As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Asdrúbal Cabrera, a seemingly minor midseason pickup who wound up playing a major role during the World Series run. PLAYER REVIEW: ASDRÚBAL CABRERA Age on opening day 2020: 34 How acquired: Signed as free agent, August 2019 MLB service time: 12 years, 27 days 2019 salary: $3.5 million (Nats were only responsible for $170,000) Contract status: Free...

If you are an Orioles fan that follows the minors and have been to games at Single-A Frederick, you've probably seen a team that consistently draws well and is an organization that, by almost any standard, is very well run. So that made it pretty surprising when the New York Times published a list of 42 minor league teams (subscription required) that could lose their Major League Baseball affiliations at the end of next season and Frederick was on the list. The Professional Baseball Agreement...

Welcome in to the second offseason edition of 10 questions. There will be others as we progress through the winter. As always, answer all 10 questions, just a few or even just one. Provide short answers or long. Respond to other readers' answers. All up to you. It's all good and always interesting to check the responses. Today's questions: 1) Will Keegan Akin crack the rotation in 2020, and if so, how many starts will he make? 2) Will Trey Mancini make more starts at first base or in the...

The Orioles aren't going to confirm or offer up names of their coaching candidates or which players are headed to the 40-man roster this week prior to the Rule 5 draft. Sometimes it comes down to reading a little or a lot into non-denials, but this isn't a foolproof plan. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias didn't bite last week when I dangled Anthony Sanders' name in front of him. FOX Sports reported that the Orioles interviewed Sanders for the job of first base coach,...

We continue our conversations with top Nationals prospects with Jacob Condra-Bogan. The first part of our sitdown is a look back on a very good campaign for the Duncan, S.C., native. The right-hander was acquired in 2018 in a trade with the Royals. He is a reliever who can fire upper 90s with his fastball on a consistent basis. Condra-Bogan sits at 95 mph with his fastball and can reach back for 97-98 mph. Condra-Bogan pitched in 38 games over 62 1/3 innings at Double-A Harrisburg, finishing...

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Michael A. Taylor, who spent most of the year in the minors but wound up a significant contributor in the postseason. PLAYER REVIEW: MICHAEL A. TAYLOR Age on opening day 2020: 29 How acquired: Sixth-round pick, 2009 draft MLB service time: 4 years, 129 days 2019 salary: $3.25 million Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2020, free agent in 2022 2019...

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Adam Eaton, who in his third season with the Nats finally showed what a healthy version of himself can do to help a team win. PLAYER REVIEW: ADAM EATON Age on opening day 2020: 31 How acquired: Traded from White Sox for Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning, December 2016 MLB service time: 7 years, 30 days 2019 salary: $8.4 million Contract...

Well, we did this here a little over a week ago and it's time to try it again. A fan/reader question-and-answer session. You ask some Orioles questions - whatever you've got - and I'll try to answer your questions and other readers please throw in your two cents also. Hope to hear from many of you today with many questions. They can be on any O's topic, minors or majors. For instance, in some recent entries here, we discussed a few free agent pitchers that could be signed to one-year,...

Want to stump Stevie Wilkerson? It sounds like a bad game show, but nonetheless, here's how you do it: Challenge him to name a bigger oddity in his season with the Orioles - pitching in four games and earning a save or making more starts in center field, a position he hadn't played, than anyone else on the team. "I think the Vegas odds on either one of those at the beginning of the year would have been astronomically high," he said last week on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7. "I guess...

Hunter Harvey came to the Orioles in August with a set of instructions. He didn't write them. They were attached as if pinned to his sleeve. Handle with care. Proceed with caution. Do not use on back-to-back days or nights. "This end up" seemed unnecessary, but they were detailed instructions. The Orioles don't abuse their relievers. Managing a bullpen is a skill, one of Buck Showalter's finest qualities, and Brandon Hyde also has made it a professional priority. But Harvey's case is...