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...

The Orioles announced their 2019 minor league staffs this morning and the composition of their player development department, with many of the changes and returns already reported. Gary Kendall moves up from Double-A Bowie to manage Triple-A Norfolk, with Mike Griffin returning as pitching coach and Butch Davis as hitting coach. Ramon Sambo is serving as field coach after holding the same title with short-season Single-A Aberdeen for the past two summers. Buck Britton moves up from Single-A...

Kent Quall enters his seventh season with the Orioles as Director of Minor League Operations. Maria Arellano enters her 14 th season with the Orioles, and fifth as Manager, Minor League & International Administration. Chris Holt enters his first year as Minor League Pitching Coordinator with the Orioles. He previously served as the Assistant Pitching Coordinator with the Houston Astros during the 2018 season, and as a Pitching Coach in the organization at Class A Buies Creek (2017), Class A...

Kyle Barraclough lost his arbitration case against the Nationals, a panel of three independent judges ruling the recently acquired reliever will earn $1.725 million this season instead of the $2 million he sought. Barraclough and the Nationals presented their respective cases before the panel Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla., the second and final member of the roster to go to a hearing this month. Michael A. Taylor also lost his case last week, with the arbitrators deciding his salary will be...

The moment that many local minor league baseball fans have dreamed of for longer than 20 years is coming closer to becoming reality. Fredericksburg Baseball announced this week that a groundbreaking ceremony for the organization's state-of-the-art new stadium in the Virginia municipality will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24, from 2-5 p.m. It is open to the public. The event will take place at the Fredericksburg Expo & Convention Center ballroom and is free to all who attend. The first...

He was The Intimidator, the fearsome presence who commanded a room the moment he walked in, the baseball icon who played and managed his entire career with a chip on his shoulder. That was the Frank Robinson most of the world knew, the version of himself he wanted most of the world to know. But he was also The Old Softie, the jovial uncle who cared deeply about those who managed to crack his outer visage, whether teammates, players of his or reporters who covered him. This was the Frank...

On a normal day in an offseason that's been light on significant Orioles roster news, the signing of pitcher Nate Karns to a one-year deal would have lit up the social media switchboard. The conversations would have touched on his chances of filling a spot in the rotation, his injury history, the pros and cons of a low-risk move that eliminated infielder Jack Reinheimer from the 40-man roster, and maybe the assignment of uniform No. 36, which had belonged to catcher Caleb Joseph. The passing...

You talk about a man who had a massive impact on a sport - and his country, really - it was Frank Robinson, who died yesterday at 83. The tributes has been flooding in from so many. He made his mark on the Orioles, leading the club to four World Series, winning two, during his six years as an O's player from 1966-1971. He was later a coach, manager and executive for the Orioles, the only person in team history to play for the club and serve in those roles as well. On April 28, 2012,...