As the baseball offseason begins to crank up, fans around the sport continue to wait on news about the future of Minor League Baseball. What has become pretty clear is that Major League Baseball is taking over running the minors. The current Professional Baseball Agreement that governs Minor League Baseball has run out as the two sides continue to negotiate the terms of a new one. But MLB will emerge as the organization that oversees all of it and no doubt in some ways this may be better for...

The Orioles today announced that the club has promoted Mike Hoppes to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Hoppes will oversee the organization's finance and accounting functions, including the team's financial reporting with Major League Baseball and the Commissioner's Office. In this role, he joins the club's Senior Leadership Team that manages all aspects of the organization's business operations, consisting of six veteran executives each holding decades of industry...

Whatever planning is done by the Orioles for 2021 should come with the same asterisk attached to the champion of a 60-game season with numerous rule and travel changes. (OK, that's the last one. But again, my argument is based on comparing seasons, not the teams who played in a pandemic.) No decision has been made on the construction of the upcoming season, including the number of games. It's too early. The Orioles need more information as it becomes available. Some roster battles can't been...

Before AJ Graffanino had the opportunity to join the Orioles, before he received a phone call months earlier from a former Braves employee who prepared him for the news, he began to bond with the organization as a fifth-grader taking ground balls next to a shortstop who would beat him to it by 10 years. If this sounds a little confusing, just imagine Graffanino accompanying his father, Brewers shortstop Tony Graffanino, to the ballpark in 2007. Imagine the kid on the field for pregame drills...

To say that 2020 has been sad, strange and unnerving is almost cliché now. But that doesn't make it any less true. And with seven weeks left before the arrival of 2021, many of us have begun our countdown to New Year's Day a little earlier than usual. As we head toward what's bound to be a long winter likely to bring a coronavirus surge, we all face a long list of morale-challenging circumstances. While it certainly includes much more impactful factors, the absence of baseball still has...

As timelines go, this week's "Orioles Classics," if plotted on a chronological chart, would be a series of connecting lines that look like a toddler's scribbles. Luckily, you merely have to watch. No cleanup involved. This week's offerings date from 1995, when the numeral "2,131" entered into Baltimore's sports lexicon, to the recently completed season, which included some strong debuts and the requisite comeback victories. It's early in the offseason, so it's best to remember to pace...

The Orioles organization, partnership group, and front office congratulate the American people on a record voter turnout during the recent election, and we offer our support to both the current and incoming administrations in their collective effort to effectuate a cooperative, speedy, and productive transition. We further support President-Elect Biden and his team in their efforts to confront the urgent pandemic and economic problems that face our society and the world as we unite against...

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,...