The door is still not shut. Or ... It's over. Time to move on. The latter message seemed to be the stronger of the two from Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner speaking to NBC Sports Washington today regarding the free agency destination possibilities for Bryce Harper, who has played his entire career with the Nationals. Lerner spoke to NBC Sports Washington and said that the team made an offer to Harper and agent Scott Boras back in October, but have not "heard from them in a couple of...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Modern pitchers have had it drilled into their heads from the moment they become professionals. Take days off. Don't throw too much. Especially in the offseason. Give the arm time to recover before you ramp it up again. Koda Glover tried that, and all it got him was two mostly wasted seasons dealing with a rotator cuff injury. So this winter, after he had just made it through the second half of the season healthy, the Nationals reliever decided to try something...

Throughout the 2019 season, the Orioles will celebrate the life of Orioles Legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who passed away on Feb. 7 at the age of 83. In honor of Robinson's commitment to advancing civil rights for African Americans, the Orioles Charitable Foundation will donate a total of $60,000 to several civil rights and African American museums. A donation of $20,000 will be made to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture in...

When he began to prepare for the 2019 season, Orioles infielder and utility candidate Steve Wilkerson went beyond just working out and getting in some swings and throws. He went to a swing coach who has a strong reputation. Wilkerson spent some time in Santa Clarita, Calif., with Craig Wallenbrock, who has worked with several major leaguers. A coach some feel turned around the career of J.D. Martinez. Wilkerson, an eighth-round draft pick in 2014 out of Clemson, was not looking for anything...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The recipient of the largest contract given to a free agent pitcher this winter strolls through the Nationals clubhouse without drawing any attention. He's just one of the guys. When reporters and fans cluster around the bullpen or one of the practice fields to watch this team's big-name pitchers throw, they seek out Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg or even Sean Doolittle, all instantly recognizable figures. Patrick Corbin? He's out there with everyone else, but the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles starter Andrew Cashner knew about the club's decision to hire Doug Brocail as pitching coach days before the news leaked. He kept it to himself, his approval muted until he arrived in camp. He wasn't going to be the one to break the story. They have a history. Cashner posted a 3.40 ERA in 28 starts with the Rangers in 2017 while working with Brocail, prompting former executive vice president Dan Duquette to give him a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $16...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If there was any concern about the injuries Howie Kendrick and Michael A. Taylor spent the winter rehabbing from preventing them from participating fully in spring training, those fears should be quashed. Both Kendrick (returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon) and Taylor (who suffered hip and oblique injuries this winter in the Dominican Republic) will be in Saturday night's starting lineup for the Nationals' Grapefruit League opener against the Astros. The Nats...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Trey Mancini walked out of the cage today, passed Hunter Harvey in front of the bench and suggested that the right-hander stick with everything that he's doing in camp. If it ain't broke ... Mancini was smiling as he said it, a touch of sarcasm sprinkled in after Harvey locked him up during live batting practice. "He looked really good," Mancini said following the Orioles penultimate workout before Saturday's exhibition opener against the Twins. "Everything was working...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Michael A. Taylor went to the Dominican Republic in early December, the rare major league veteran who was willing to go play winter ball for the Gigantes del Cibao and try to implement some significant changes he and Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long made to his swing at the end of the 2018 season. It should've been a great proving ground for Taylor to try out those changes and allow him to report for spring training ahead of the curve. But two days in, Taylor pulled...

When the Orioles moved their spring training facilities to Sarasota, Fla., in 2010, officials pointed to the positive effect the franchise would bring to the economy of the Gulf Coast community. It turns out that the annual impact is much greater than anticipated. According Sarasota County's analysis of data it has been collecting since 2015, the Orioles have generated more than $360 million in cumulative economic impact since that time. In the most recent reporting period, the club brought...