With the trade of José Iglesias to the Los Angeles Angels this week, who will play shortstop for the 2021 Orioles is an unanswered question right now. But the future O's shortstop may currently be in the organization. Over his first two drafts, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has drafted five shortstops. In 2019, three of his top six picks were shortstops, and in 2020 two of his first four selections were. Elias has also acquired two shortstops the club likes...

As March turned to April, then May, then June and finally July, Joe Ross anxiously watched Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association negotiate a plan for the sport to play the 2020 season under unprecedented circumstances. Ross, like so many of his fellow players, acknowledged there were financial issues that needed to be sorted out before the season could commence. But he was more concerned with the lack of time and attention that seemed to be being spent on figuring out the...

The Nationals today announced their continued partnership with the Players Alliance and a stop coming up Saturday in Washington, D.C. The Players Alliance includes more than 100 black former and current professional baseball players who use their platforms to help baseball become a more inclusive environment for the next generation of players by building equitable systems to change the trajectory of diversity throughout the sport. The Pull Up Together campaign provides food, COVID-19 resources...

It is no secret that the Nationals have made a commitment to drafting and developing pitching. Cade Cavalli, their first-round pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, is the most recent example of that strategy. The Nats have selected 34 pitchers in the first 10 rounds of the last five drafts, and if this year's draft was not shortened to just five rounds, that number would likely be higher. General manager Mike Rizzo built a championship team on starting pitching, and it is clear that he...

What do the Nationals need in order to become a contender again in 2021? At this point, surely you can rattle off the list of needs. A power bat to join Juan Soto and Trea Turner in the heart of the lineup. A No. 4 starter to replace Aníbal Sánchez. A catcher. A left-handed reliever. Those are the obvious needs, and they all need to come from outside the organization. But there's an equally important need that we tend not to talk about as much: The Nats need several players already on...

The phrase "No pain, no gain" is one that Orioles fans can relate to this week. They clearly didn't feel physical pain, but there was some distress over the trade of José Iglesias. As there was over trades of Jonathan Villar and Dylan Bundy last December and others during the 2020 season when bullpen vets like Mychal Givens, Miguel Castro and Richard Bleier were dealt. Orioles fans came to know and like these players. They became attached to them, which is normal for passionate fans. The...

The mailbag is getting full again, which sends me scurrying to find answers and a new sequel title. You know the drill. You ask, I respond, you ask again, I respond again and our relationship grows stronger. Curiosity killed the cat, but it keeps this blog alive through the dog days of winter. Any surprises at the non-tender deadline? Such a negative person. You could have referred to it as the "tender deadline." Anyway, catcher Pedro Severino went from vulnerable to recipient of a $1.825...

Who's on first. What's on second. I don't know is on third. The Orioles can round out their infield by making us wonder who or what is at shortstop. I don't know. They don't know. We've come a long way from the days of Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop and Chris Davis - with Ryan Flaherty the primary backup. José Iglesias won't be the shortstop in 2021 because the Orioles traded him and the $3.5 million on his contract to the Angels for two minor league pitchers. They're...

The free-agent market has gained a former Orioles starter. Thomas Eshelman cleared waivers yesterday and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles announced this morning that he elected free agency rather than remain in their system. Eshelman, 26, has a previous outright assignment, which gives him veto power. The Orioles designated him for assignment on Sept. 2, 2019 while activating Mark Trumbo from the 60-day injured list. The willingness of the Orioles to part with Eshelman this week...

As expected, the Nationals tendered their only two remaining arbitration-eligible players (Juan Soto and Trea Turner) before Wednesday's 8 p.m. deadline. And as expected, a whole bunch of notable names were non-tendered by other clubs and became instant free agents. All told, 59 players were non-tendered, joining an already large list of free agents looking for work during what's expected to be a rough winter for everyone. And though the new additions to the list don't include star-level...