The hot stove is heating up in Major League Baseball as November gets rolling, with a lot of speculation as to where the top free agents will end up come next season. Making it fun to prognosticate is the sportsbook SportsBetting.ag, which has set odds as to where some of the biggest names in the game might land if they are not on their current teams for the opener of the 2021 regular season. Interestingly enough, the Nationals are one of the front-runners to acquire third baseman and...

The business conducted this week by Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias isn't confined to setting the 40-man roster for the Rule 5 draft. It's more than figuring out which free agents could fit on the active roster for opening day. It's more than compiling a list of candidates for third base coach and infield instructor. There's a trade that needs to be completed. The first trade that's now become the last one to be finalized. The Orioles are working out the...

When the music stops at the beginning of or during the 2021 season, will DJ Stewart have a chair? After his own crazy season inside baseball's own crazy 2020 season, will Stewart's brief but remarkable offensive display last summer carry him back to the roster next season? In an outfield that includes Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, a returning Trey Mancini (who could be at first base) and is awaiting the arrival of Yusniel Diaz, will Stewart find a...

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...