As he was searching for a focus for his latest installment in his "The Road to the World Series" collection, Philadelphia artist Dan Duffy saw the image of Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman celebrating after the last out that secured a Game 7 victory over the Astros and a Fall Classic championship and knew he'd found the perfect starting point. Zimmerman, who had seen the highs and lows of a franchise that made him its first draft pick in 2005, stopped on the Minute Maid Park field...

Left-hander Ben Braymer got a thrilling phone call on Wednesday from the Nationals telling him he had been placed on the organization's 40-man roster. "I was super excited," Braymer said. "I thought I might have an opportunity for that to happen but when I got the call (Wednesday) morning, I was very, very excited. A lot of positive emotions. It was cool." In part one of our visit with Braymer (Twitter: @B_Braymer), we break down his move to Triple-A and the adjustments he had to make in a...

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Stephen Strasburg, who made it through a full season healthy for the first time in five years and then topped it off with a history-making postseason. PLAYER REVIEW: STEPHEN STRASBURG Age on opening day 2020: 31 How acquired: First-round pick, 2009 draft MLB service time: 9 years, 118 days 2019 salary: $35 million Contract status: Free agent after opting...

Orioles reliever Richard Bleier knows one thing about his status on the club entering an arbitration year. He's eligible for arbitration. That's it. Bleier isn't certain that he'll be tendered a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline. He can't say that he's definitely in the bullpen in 2020 and only waiting now to learn about his salary. MLBTradeRumors.com projects Bleier at $1.1 million after he made $572,500 in the worst season of his major league career. A rebuilding team shedding payroll...

Both pitchers made it to Triple-A last season. Both were added to the 40-man roster this week. As the Orioles begin to find out which young pitchers on the farm can help them moving forward, left-hander Keegan Akin and right-hander Dean Kremer may be among the first to get shots. Being added to the 40-man means both pitchers will be in spring training next season, arriving with pitchers and catchers, who report no later than Feb. 11 with the spring opener 11 days later. Under general manager...

For several Orioles prospects, it has been a big week filled with both anticipation and maybe a few nerves. Yesterday was the deadline for clubs to add players to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Lefty Keegan Akin admitted some of that was going on for him. "It's in the back of your head," he said. "Honestly, I didn't know the date until my uncle texted me a screen shot off his phone that showed the Nov. 20 deadline for Rule 5. Up until that point I didn't know...

The Orioles are whittling down the vacancies on their coaching staff. Their talks with Anthony Sanders appear to be gaining momentum toward an agreement, though the proximity varies depending on the source. He's certainly become the frontrunner for the job and is expected to land it. FOX Sports reported that Sanders and the Orioles are close to an agreement. He would replace Arnie Beyeler as first base coach and also has the background to assume the responsibilities as outfield...

The Braves, who have won two consecutive National League East titles, have been the most productive team in the early days of the hot stove season, signing two relievers for their bullpen. But in a division where the four top teams have bullpen arms on their shopping list, what will each do this offseason? The Braves signed lefty Will Smith, who had 34 saves as a closer for San Francisco last season, and re-signed Chris Martin, 33, a reliever they acquired from Texas before the July 31 trade...

Well, Orioles fans, you liked, subscribed and commented, and we listened. After two full seasons of the "MASN All Access Podcast" hosting all of our content under one stream, we have finally decided to split our show into two individual streams: one for the Orioles and one for the Nationals. So what does that mean? For starters, it means that if you want just our Orioles episodes, they are easier to access than ever before. Just search "MASN All Access Podcast: Orioles" on Apple Podcasts,...

Joe Dillon, who earned praise throughout the Nationals organization for his work the last two seasons as assistant hitting coach, has been hired by the Phillies for their lead hitting coach position. Dillon joins manager Joe Girardi's new staff in Philadelphia, where he'll be reunited with Bryce Harper and get the first opportunity of his career to be a team's lead major league hitting coach. The 44-year-old joined the Nationals' big league staff in 2018 as Kevin Long's assistant and...