designated hitter), and they proceeded to address both of those needs within the first 10 days of January, first signing Dominic Smith to play first base and then signing Corey Dickerson to play left field.

As the calendar now shifts from 2023 to 2024, the Nationals have already addressed two of their stated needs, signing a third baseman (Nick Senzel) and a veteran late-inning reliever (Dylan Floro). They still need a left fielder and a first baseman (or designated hitter). And maybe a No. 5 starter.

Anybody ever experienced déjà vu?

Yeah, there’s a very familiar pattern playing out here this winter. Only Mike Rizzo knows whether that’s legitimately by design or pure coincidence. But the similarities are impossible to ignore.

The Nats do have more promising pieces already in place than they did a year ago, feeling more secure about their catcher, their shortstop, their right fielder, two (or maybe three) of their starting pitchers and multiple relievers. And they know the most promising pieces are close to joining the party sometime before the year is up.

The Orioles haven’t announced their non-roster invites to major league spring training, but it must be on this month’s agenda. A list that can be updated later depending on future transactions.

They didn’t need to protect Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby and Coby Mayo in the Rule 5 draft, with the latter two eligible next winter. All three could be added to the 40-man roster this year to eliminate that task.

They were camp invites last year, with no chance of heading north for Opening Day. Holliday seems to have the best shot this spring despite his age and limited experience at Triple-A Norfolk. Norby and Mayo are waiting for their opportunities and hopeful that the Orioles can make room.

Norby is a second baseman with some corner outfield starts. Mayo is a corner infielder who appears blocked by Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and others at third base and Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn at first.

Mayo also will be working out in right field, a new position for him. Can’t hurt to try it and maybe provide another way to get him on the roster.

There was a time, and Orioles fans don’t have to go far back to remember it, when the Boston Red Sox response to 78 wins and a last-place finish, would have been to spend money. And then spend more.

Throw dollars at their problems. And sometimes that worked.

But recent moves by that team make this look like very different times in Beantown. Rather than sign a top free-agent pitcher like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery (and they still could of course), the Sox recently agreed to a two-year deal with right-hander Lucas Giolito for $38.5 million. A nearly $20 million dollar salary for a pitcher who had a terrible ending to his 2023 season and allowed 41 homers over the season.

That was followed a day or two later by a trade of lefty Chris Sale for young infielder Vaughn Grissom. A deal where Boston sends $17 million to Atlanta to complete the trade.

Now Sale is no longer anywhere near the pitcher he once was. He’s dealt with numerous injuries for a while now. But while Giolito ended the ’23 season pitching terribly, Sale posted an ERA of 3.92 his last nine starts of the season with 54 strikeouts over 43 2/3. In addition, he gave up just a .203 batting average against and .667 OPS against in that time. It had to give Atlanta hope he still has something left in the tank for next season.

Happy New Year to everybody out there. With 2023 officially behind us, it’s time to look ahead to 2024. (My references to “last season” and “this season” will officially change as well.)

It was an encouraging year in many ways for the Nationals, though not nearly enough ways to leave everyone satisfied. The good news: There’s plenty to hope for in the new year, with a lot of potentially positive developments on the horizon.

With that in mind, let’s run through some reasonably optimistic outlooks for 2024 for the following notable parties …

KEIBERT RUIZ: A continuation of what he did in the second half at the plate, and some major improvement behind the plate.

JOEY MENESES: A chance to play first base on a regular basis and – with a healthy knee – a return of the power stroke he showed off during his out-of-nowhere rookie season.

The memory still makes Tom Flynn laugh. The sound rings in his ears like the ones created each time that Coby Mayo smacked another baseball.

Mayo was an 8-year-old hitter on his Little League team in South Florida. The Spanish-speaking players in the Latino community would affectionately bark out his nickname after another home run.

“Coby always had a lot of pop in his bat and they used to call him ‘The Hammer.’ ‘El Martillo,’” Flynn said last week.

“They called him that all through Little League. And he had a different stance, too. He used to lean back with his front leg real straight and long, and just turn on balls and explode on them. ‘El Martillo!’”

Flynn goes back much further with Mayo, the Orioles’ fourth-round draft pick in 2020. Mayo was 4 and a preschool classmate of Flynn’s son, Colin. They played travel ball together and were high school teammates.

As the calendar year 2023 comes to an end today, we can reflect on what a special year it was for the Baltimore Orioles and their fans. It was a year they returned to the playoffs, they returned to the top of the AL East and they returned to a club that won 100-plus games.

The Orioles finished 101-61 to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays by two games to win their 10^th AL East championship. Their 101 wins were the most in the American League and second in the majors, behind Atlanta, which won 104.

The season ended with a three-game sweep by the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series. But what a ride it was until the season came crashing down with a 7-1 loss Oct. 10 in Arlington, Tex.

It was a year where:

* The Orioles recorded their sixth all-time season with 100 or more wins and came up with their most since 1980.

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2023. We conclude the series today with the development of several key young players at both the major- and minor-league levels …

The Nationals won 71 games this year, and they happily accepted the praise that came with the 16-game improvement that represented from the previous year. But at no point during the season did anyone in a position of power within the organization believe the team’s final record would be the best indicator of their success or failure. The best indicator: How many of their young cornerstone players took a step forward and further established themselves as part of the long-term plan.

In that regard, the most important development of 2023 wasn’t the 71-91 record. It was the development of CJ Abrams into a dynamic leadoff man and capable shortstop. It was the development of Keibert Ruiz into a more selective – and often clutch – hitter. It was the development of Josiah Gray into an All-Star. It was the development of MacKenzie Gore into a potential future ace. And it was the development of several top prospects in the minors who are now poised to make their major-league debuts sometime in 2024: Dylan Crews, James Wood, Brady House and more.

“I think we’re in a good place,” general manager Mike Rizzo said at season’s end. “I like where our young core major leaguers are, and I like the developmental year that the minor leagues had. I think that we’re on track to turn this thing around in the near future.”

None of these players, to be sure, has reached his full potential yet. Each of them still has something significant to improve upon before he truly can be deemed part of the plan. But it’s hard to dispute that each of them did take a step forward in 2023, and that’s why the Nationals are encouraged.