The next important date in Major League Baseball doesn't involve Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez. Friday marks the deadline for teams to offer contracts to arbitration-eligible players or non-tender them, which expands the free agent market. The Orioles were able to sign catcher Welington Castillo last winter because the Diamondbacks non-tendered him. They would have engaged in trade talks if he hadn't unexpectedly hit the market. They're going to pay close attention again while continuing...

Despite the freezing cold and rainy temperatures in Denver on April 25th, it was easily the hottest night of Trea Turner's career. The Nationals outlasted the Rockies 15-12, but Turner stole the spotlight as he hit for the cycle, drove in a career-high seven RBIs and scored four runs. With gametime temperature hovering around 37 degrees, donning a ski mask and warm gloves, Turner turned his fourth full game back from the disabled list into a stellar night with: * Single in the first* Two-run...

One player that maybe a lot of Nationals fans may not be familiar with is a teenage second baseman from New York City named Luis Garcia. He can also play shortstop, and moves up from No. 7 on last year's Baseball America list of top Nationals prospects. No. 6 2B/SS Luis Garcia This is a young prospect. Look at his date of birth and it's 2000. Even still, Baseball America has been tracking Garcia for a couple of seasons and likes what it sees. "I actually feel pretty young in this industry...

When you talk about outfield prospects on the Orioles farm, he can get overlooked among players like Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and DJ Stewart. But Ademar Rifaela had a breakout 2017 season. Producing much better stats than he had earlier in his career, the 23-year-old corner outfielder was named the Carolina League MVP at Single-A Frederick. Over 126 games, he hit .284/.358/.500 with an OPS of .858, which was well above the .717 he posted in 2015 or the .713 from 2016. Rifaela hit 23 doubles,...

We've spent a decent portion of the offseason to date talking about members of the 2017 Nationals who won't be part of the 2018 Nationals, but we'd be remiss if we didn't take some time to talk about a guy who barely played in 2017 who is positioned to play a whole lot in 2018: Adam Eaton. The club's biggest acquisition last winter, Eaton was going to be in the crosshairs throughout the season, with fans, media members and even those on the roster curious to know whether the scrappy...

The Orioles could use a left-handed hitting corner outfielder with a career .358 on-base percentage who is comfortable playing at Camden Yards and capable of serving as the leadoff hitter. But Nick Markakis isn't walking through that door. At least, I don't think so. Markakis never wanted to leave Baltimore. Returning "home" with the Braves hasn't been a joyful experience for a variety of reasons. But I haven't detected any signs that a reunion is in the works. There has been previous...

More comfortable announcing a bunch of minor league signings instead of letting them trickle out one at a time, the Orioles released the names of 14 free agents today who are staying in or joining the organization. The roll call includes infielder Rubén Tejada, who appeared in 41 games this season and came off the 40-man roster after the Orioles activated Ryan Flaherty from the disabled list. Flaherty is a free agent and Tejada could compete for a utility job. The Orioles didn't reveal...

With the holiday season officially underway, I'm sure you are familiar with the "25 Days of Christmas" series, which shows holiday movies every night for the 25 days leading up to and through Christmas. Well in similar fashion to kick off the holiday season, we're going to celebrate 26 games of Jonathan Schoop on base for this week's Throwback Thursday moment. The Orioles second baseman had himself a career year in 2017, earning his first All-Star Game selection and being named the Most...

It's that time of year again. A chill is in the air, everything is decorated in lights and garland, and Nationals fans are gearing up for their favorite event of the offseason! That's right, Nats Winterfest is back and approaching fast, meaning in just a few short weeks, Nationals fans from far and wide will gather at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for a weekend of baseball and holiday cheer. And we'll be there with plenty of chances for you to win exclusive MASN Nationals...

The Orioles recently announced the return of the weekly "Orioles Hot Stove Show" on CBS Radio's 105.7 The Fan (WJZ-FM), the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network. Starting Thursday, Nov. 30 from 6-7 p.m., listeners can tune in with MASNsports.com beat writer Roch Kubatko and MASN broadcaster Jim Hunter live from the Orioles Grille at the Sheraton Inner Harbor, located at 300 S. Charles St. in Baltimore. The one-hour program will feature Orioles news, analysis, debate and special...