Here are updates on a couple of backstops the Nationals have high hopes for heading into 2021. Assistant general manager of player development Mark Scialabba said Israel Pineda has gotten a lot of notice for his power stroke, while 2014 third-round selection Jakson Reetz showed solid progress in 2019 and into the alternate training site this summer. Israel Pineda, 20 5-foot-11, 190 lbs.Bats: Right Throws: Right Maracay, VZ Signed: July 2, 2016 2018 mid-season All-Star in short-season Single-A...

The offseason is now in full swing. Not that there's much of any news of consequence involving the Nationals so far. If anything, this first portion of the offseason has raised more questions than provided answers. So perhaps it's a good time to take some questions and attempt to provide some answers. I can't promise I've got a good reponse for every query, but I'll try my best to offer some insight on free agency, changes to the coaching staff and the state of the baseball industry as a...

Once the Major League Baseball season started in late July, the focus shifted away from negotiations between players and owners and back to the field. It was wonderful to discuss wins and losses, player slumps, lineup and rotation decisions, and bullpen matters over money matters. But in this sport right now, the board room and what will happen there is as important as what happens on the ball field. The sport's collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players expires on Dec. 1,...

Taking stock today of a few topics that have recently been discussed in Birdland. * O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias pledges to sign some starting pitchers this winter (minor league and/or major league deals) to bolster rotation depth. Is this the right move for now? The club had two of its young pitchers emerge last season in the rotation and Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer flashed both talent and poise. They showed that work on their individual development was paying...

The beauty of becoming a minor league free agent is the freedom to go back to the organization if given an offer. It can be "see you later" rather than "goodbye." Or it can be "no thanks" and the player moves on to the next phase of his professional life. Baseball America published a complete list of free agents in baseball, including 16 in alphabetical order from the Orioles minor league system: Cristian Alvarado, Danny Barnes, Malquin Canelo, Martin Cervenka, Brian Gonzalez, Tyler Herb,...

A tip of the cap to Nationals scout Miguel Ruiz from Panama, who found and signed Steven Fuentes. The right-hander is the first player that Ruiz scouted to make the Nationals' 40-man roster. Fuentes was signed in July 2013 out of Puerto Armuelles, which is on the coast in western Panama, a few miles from the Costa Rican border. The 6-foot-2, 175-lb. hurler has worked his way up through the Nats system, culminating with 15 games for Double-A Harrisburg in 2019. This year has been difficult for...

He's been an Oriole since the team claimed him on waivers from the Texas Rangers on May 13, 2018. Renato Núñez has now played in 263 games as an Oriole, hitting 50 homers with 141 RBIs. In the last two seasons he has ranked among the top 24 in the American League in homers, and in the top 25 in RBIs each season. That is decent run production. But now, as Trey Mancini is returning to the club for next year and Ryan Mountcastle has now made his big league debut, will Núñez get...

The Nationals are in the market for bullpen help this winter. Just like every winter. Guess you have to admire their consistency, right? The good news is, they're in less of a bind this winter than they've usually been in the past. With Daniel Hudson, Will Harris, Tanner Rainey and Kyle Finnegan all returning, they've got a solid core group of right-handers already on the staff. What they don't have is a left-hander, now that Sean Doolittle is a free agent. So that's probably priority No....

The feel-good story that keeps developing with Trey Mancini - his recovery from Stage 3 colon cancer and resumption of a life that's more recognizable to him - has room for a few baseball-related chapters. Sports haven't been the main focus for obvious reasons. Playing for the Orioles again was secondary. Now it seems more imminent. More acceptable to discuss without coming across as insensitive or having priorities out of order. There's a business side to Mancini's return, including his...

The Nationals need a big bat, someone to hit behind Trea Turner and Juan Soto, and the most logical position for that person to play is a corner outfield position. But it doesn't have to work out quite like that. Just as, let's say, a presidential candidate has more than one path to 270 electoral votes, general manager Mike Rizzo has more than one path to try to boost his club's lineup. The state of the Nationals infield is very much in flux as the offseason begins. We know Turner is...