We've spent most of the offseason to date looking at players who already were on the Nationals' roster this year and could return next year. But now that free agency has begun, we'd be remiss if we didn't start looking at players from other clubs who could find their way to Washington in 2019. The Nationals have several needs - starting pitching, catcher, second baseman, relief pitching, backup first baseman - but let's start today with the most significant (and priciest) position. The...

It seems predictions that former Oriole Manny Machado and current National Bryce Harper could get each contracts totaling $300 million or even $400 million have ruffled a few feathers among baseball fans. I'm paraphrasing a bit here, but readers have stated such thoughts on the blog the last few days about this duo, expressing the sentiment that no player is worth that kind of money. That ballplayers should have to work for a living like the rest of us. That ballplayers are greedy. I think...

If you've shifted to the edge of your seat waiting for the Orioles to announce a hiring, sit back and try to relax for at least a few more days. Nothing is imminent. Nothing is likely to happen this week as the GM meetings run their course. The interview process hasn't reached its conclusion, which allows more time for fans to become confused over the reports that keep surfacing. All I can do in the meantime is try to provide at least a modicum of clarity while operating largely in the...

The finalists for the annual Baseball Writer's Association of America awards were announced Monday on MLB Network, and the Washington Nationals have two players among the honorees. Right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer is one of the finalists for the 2018 National League Cy Young award and left fielder Juan Soto is a top three finisher for the 2018 Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award. Scherzer is up against strong competition for the award, facing off against New York Mets right-handed...

When the Winter Meetings convene next month in Las Vegas, a committee of baseball writers and historians will vote on a slate of candidates that could land a second former National in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Nationals manager Davey Johnson is one of 10 names appearing on the Today's Game Era ballot that will be considered and voted upon on Dec. 9. Any candidate receiving votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Today's Game Era Committee will earn election into the...

How much money do the Nationals have to spend this winter? It seems like a simple question, but the answer isn't even close to simple. Major League Baseball payroll calculations have become far more complicated than they used to be, thanks to the luxury tax (officially known as the competitive-balance tax), deferred salaries and bonus clauses that are cropping up more and more in players' contracts. But we're going to do our best to try to figure this one out here, because it's kind of an...

You may be surprised to learn that among pitchers still on the team that made starts for the Orioles last year, right-hander David Hess had the lowest ERA at 4.88. Kevin Gausman, since traded, had an ERA of 4.43 in 21 starts for the Orioles. Plus, Hess had a strong finish. No one is guaranteeing Hess a spot in the rotation for the rebuilding 2019 Orioles. But he certainly has to be a leading candidate to join Alex Cobb, Andrew Cashner and Dylan Bundy in that starting five. Hess certainly had...

The massive shakeup in the Orioles' scouting department hasn't bounced Jim Howard and Dave Engle from the organization. Howard and Engle, serving as major league scouts, are expected to remain with the Orioles. Meanwhile, personnel in the department who no longer will be employed by the club next season include director of professional scouting and special projects Patrick Di Gregory, special assistant Matt Haas, major league scout John Stockstill, professional scout Ron Schueler, East Coast...

We won't know for another week if either won, but now we do know both Max Scherzer and Juan Soto were among the top three vote-getters for the National League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. Finalists for the four major Baseball Writers' Association of America awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year) were revealed this evening, setting the stage for the announcements of all the winners next week. Voting among active BBWAA members (two from each National League...

The long national nightmare known as election season has finally passed, and the next barrage of campaign ads is two years away. Now that it's safe to watch TV again, it's a great time to relive some of the best feel-good moments in Orioles history. The MASN vault this week yields three of Birdland's most auspicious occasions ever. Starting with today's day-night doubleheader, you'll see one Hall of Fame slugger reach a nice round number of round-trippers, another one set a new standard...