Having passed Tuesday's deadline for adding players to the 40-man roster to protect them from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas next month, it's now time to take a look a possible non-tender candidates. For the uninitiated, major league clubs can choose to not offer a contract to an arbitration-eligible player - non-tender him - if they would rather risk losing the player to another club than paying him what he might earn through the arbitration process....

If you think that everything is wrong with the Orioles because they lost 115 games last year, and that their minor league system is bad, there is at least one person who does not agree with you. That is new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. Was the new man in charge just being nice or does he look around and truly see some things to like and some players here that could help the next winning team in Baltimore? In his introduction yesterday to the Orioles media - and, by...

The most impressive trait that Mike Elias exhibited yesterday during his introduction as Orioles executive vice president and general manager was the ability to convey his thoughts on the rebuild, the process that brought him to Baltimore, his knowledge of the city and roster, and the appeal of the job at hand while his head continued to spin. Elias is bound to come across as more relaxed and personable once he's done being pulled in every direction. He sat through a 40-minute session with the...

The Hall of Fame ballot is out, and the slam dunk among the ballot's first-time players is Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who had 652 career saves with one pitch, a cut fastball that was deadly. Members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America will start their deliberations and their ballots are due Dec. 31. The Hall of Fame announcement is Jan. 22 and the induction ceremony is July 29 in Cooperstown, N.Y. Here is a look at the key first-timers on the ballot: * Mariano Rivera - Closers...

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher James Bourque on Monday, adding him to the team's 40-man roster. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Bourque, 25, went 4-2 with six saves and a 1.70 ERA (10 ER/53.0 IP) in 41 games between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018. He led all Nationals Minor Leaguers (min. 50.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.91) and hits allowed per 9.0 innings...

The Nationals this afternoon selected the contract of right-hander James Borque, adding the reliever to the 40-man roster to protect him from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft at next month's Winter Meetings. Bourque, 25, was 4-2 with six saves and a 1.70 ERA in 41 games between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018. He led all Nationals minor leaguers (with a minimum of 50 innings) with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 5.09 hits allowed per nine innings. He was third in the...

During a 40-minute introductory session with reporters today televised live on MASN, new O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias provided some details on how he will try to duplicate success stories he was previously involved with in St. Louis and Houston. "We're going to build an elite talent pipeline," Elias said. Of the players now in the organization, he said, "There are some future stars in the system and some really good pitchers." The soon-to-be 36-year-old...

Mike Elias' introduction this morning as Orioles executive vice president and general manager lasted 40 minutes and covered a wide range of topics. He also conducted individual interviews with television and radio outlets and met with the beat crew. John and Louis Angelos flanked Elias in an informal conversational setting inside the home clubhouse at Camden Yards, an event that was catered with food and drinks available in the back. There really are a lot of changes happening in the...

The Nationals have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent catcher Kurt Suzuki, pending a physical, a source confirmed to MASNsports.com. If Suzuki passes the physical, the club will announce the deal Tuesday. Suzuki, 35, will be returning to the Nationals, where he was catcher for parts of the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. He arrived in D.C. in 2012 from Oakland, where had caught for five and a years. After leaving D.C. his batting average went up. In 2013, he hit .222 with the Nats and .303 in...

Man, I'm stuffed. How about you. That buffet dinner was no match for my Thanksgiving appetite and I'm now fueled for an evening of pre-Black Friday shopping.Oh, wait, another piece of pumpkin pie? Well, if you insist. Don't mind if I do. The bargains will still be there when I pull into the Hagerstown Prime Outlets this evening. Hmmm, I wonder if I can get a turkey sandwich in the food court? If you're planning on spending this evening in a food coma - and need to rest your fingers for...