Almost two full months have passed since the Orioles set their 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft and chose to designate Renato Núñez for assignment. One of their arbitration-eligible players was redirected into free agency. Another team would have to be comfortable paying Núñez in the neighborhood of $2 million. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said Núñez no longer fit on a reconstructed roster. There wasn't a clear position for him on the field. And...

A new day brings a new set of questions and curiosities. For instance: * Will left-hander Josh Rogers be invited to spring training next month? Rogers underwent a second procedure on his left elbow on July 3, 2019, this one called an "ulnar collateral ligament revision." He had Tommy John surgery during his senior year in high school. Making it through his rehab program without any setbacks, Rogers was able to face hitters in the fall instructional camp and work with pitching coach/director...

Whether the Nationals were ever seriously interested in DJ LeMahieu isn't clear, but here's what is clear: They were never going to match the six-year, $90 million offer the veteran infielder reportedly accepted from the Yankees on Friday. Look, LeMahieu would've been a great fit for the Nats. He could've led off or batted second, creating an elite 1-2-3 trio with Trea Turner and Juan Soto. He could've played third base or second base, helped out at first base, or played some combination...

Today we're reviewing a few stories from recent days for further discussion as we move closer to the start of February and we wonder if that will indeed be the month that spring training starts. Reunion anyone?: In this entry a few days ago, we wondered if Jonathan Villar could reunite with the Orioles and this time become the regular at shortstop? The club needs to replace José Iglesias, who had a big 2020 season. The last time we saw Villar in 2019 in Baltimore, he had a pretty big season...

While the Orioles keeping waiting for Major League Baseball to establish its rules for 2021, especially roster sizes for spring training, they must prepare their case against outfielder Anthony Santander in next month's arbitration hearing. "Against" is a cringe-worthy word when considering his value to the club, his importance in the current state of the rebuild. But there's no other way to phrase it when one side wants to pay $2.1 million and the other side wants to receive $2.475...

Not that either was expected to return to D.C. for another season, but a pair of notable Nationals players from recent years - Kurt Suzuki and Wilmer Difo - officially found new homes Friday. Suzuki signed with the Angels for one year and $1.5 million. Difo agreed to a minor league contract with the Pirates that will include an invitation to big league camp this spring. The Nationals had long since decided to part ways with both players, so the news didn't come as a huge surprise. But we'll...

If anyone still doubted that the Orioles were serious about their international amateur signings, those doubts surely vanished yesterday. From the first day he was on the job as executive vice president and general manager, Mike Elias made producing and developing a strong international program a priority. Now Elias, along with senior director of international scouting Koby Perez and his staff have put together their second signing class, which was unveiled yesterday. And while there were years...

The Orioles have ceased negotiations with the representatives for outfielder Anthony Santander and are preparing for an arbitration hearing next month. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed the team's stance this afternoon on a Zoom conference call with the local media. Both sides reached the 1 p.m. deadline without an agreement. Salary figures will be exchanged and a hearing date will be set for next month. "We have a file-to-go policy that I've been very consistent...

The Nationals came to terms on 2021 salaries with Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Josh Bell today, avoiding arbitration with their three biggest offensive stars. Though the deadline for players and clubs to agree to salaries or file for arbitration was 1 p.m., it took hours for Major League Baseball to process the throng of cases that were submitted to league headquarters before many could be finalized. Turner, in his third of four seasons of arbitration eligibilty, got the biggest salary for the...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with 10 international free agents on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Vice President and Assistant General Manager of International Operations Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement. * RHP Jefrem Leon, R/R, 9/9/2002, Aruba* OF Cristian Batista, L/L, 5/2/2004, Dominican Republic* SS Armando Cruz, R/R, 1/16/2004, Dominican Republic* INF Winder Diaz, S/R, 9/5/2002, Dominican Republic* RHP Doimil...