SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitchers have a tendency to avoid the American League East as if it's a contagious disease. Especially the ones who are attempting a comeback and willing to accept a one-year deal in order to reestablish their value on the free agent market. Then there's Nathan Karns, who preferred a team like the Orioles, based on their division. As crazy as it might sound. "I think it's one of the premiere divisions in the league, and you want to beat the biggest names and they tend to be...

There are some who see use of the opener in baseball as at least intriguing and maybe even innovative. Others push back against such a pitching plan and don't like it or don't see it working well for teams much moving forward. An opener is a pitcher who starts a game but faces only a few batters or stays in for only an inning or two. The tactic allows a team to bring in the scheduled starter in the second or third inning and potentially begin his outing versus the bottom of the order. If that...

SARASOTA, Fla. - About a month before Trey Mancini arrived at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, he received a text from Orioles catcher Chance Sisco that included a photo of his locker inside the home clubhouse. Mancini had moved down to the end of the row. In the corner where Adam Jones always resided in spring training. Sacred baseball ground. With only two full seasons in the majors, Mancini had become the chosen one. "I certainly didn't request it," Mancini said, smiling. "They had to put...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - After Wednesday's soft landing start to spring training, camp really opens for business this morning. Pitchers and catchers reported for duty Wednesday, but all they did was take their physicals and in a few cases play some light catch in the rain just outside the clubhouse. That will change today when the entire group takes the field together and holds its first official workout. It'll help that it's supposed to be 75 degrees and partly cloudy after Wednesday's...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The rain and chill in the air didn't prevent the Orioles from having a productive first workout for their pitchers and catchers. It just had the beat crew scrambling to find warmth. I'll say it again: Florida cold is different than anywhere else. Same temperature in Baltimore and I'd be sleeveless. Richard Bleier broke out his cutter for his latest bullpen session. No one was electrocuted while working the video equipment. The Orioles have added catcher Cael Brockmeyer to...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg stayed in Washington this winter for the first time in his career. Yes, as alluring as San Diego may be, Strasburg didn't want to uproot his family for only a few months. "When you have a family and the kids start to get older, you want to establish roots," said the father of two young girls. "It's kind of hard to be bi-coastal every year, so we stayed on the East Coast this year." Which was no big deal for Strasburg, provided he had access to a...

Single game tickets are on sale now for the third season of Nationals Spring Training at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches! For fans who are unable to make the trip to West Palm Beach, Entercom station 106.7 The Fan (WJFK-FM) in Washington D.C., the flagship station of the Washington Nationals, will broadcast a total of eight Nationals Spring Training matchups. The radio broadcast schedule includes the March 25 exhibition game against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. Please see the...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Adam Eaton could've dodged the question, insisted he's not paying attention to the never-ending Bryce Harper saga. That would be disingenuous, though. Everyone knows Eaton's status with the Nationals is directly tied to Harper's status with the Nationals. So the veteran outfielder isn't trying to pretend it's no big deal. "It affects me, for sure," he said this morning inside the Nationals clubhouse. "Definitely affects me. I train to play 162. That's all I can...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles held their workout today for pitchers and catchers in a steady drizzle. Electronic equipment set up behind the mounds - laptops and high-speed video cameras - were covered with towels. "I think we got fortunate," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We had all kinds of Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, depending on the weather, and fortunate to get the bullpens in. Obviously, we couldn't do a whole lot because the fields were so wet, but we feel good about getting the bullpens in...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Trevor Gott already knew he wouldn't be reporting to Nationals spring training this morning with the rest of the club's pitchers. Now he knows he'll be reporting to the other side of the country. The Nats traded Gott to the Giants for cash considerations today, officially ending the reliever's disappointing stint with the organization five days after he was removed from their 40-man roster. Gott had been designated for assignment Friday when the Nationals needed to...