For a player who began his pro career at 17 playing third base in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, right-hander Yefry Ramírez did OK as a pitcher in 2018. Dealt by the Yankees to the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2017 for international bonus money, Ramírez pitched well at Triple-A Norfolk and made his major league debut June 13 for the Orioles versus the Red Sox. Ramírez went 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA on the farm for the Tides. With Baltimore, he was 1-8 with a 5.92 ERA in 17...

The demise of baseball's offseason began with two cancelled flights today to Tampa, leading to the great race last night to the airport. Still plenty of time to compile a list of spring training story ideas and top candidates to be stalked at their lockers and on the back fields at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Chris Davis is going to be asked again and again about his offseason workouts and changes from previous winters, though he's already detailed them in multiple interviews. His batting...

There hasn't been a legitimate, down-to-the-wire pennant race in the National League East more than a decade now, not since the Phillies hung on to top the Mets during the final weekend of the 2008 season. The division hasn't been decided by fewer than seven games since 2012, when the Nationals finished four games ahead of the Braves (but were never seriously threatened in September). Is this the year that finally changes? There's certainly an argument right now that the NL East is the best...

Baseball officials are reportedly suggesting several changes in the game to the Major League Baseball Players Association in a continuing attempt to streamline and improve the game and pace of play. One change would require any pitcher to face at least three batters before he could be replaced by another hurler. At first glance, this seems like a positive. Fewer bullpen moves would speed up the game and make for less late-game tedium when managers can overdo the matchup thing. No more pitchers...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and designated Trevor Gott for assignment on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Hellickson, 31, returns to Washington after going 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 19 starts for the Nationals in 2018. He recorded a career-best WHIP (1.073), and issued just two walks per 9.0 innings, his lowest mark since his rookie season of...

I'm drawing closer to again making it through an offseason without running out of material. There were some narrow escapes along the way, especially with no media access to minicamp, but here we are, days away from the steady flow of spring training reports. I'm sitting on some leftovers, which can get messy. A comfortable chair would make more sense. For example, here's Trey Mancini on Cedric Mullins, who's expected to start in center field on opening day: "He's a really impressive...

Could the Nationals be headed across the pond for one summer series in 2020? It appears to be a legitimate possibility. Major League Baseball is considering two potential matchups for its planned London Series in June 2020, either the Nationals vs. the Mets or the Cubs vs. the Cardinals, according to the Associated Press. The report, citing two people familiar with the discussions, suggested an announcement on the final matchup is expected after opening day this year. In its attempt to spread...

The Nationals have designated reliever Trevor Gott for assignment, clearing a spot on their 40-man roster for Jeremy Hellickson, whose signing was officially announced by the club. Hellickson agreed earlier this week to terms on a one-year, $1.3 million contract that also includes up to $4 million in incentives. The deal was contingent on the right-hander passing a physical, which he has now done, and on the Nationals clearing a roster spot for him. They chose to make Gott the odd man out, a...

The week began with me still convinced that the Orioles would sign or trade for a veteran starter before opening day to occupy a spot in the middle or back end of the rotation. And because of this, I've been hesitant to go all-in while discussing camp competitions and ranking the favorites. News broke on Thursday that the Orioles signed right-hander Nate Karns to a one-year deal guaranteeing $800,000. Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias stated at FanFest that pitching was...

In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Brandon Hyde and Gary Kendall managed against each other in the South Atlantic League. Hyde was at Greensboro and Kendall managed Single-A Delmarva. They were in opposite dugouts then, and they won't be in the same dugout when this season starts, but they will be on the same team. They'll surely talk often, with Hyde the manager in Baltimore and Kendall his Triple-A skipper. For the last eight seasons, Kendall was the manager at Double-A Bowie, but this year he...