Hindsight being 50/50, the time for the Nationals to have dealt outfielder Michael A. Taylor was probably last winter, when he was coming off his breakthrough 2017 campaign in the major leagues. Taylor slashed .271/.320/.486 with 19 homers, 43 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He posted a .333/.444/.733 line in the National League Division Series against the Cubs and was a finalist for a Gold Glove in center field. But 2018 was a lost season for the 27-year-old Taylor, who backslid in almost every...

The Orioles made the expected announcement today, that Mike Elias will head up their baseball operations, and they made it clear that his leadership and vision will take this team through the rebuilding process. He is the top decision maker. Elias' title is executive vice president and general manager. A club announcement states that "Elias will oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff and make decisions on all baseball matters that he believes...

The hiring of Mike Elias as executive vice president and general manager doesn't remove all of the uncertainty attached to the franchise. It barely makes a dent. Elias was the biggest piece, of course, as the person who will run the baseball operations department. Who will assemble the rest of the front office, choose a manager and drag the scouting department into the 21st century. But having so many slots to fill is an example of the work that lies ahead. The 40-man roster must be set by...

The wait is over. To fill the top vacancy in the Orioles' front office and to reveal his identity and title. The Orioles have hired former Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias as their executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager, with the announcement made this afternoon. He will be introduced to the media at a Monday morning press conference at Camden Yards that will include John and Louis Angelos and air live on MASN and 105.7 the Fan beginning at 11 a.m. Elias...

The Orioles today announced that Mike Elias has been named the club's next Executive Vice President and General Manager. Elias will oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff and make decisions on all baseball matters that he believes will make the Orioles successful on the field, entertaining to fans, and impactful in the community. Elias just completed his 12th season in Major League Baseball, most recently serving as Assistant General Manager,...

Not long after Mike Elias' addition to head up Orioles baseball operations is made official, one of his first big moves will be choosing which manager he hires to succeed Buck Showalter. Would Elias consider someone from Houston? If he does, he could look to Astros bench coach Joe Espada, who has interviewed for multiple managing openings this year, including in Toronto. He's been a hot candidate after serving just one season as Houston bench coach. He joined the staff in 2018, replacing Alex...

Has it really been seven weeks since the Nationals' season ended? Yep, it has. We are well into the offseason now, with players having become free agents, a few having already signed and all the big awards having been handed out. It's still relatively early as far as the Hot Stove League goes. That usually doesn't pick up until December, and it certainly will begin to get hectic when the Winter Meetings open for business Dec. 10 in Las Vegas. But that doesn't mean there isn't already...

Though neither was a serious candidate for National League MVP, it was always going to be interesting (and telling) where Max Scherzer and Anthony Rendon ranked on the ballot. Would Scherzer improve on his previous 10th-place finishes? Would Rendon crack the top five for the second time in his career? Tonight we got our answers. While Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich ran away with the MVP Award, Scherzer finished 10th for the third straight year and Rendon finished right behind his teammate...

Players who remain in recovery mode from a 115-loss season that left marks on them continue to process the changes that have been made and brace for the ones that are coming. The Orioles chose Mike Elias, who turns 36 next month and hasn't worked above the assistant level, to replace executive vice president Dan Duquette. He's allowed to hand-pick the next manager, who won't bring the same experience and honors as predecessor Buck Showalter. None of the coaches are under contract and an...

Here is a list of the catchers who attended Nats instructional league: Adalberto Carrillo, Tyler Cropley, Geraldi Diaz, Alex Dunlap, Alejandro Flores, Israel Pineda, Wilmer Perez, Jakson Reetz and Onix Vega. Reetz played 69 games for high Single-A Potomac this past season, hitting .224 with a .324 on-base percentage. He smacked eight doubles and five homers with 27 RBIs. Cropley, an eighth-round selection out of Iowa, split time between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and short-season...