The sorting of fact from fiction, of rumor from real, is one of the most taxing but necessary activities of the baseball offseason. A winter wonder which. I discovered that the Marlins had interest in Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander prior to the 2021 season, but it didn't go anywhere. Santander was the reigning Most Valuable Oriole and despite losing his arbitration hearing, his salary jumped from $572,500 to $2.1 million. It made sense to keep Santander and it made sense to check the...

No matter if baseball's Winter Meetings proceed as planned next month in Orlando, Fla., or are shelved while a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will be keeping both eyes on the major and minor league free agent markets. Large sums of cash won't be spent, but there are ways to upgrade the roster and depth at the highest levels of the farm system. Venturing to the minor league side allows the Orioles to increase camp...

Earlier this week, I wrote about outfielder Yusniel Diaz and the importance of staying healthy in 2022 and putting up the kind of numbers that finally get him to the majors - and at least keep him on the 40-man roster. Then there's DJ Stewart, also an outfielder who brought big-time expectations into the organization. Diaz after being the central figure in the Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers. Stewart after being the 25th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Florida State...

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto was named one of three finalists for the 2021 National League Most Valuable Player award, announced Monday on MLB Network. It is Soto's second time being named a finalist for a Baseball Writers' Association of America award, as he finished second in the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year award voting. The winners of the Most Valuable Player awards will be announced live on MLB Network on Thursday, November 18. Other finalists include Philadelphia...

Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is one of three finalists for the National League Most Valuable Player, his status announced this evening during an MLB Network broadcast devoted to unveiling finalists for awards voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Soto is joined by two other noted sluggers, the Phillies' Bryce Harper and the Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. The winner will be announced live on MLB Network on Thursday, Nov. 18. This is the second time Soto has been announced as...

One year after participating in the Orioles' fall instructional league camp, young third baseman Coby Mayo is in Sarasota, Fla., again and feeling more comfortable after his first season of professional baseball. Mayo couldn't play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season. He reported to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League this year, a common starting point for draft picks and especially high school players, and moved up to Single-A Delmarva after 26 games and 91 plate...

With yesterday's waiver claim of reliever Bryan Baker, the Orioles are carrying 17 pitchers on a 40-man roster that is unrecognizable since the final game on Oct. 3. Baker's arrival leaves the Orioles with 32 players on it, still plenty of space to protect minor league prospects in the Rule 5 draft and perhaps to claim two - again, if the Winter Meetings aren't nixed after the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. I did my share of speculating on the bubble pitchers and...

He may have ranked first among all American League qualifying rookies in homers this year and second in RBIs, but the Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle will not be the club's seventh Rookie of the Year winner in the AL. When the three finalists for the Baseball Writers' Association of America award, to be announced Monday, were announced last night, he was not among them. For me, that was surprising. So the one Orioles player who we thought had a chance to contend for or even win one of the major...

The Orioles claimed reliever Bryan Baker off waivers from the Blue Jays this afternoon, increasing their 40-man roster to 32 players. Baker, who turns 27 next month, made his major league debut with a scoreless inning against the Athletics on Sept. 5. He allowed a hit and struck out a batter in his lone appearance. An 11th-round pick of the Rockies in 2016 out of the University of North Florida, Baker went 6-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 0.847 WHIP this summer in 39 relief appearances with Triple-A...

The development of prospects is a vital part of any rebuilding team and the Arizona Fall League presents teams with an opportunity to send a handful of their minor league players to continue that process after the conclusions of their regular seasons. Whether they missed time due to injuries or coaches want to see them play more, the AFL is a great chance for prospects to accumulate more innings or more at-bats against other top prospects across the sport. The Nationals have eight players...