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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - JoaquÃn Benoit has played for good teams and bad teams. He has appeared in 20 postseason games (three of those in the World Series) and he's played out the string in September for clubs that were going nowhere.
Now 40, with far fewer days ahead of him than behind him, Benoit's priorities have changed. When looking for a job this winter and spring, he sought only two things: a major league contract and a chance to win. That made the Nationals, who officially...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Outfielder Colby Rasmus is taking his physical in Sarasota today and his minor league deal won't be announced until the Orioles have the results in hand.
Update: The Orioles announced the deal. Rasmus increases the camp total to 63 players.
Rasmus opened the 2017 season on the Rays disabled list following surgery on his left hip and he developed tendinitis in June.
The Orioles must be convinced that his head is all right.
The Rays placed Rasmus on the restricted list in July...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' search for a left-handed hitting corner outfielder has led them to Colby Rasmus.
Rasmus and the Orioles have agreed to terms on a minor league deal pending the completion of a physical, according to a source.
Rasmus, 31, could platoon in right field and back up at all three spots. He's a career .252/.318/.463 hitter against right-handers and a .211/.290/.366 hitter versus lefties.
Most of Rasmus' experience is in center field, where he's made 724 starts, but...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman no longer will be a spectator in spring training.
Hidden behind the walls of the Ed Smith Stadium complex while negotiations continued on a new contract, Tillman is free to join the workouts and prepare to join a rotation that's added two starters in less than a week.
"It is a relief," he said this morning while standing outside an entrance to the clubhouse. "I've been stuck inside looking out the windows for the last three days, so it feels good to finally...
The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Joaquin Benoit and placed right-handed pitcher Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Benoit, 40, joins the Nationals after spending the 2017 season with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He began his 16th Major League season with the Phillies, where he struck out more than a...
The Orioles today announced that they have signed right-hander Chris Tillman to a one-year contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jaycob Brugman has been designated for assignment.
Tillman, 29, has gone 73-55 with a 4.43 ERA (551 ER/1118.1 IP) with 834 strikeouts in 198 starts (203 games). He has spent all nine Major League seasons with the Orioles, collecting 10-or-more wins in four-straight seasons (2013-16) and ranks tied for 12th in Orioles history (since 1954) in career...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It takes less than three minutes listening to Kevin Long talk about hitting to fully understand this guy is operating on a different level from mere mortals.
Want to know what the batting average on all ground balls put into play is? Long knows (.220).
Want to know the average distance from the side of the rubber that a right-hander releases his pitch versus the average distance for a lefty? Long knows (2 feet vs. 2 1/2 feet.)
Want to know about launch angles and hitting...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Mike Wright keeps hearing that it's an important spring for him, followed by an important season. Stacking more pressure in case he feels the urge to exhale.
He's out of minor league options and there's an indentation from him in one of the seats on the Triple-A shuttle. The Orioles have filled four of their rotation spots and are receptive to adding another starter while also creating an in-house camp competition that includes Wright, their former third-round pick out of...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The deal is official. Chris Tillman is coming back to the Orioles for the 2018 season, a match that made sense since the early days of free agency.
Tillman passed his physical and signed his one-year contract worth a guaranteed $3 million. Incentives can push it to $10 million.
There was a delay in the Orioles getting the necessary paperwork, which forced Tillman to miss yesterday's workout. The delay carried through the night. But nothing that threatened to nix the...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - So much for those quick, streamlined pitchers and catchers workouts. With position players joining them on the fields today, the Nationals experienced their longest session of the spring, by far.
Though technically a voluntary workout - the first official full-squad day is Wednesday - every healthy member of the roster participated this morning (and afternoon). Everyone gathered on the agility field for the daily "Circle of Trust" meeting at 10:45 a.m. Position players...