By now you're used to seeing select games from great and not-so-great Nationals teams of the past on MASN. But we're throwing you way back with a couple of "Nationals Classics" telecasts this week, starting this afternoon. The Nats' inaugural season of 2005 turned out better than one might expect of a new club with a bunch of guys no one is considering for Cooperstown. At least it wasn't a losing year, as the team went 81-81. The Nats did, nonetheless, finish fifth in the National League...

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy was a slightly better than league average pitcher in 2016 and 2017, but not in 2018. Last year, he went 8-16 with a 5.45 ERA in 31 starts. While he set career highs in innings, strikeouts, strikeout rate and starts, he also set career highs in homers allowed and tied for the major league lead in losses. The 41 homers allowed jumps off the stat sheet. That was seven more than any other pitcher in the majors, with James Shields of the White Sox next with 34. That...

The Orioles have made a move to improve their catching depth in the organization. Carlos Pérez, 28, has agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training pending the completion of a physical. He can earn a guaranteed $650,000 if he makes the Orioles roster. Pérez is a native of Venezuela who appeared in eight games with the Braves and 20 with the Rangers last season and was 10-for-70 with two doubles and a home run. He hasn't done much offensively in the majors,...

There is no more volatile position in baseball than relief pitcher, no more volatile position group than the bullpen. Only a handful of the very best relievers can consistently be counted upon year after year, so that always makes this aspect of the roster tougher to predict than others. Which also makes the Nationals bullpen both intriguing and nerve-wracking here as the 2019 season looms in the not-so-distant future. This is nothing new, of course. Rarely have the Nats entered a season with...

The Washington Nationals announced their Minor League managers, coaches and coordinators for the 2019 season on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The coaching staffs of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, Double-A Harrisburg Senators and Single-A Potomac Nationals will remain intact for the 2019 season. Mack Jenkins joins the organization as the pitching coach of Single-A Hagerstown after spending 32 seasons with the Cincinnati...

Randy Knorr has been named the manager of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, highlighting the announcement of the Nationals' 2019 minor league staff. The former major league catcher, and longtime mainstay as a coach at every level for several seasons for the Nats, becomes the 11th manager in Grizzlies history. The 2019 campaign marks his third season as skipper of the Nats' Triple-A affiliate. Brian Daubach is the hitting coach and Brad Holman will be the pitching coach, the same coaching staff...

Fans who are on board with the Orioles' plans to undergo a rebuild have asked how Mark Trumbo fits into it. Trumbo runs the same question through his head. He turns 33 later this month, is recovering from knee surgery and is approaching the final year of a contract that pays him $11 million this summer with deferred payments of $1.5 million from 2020-22. There's the potential for run production in the middle of the lineup. There's a leadership role that's been vacated by trades and free...

Now that we've welcomed a new year, we can say that spring training starts next month. It won't be long before things are hopping at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., as the Orioles get ready for a most intriguing 2019 season. But before we look to the future with names like Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde, it's time to reflect on some Or

As the world waits for Bryce Harper to make his long-awaited decision, the Nationals wait to figure out what exactly their 2019 lineup is going to look like. It's no hyperbole to suggest this lineup would look dramatically different without Harper in it than with him, and not simply because of his large presence in the heart of it all. There are some significant domino effects to Harper's decision that will impact not only who bats in the middle of the lineup but probably the top as well. If...

Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day are in Atlanta. Jonathan Schoop is now in Minnesota. Zach Britton is headed back to the Bronx and Manny Machado is on deck. Adam Jones is very likely moving on as well. There seemed to be little consternation around Birdland when Britton agreed to re-sign with the Yankees over the weekend. This could be for several reasons, including that Orioles fans knew he wasn't coming back. They were never rumored to be pursuing Britton. And that old gang of theirs was long...