The Baltimore Orioles have named Adam Esselman as Coordinator of Baseball Information. Esselman will assist in all facets of Orioles public relations efforts and will continue to report to Kristen Hudak, Director of Public Relations. Esselman joined the Orioles after the 2016 season as a Public Relations Assistant. The 2018 season will mark his fourth in professional baseball, including one season as a Communications Intern with the Minnesota Twins and one season working in the ticket office...

The Nationals are looking for a new Triple-A home for the 2019 season following the Mets' announcement they will take over in Syracuse after the upcoming campaign. The Mets will be leaving Las Vegas after the 2018 season, and the 51s have a new stadium for their new team come 2019 in the nearby Summerlin neighborhood, which is in the northwestern part of the city. According to Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Nationals and Brewers appear to be at least two of the clubs...

Would it surprise you to know that the New York Yankees have not won the American League East since the 2012 season? Baltimore, Boston and Toronto have all won the East since New York was last on top by two games over the Orioles, with 95 to 93 wins, in 2012. The Yankees would go on to beat the Orioles that fall in the AL Division Series. As a matter of fact, Baltimore, Boston and Toronto have all finished both first and last in the division since when New York last ruled the East. But...

As the start of spring training fast approaches, we're breaking down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series concludes today with the outfield ... Given the talent they had - not to mention three established starters to begin the season - it's hard to believe the Nationals wound up using 14 different outfielders in 2017, the fourth-highest total in the majors. Chalk that up not to poor performance but a seemingly never-ending string of injuries both major and minor...

The Ryan Flaherty era in Baltimore really has come to an end. Or maybe it's just been put on hold. The Phillies have signed Flaherty to a minor league deal, as first reported by ESPN.com. He'll go to spring training in Clearwater, Fla., and attempt to win a utility job. Selected from the Cubs organization in the December 2011 Rule 5 draft, Flaherty spent six seasons with the Orioles and batted .215/.284/.355 in 1,270 plate appearances. It wasn't about the bat. Flaherty gained manager Buck...

While the Orioles wait for starting pitchers to drop into their laps like acorns, the majority of fans think the team would be nuts to bring back anyone from last year's rotation who remains on the free agent market. This is an unscientific poll. I'm basing my observations on comments attached to the blog and appearing on my Twitter feed, and impromptu conversations in restaurants, grocery stores and gyms. Fans don't want to be reminded how the starters posted a 5.70 ERA, the worst in...

The Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the following statement regarding the suspension of catcher Raudy Read: "Earlier today, Major League Baseball announced that Raudy Read has received an 80-game suspension without pay for violating the league's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. This is a very serious matter - one that I do not take lightly. We educate players across our system on the program and set the expectation that...

Raudy Read, who made his major league debut last season and now stands as one of the higher-rated Nationals prospects, has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for Boldenone, making the young catcher the franchise's first big leaguer to face punishment for performance-enhancing drugs. Read, 24, confirmed he tested positive during "a routine drug test this winter," but said he was "shocked" by the result and insists he has never knowingly taken a...

Daniel Murphy, runner-up for the 2016 National League MVP, silenced critics early in the 2017 campaign when he hit safely in the first 10 games of the season with a .444/.457/.711 slash line. At the time, his 10 games were tied for the longest streak in the majors in 2017 and it was the longest such streak to start a season in his career. We turn to Bob Carpenter (@scorebook_bob) to give you a recap of one of Murphy's best games during his outstanding start to the season, the Nationals' April...

The Orioles are bringing back outfielder Craig Gentry and increasing the number of invites to major league camp. Gentry has agreed to a minor league deal, according to a source, and will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex. He can earn $900,000 if he makes the club, as first reported by USA Today. Manager Buck Showalter expressed his interest in Gentry, 34, during last month's minicamp in Sarasota. Though the veteran doesn't solve the need for a left-handed hitting outfielder, he offers...