After such a short season, many ballplayers wondered if they should consider going somewhere to get more at-bats or throw more innings this winter. The answer from the Nationals front office: No, take a normal offseason, then report for spring training fresh and ready to go. That message doesn't apply to every single player on the Nats roster, though. There are a handful of guys who the organization believes could benefit from some extra work this winter. And the most notable name on that list...

It seems very unlikely to happen to me, but when an online sportsbook placed odds of big league teams signing specific free agents, the Orioles got on the list with one player. It was a player that has yet to play in the majors. And the Orioles were not listed as one of the favorites to sign infielder Ha-Seong Kim of the Korea Baseball Organization. In fact they are the seventh-betting favorite. Here is how BetOnline.ag lists the current contenders: 4/1 - Los Angeles Angels 17/4 - Toronto Blue...

Here are more capsules on a few of the Nationals' prospects and how they did this summer at the recently wrapped up instructional league, coming from Nats hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich. The Nats' No. 12 prospect is infielder Yasel Antuna, who begins play in the Dominican winter league starting tomorrow. He is listed as playing third base and shortstop. Gingrich said there was a good amount of buzz surrounding Antuna's hitting in Fredericksburg, Va., the Nats' alternate training site....

The Marlins made history Friday, making Kim Ng the first female general manager of a major North American men's professional sports franchise. Ng's hiring was greeted with overwhelming praise from every corner of the baseball world and beyond, and it was comforting to see how much everyone understood how much the 51-year-old has earned this job and wasn't simply handed it for the publicity. Ng worked her way up the ladder for more than two decades, starting out as an intern for the White Sox...

Baseball America released its new Orioles top 10 prospects list this week. The list shows that the Orioles continue to improve their farm system. Seven of these players were acquired on former general manager Dan Duquette's watch, and three came since current executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias took over. It's a list with some balance: There are five pitchers and five position players. Five Orioles are currently ranked in the top 100 of both Baseball America and...

As part of the club's ongoing efforts to serve and strengthen the community during the current pandemic, the Orioles announced today that they have partnered with All Faiths Food Bank to host a turkey distribution at Ed Smith Stadium on Tuesday, November 17. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, catcher Chance Sisco, and infielder/outfielder Stevie Wilkerson will be on site to assist with the distribution. The distribution, which includes Thanksgiving groceries and a turkey for each household, will...

Not that you need any reminders about how disappointing 2020 was for the Nationals, but here's one more just for the sake of it: They didn't have any finalists for any of the four major end-of-season awards. Nope, nobody from the Nats finished in the top three in voting for National League MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year or Manager of the Year. That's not something that has happened around these parts in quite some time. The last time the Nationals didn't have a top-three finisher for any...

After pitching in the Orioles organization since they drafted him in 2014, left-hander Brian Gonzalez found himself in a position he had never before dealt with. Five days after the World Series, he was a minor league free agent for the first time. Gonzalez, who turned 25 on Oct. 25, heard from a few teams, but the Colorado Rockies immediately showed strong interest. On Wednesday, he signed a minor league deal with Colorado, getting a spring training invite. "It was happening quick," Gonzalez...

Juan Soto finished fifth and Trea Turner finished seventh in voting for National League MVP released tonight, garnering recognition for a season in which the Nationals as a team disappointed but their two biggest offensive stars produced as well as they have in their respective careers. Soto led the league in a host of offensive categories but didn't play as much as most of his competitors due to a positive coronavirus test and a sore elbow. Turner put together elite offensive numbers to...

By the end of the week, the Orioles will be required to make further adjustments to their 40-man roster in order to protect players in the Rule 5 draft. Teams now pay $100,000 to select a player in the major league phase, and he can be offered back to his former organization for half the fee. I remember when it was $50,000 and $25,000, but the last collective bargaining agreement upped the cost. Could also explain my increased alcohol consumption, unless that's COVID related. The Orioles have...