The Nationals set their 40-man roster for the offseason as required by Major League Baseball this afternoon, activating five players who had been on the 60-day injured list (including Stephen Strasburg) and designating minor league reliever Matt Cronin for assignment to clear the spot needed to get the organization down to the correct number.

With 41 players under club control but only 40 slots available now through Opening Day, the Nats decided to drop Cronin, a 26-year-old lefty who looked like he would be a part of the team’s long-term plans entering this season but fell from grace following a rough season that ended in injury.

Cronin, a fourth-round pick in 2019, posted a 2.42 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in 48 games with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester in 2022. But he struggled to a 5.02 ERA and 1.884 WHIP this season in Rochester and had surgery in August for a herniated disc in his back.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Robert Garcia, Jose A. Ferrer and Joe La Sorsa this year left the Nationals with several left-handed options for next year’s bullpen, further making Cronin expendable.

If Cronin goes unclaimed, he could be outrighted to the minors and remain in the organization, albeit no longer a member of the 40-man roster.

As they prepare to open the second half of the 2023 season, the Nationals already know who they’re going to play and when in 2024.

Major League Baseball unveiled next year’s schedule this afternoon, an earlier-than-usual announcement that coincides with the final day of the All-Star break.

The Nats are scheduled to begin next season on the road March 28 against the Reds. It’s only the third time they’re ever opened on the road against a non-division foe, but the second time they’ve done so in Cincinnati, having also been there on Opening Day 2018 in Davey Martinez’s managerial debut.

Following that three-game road series, the Nationals will come right back to D.C. for an April 1 home opener against the Pirates. It’s the first time they’ve faced Pittsburgh in an opener and will be a welcome break from the usual tradition of opening against a fellow National League East opponent like the Mets or Braves.

Click here for the 2024 schedule.

The Orioles begin the 2024 season at home against the Los Angeles Angels, their first Opening Day in Baltimore in six years.

Major League Baseball released the schedules this afternoon

The Orioles roll out the orange carpet on March 28, followed by an off-day and two more games. The Royals are next in town for a three-game series before the Orioles embark on their first road trip with stops in Pittsburgh and Boston.

The final homestand is Sept. 17-22 against the Giants and Tigers. The regular season concludes with road series against the Yankees Sept. 24-26 and Twins 27-29.

The home portion of the schedule includes five games played on holidays: Easter Sunday (March 31 vs. the Angels), Mother’s Day (May 12 vs. the Diamondbacks), Memorial Day (May 27 vs. the Red Sox), Father’s Day (June 16 vs. the Phillies), and Labor Day (Sept. 2 vs. the White Sox).