Just a short entry today that features a few questions. As always, feel free to answer one, two or all of them. Respond with comments on the answers of your fellow readers too. Feel free to pose any of your own questions with topics you may be wondering about as we are now weeks away from the scheduled start of spring training. We certainly have a few unanswered question about the coming season but we are now less than a few weeks away from report dates around Major League Baseball. So, on to...

The Nationals' acquisition Thursday evening of Alex Avila was no surprise. Which is to say, we'd known for months they were going to need to acquire a catcher from outside the organization to replace Kurt Suzuki and share the job with Yan Gomes. Whether it was Avila or one of the other available free agents, the Nats had to get themselves another catcher this winter, one way or the other. Why? Because they didn't feel like they had a viable in-house candidate for that job. And truth be told,...

We've entered a new month that draws us closer to the Feb. 16 report date for Orioles pitchers and catchers. The equipment truck left Camden Yards on Wednesday to begin the 1,000 mile journey to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. And yet, we still aren't certain that Major League Baseball is offering a full spring training and 162-game regular season. There are assumptions, hope and the ever-present possibility that ownership and the union will be unable to agree on crucial...

Even though anything he does good or bad for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 won't help or hurt the Orioles, no doubt O's fans will still be quite interested in the performance of former shortstop José Iglesias. After the O's traded Iglesias to the Angels, they signed Freddy Galvis to replace him. So the comparison of the two and how well or not they do this coming season is an obvious one. But it is only a one-season comparison since both players were signed by their respective clubs just...

Daniel Murphy, owner of the highest batting average and second-highest OPS in Nationals history, announced his retirement Friday, bringing an end to a 12-year career that peaked just as he was about to come to Washington and thus made him a significant part of club lore. "This is a beautiful game, and I really just feel humbled and blessed that it let me jump on the ride for a little bit," Murphy told SNY in announcing his decision to retire. "It's beautiful. It can teach you about so many...

They got the first baseman they needed. They got the corner outfielder they wanted. They got the No. 4 starter they desired. They got the left-handed reliever they coveted. They brought back the face of the franchise for another season. And now they got the No. 2 catcher they were lacking. The Nationals went into the offseason with a clear checklist, and though it took a while for the wheels to get into full motion, they've now checked off every box on the list, capped by Thursday evening's...

Some - maybe not much, but some - was made a little over a week ago when the Nationals did not have a single prospect land in Baseball America's top 100 prospects list. They were the only major league team to not have at least one prospect ranked by the publication. But on Thursday night, another highly regarded source for baseball prospect news came out with its own top 100 rankings, and this time, the Nationals were not shut out. Right-hander Cade Cavalli found himself as the 99th overall...

If you could bat .500 in baseball, you would probably win a few awards and set several records. And if the Orioles can bat .500 with their top two pitching prospects, that might be impressive as well. They dream on going 2-for-2 and producing a pair of No. 1 starters out of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and left-hander DL Hall. But what if they turn one but not both of that duo into a No. 1 starter? Well, that would still put them ahead of most clubs. Producing an elite starter is very hard to...

The Nationals appear to have found their backup catcher, one who has a prior relationship with three-fifths of their rotation. Alex Avila, the 12-year veteran of five organizations (most extensively the Tigers), has agreed to a one-year deal with the Nats, a source familiar with the contract confirmed. Avila, who turns 34 on Friday, still needs to pass a physical before the transaction is official. In their search for a catcher to replace Kurt Suzuki, the Nationals had no shortage of options...

Some more thoughts on and from Jon Lester, the newest member of the Nationals rotation, who was formally introduced Wednesday during a Zoom session with reporters ... * The best thing Lester has going for him is durability. He made at least 31 starts every season from 2008-19, and he made all 12 of his scheduled starts last season. Lester has been on the injured list only three times in the last 13 years, and none of them was a prolonged stint. He missed 19 days with a back strain in 2011, he...