My feelings on the sport of baseball are a bit conflicted right now. There is disappointment that we still don't have an announcement about the start of the 2020 season. I still expect there to be a season, but the harsh words and mistrust between Major League Baseball owners and players are pretty strong right now. But, I'd like to take a moment away from that. I'd like to take a lot of moments away, really. I'm trying to remember today what makes baseball great for me. It is not as easy...

First-round pick Cade Cavalli signed with the Nationals today, only nine days after the Oklahoma right-hander was drafted 22nd overall in the country. Terms of Cavalli's deal weren't immediately available, but the Nats have room to go above Major League Baseball's designated $3.027 million slot value for the 22nd pick. The club created extra space to spend more on their top three picks by signing fourth- and fifth-round picks Brady Lindsly and Mitchell Parker to bonuses well below their...

One of the players signed by the Orioles as an undrafted player is a two-way talent. They already know how they're going to develop him in the minors, but it's nice to have options. Isaiah Kearns of Pittsburgh-Johnstown is listed as a right-handed pitcher and left fielder. He put up impressive numbers across the board in 2020 prior to the shutdown, slashing .400/.507/.764 with eight doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs, nine walks and 15 runs scored in 17 games and going 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA,...

The Nationals drafted left-hander Mitchell Parker out of San Jacinto College North in the fifth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft last week. San Jacinto College North, located about 18 minutes from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, has built a reputation as a well-known and very successful junior college in the baseball world, churning out solid pitchers and position players for Division I scholarship offers and professional baseball potential for decades. Nationals assistant general...

Well, it's Friday again. And we still don't know when (or if) the baseball season will begin. I'd claim to be surprised by this development, but at this point, nothing surprises me. Yet I'll admit I'm still optimistic a deal will get done soon. Maybe in the next 48 hours? I know the difference between the 60 games the owners are offering and the 70 games the players are asking for is larger than it appears at first glance. It reportedly works out to a total of $250 million in increased pay...

There was one school of thought that amateur players that signed after the draft would get scooped up by the best teams. While a case could made for that based on what we've seen so far, it is the Kansas City Royals that have signed the most players off the pre-draft Baseball America top 500 list of ranked players. We should point out that some of the "signings" may really be agreements and have not yet been announced and become official. But some teams may have officially announced some of...

I'm going to be accused of American League bias. I don't care. A universal designated hitter is coming to Major League Baseball in 2020 and 2021. If owners get their way, of course. It's in the proposal - or the agreement, depending on which term you've adopted. There's a sense that the new rule will carry beyond 2021. That pitchers will keep their bats in the rack except for extreme circumstances. Who's shedding tears? The purists who will miss a .050 hitter bunting the ball foul? I'm...

Orioles infielder/outfielder Trey Mancini will team up with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance) to raise awareness for colon cancer. Mancini will participate in the organization's "Never Too Young" advisory board, which advocates for all young-onset patients and survivors. In support of Mancini's fight and his partnership with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the Orioles are selling #F16HT t-shirts to benefit the Alliance. All net proceeds from the t-shirts will benefit the Colorectal...

Is it possible? Is it possible Rob Manfred and Tony Clark are close to a deal and the 2020 season is nearly upon us at last? Well, yes and no. After a Wednesday that featured a whirlwind of emotions, from brief moments of joy to forceful words of caution, here's where it appears things stand: Manfred and Clark, after meeting in person (and in secret) in Arizona, seem to have made significant headway toward a deal. But not a completed deal, both because they didn't sign any formal papers and...

Will we hear the cry to "Play ball!" in July? One day after I wrote in this space about how bad it looked and how we had a right to be disappointed in both the players and owners, it seems an actual deal may be getting closer. The players held firm to get 100 percent of prorated salaries and they will reportedly get that. But just for 60, 65, or 66 games, something in that neighborhood, although they could negotiate for more. The owners didn't want to pay full prorated salaries for much more...