It was a bit of a surprise Friday that the Houston Astros did not extend a qualifying offer to veteran hurler Charlie Morton. Morton, 34, was a 2017 World Series champion and a 2018 All-Star for Houston. He turns 35 on Nov. 12. Morton went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 30 starts this season. With roots in New Jersey and Delaware, it has been reported that Morton, if the Astros did not re-sign him, might prefer a team along the Eastern seaboard as his next destination. Could the Nationals be a...

October was relatively quiet, at least for teams like the Nationals that didn't make the postseason and didn't make any managerial or coaching changes. The calendar shift to November, though, has already brought a few bits of news, and things will continue to ramp up this week. Today promises to be a newsy day in itself for the Nats, with at least three items on the agenda. First up, Trevor Rosenthal will be holding a conference call with reporters at 10 a.m. to discuss his signing with the...

With 115 losses, the 2018 Orioles were easily the worst team in the majors this year, and they posted their worst record since their move to Baltimore in 1954. But their road record was where it went from bad to worse. And worst. In six months and 162 games of baseball, the Orioles won all of three road series. They split a two-game series in Yankee Stadium on July 31-Aug. 1. After that, they lost their last nine road series. They won their third road series June 22-24 at Atlanta. After that,...

Anthony Rendon is widely regarded as one of the best third basemen in the sport. But for now, he continues to be regarded as a notch below Nolan Arenado. For the third consecutive year, Rendon finished behind Arenado for the Gold Glove Award at third base. The awards, presented annually by Rawlings, were handed out this evening. Rendon has been a finalist (i.e., one of the top three vote-getters at his position) each of the last three years. But each time the quiet Nationals star has finished...

Rather than dump out the entire mailbag today and try to come up with a fresh sequel title, I'm going to pull out a couple of the heavy repeats and attempt to eliminate whatever confusion lingers in the air like the odor from a hardboiled egg. Let's go with a true or false format. As opposed to truth or dare, which could get weird around here. The Orioles definitely won't be signing any free agents. False. The Orioles don't have a definite starter for right field, third base or behind the...

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Sammy Solís, who could not take advantage of his many opportunities out of the bullpen. PLAYER REVIEW: SAMMY SOLÍS Age on opening day 2019: 30 How acquired: Second-round pick, 2010 draft MLB service time: 3 years, 52 days 2018 salary: $560,300 Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2019, free agent in 2022 2018 stats: 1-2, 6.41 ERA, 56 G, 0 SV,...

There have been 12 contracts in baseball history producing total dollars of $200 million or more, but outfielder Giancarlo Stanton signed the only pact for over $300 million. In November 2014, he signed a contract extension with Miami for 13 years and $325 million. That was the richest contract in major league history. This winter, not one but two players could top that, and might even surpass the $400 million threshold. In their annual predictions and projections for free agents,...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with a conditional option with right-handed pitcher Trevor Rosenthal on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Rosenthal, 28, posted a 2.99 ERA and 121 saves in 328 appearances across six Major League seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2012-17. During that stretch, he ranked among Major League relievers (min. 300.0 IP) in home runs allowed per nine innings...

The number of Orioles free agents is miniscule, with only Adam Jones and Colby Rasmus representing - and the latter feels like a mere technicality after the club placed him on the restricted list and he headed home to be with his family. Mark Trumbo will be eligible after next year's World Series, with the team he's leaving to be determined. Though he's currently with the Orioles, recovering from surgery on his right knee, he's a potential trade chip at the non-waiver deadline if healthy...

Trevor Rosenthal's signing with the Nationals became official this morning after the right-hander passed a physical, giving the club its first free agent addition of the offseason. Rosenthal, the Cardinals' former All-Star closer who missed all of the 2018 season following Tommy John surgery, agreed on Wednesday to a one-year contract with the Nats that guarantees him $7 million (a $6 million salary in 2019, plus a $1 million buyout if his 2020 option is not picked up). That conditional 2020...