The Nationals announced the hiring of Henry Blanco as bullpen coach this morning, officially filling the final position on new manager Dave Martinez's staff. Blanco is no stranger to Martinez, having served as the Cubs quality assurance coach the last three seasons while the latter was bench coach. He previously was an assistant coach and bullpen catcher for the Diamondbacks. The 46-year-old former catcher has crossed paths with almost everyone in baseball over nearly three decades in the...

It is time to begin our countdown of the top 10 Nationals prospects according to Baseball America. We bring in national writer Carlos Collazo to break down each prospect, beginning with No. 10. No. 10: SS Yasel Antuna Collazo likes what Antuna brings to the table. At 6-foot, 170 lbs., Antuna has the body to be able to generate power on offense. For the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nats in 2017, Antuna hit .301 in 48 games with eight doubles, three triples, one homer and 17 RBIs. "Yasel...

If the Orioles discuss trading closer Zach Britton - or any prominent player - and then pull off a deal, can it help the team address its biggest need? Will the Orioles get starting pitching in return? That would be desirable for the Orioles. With just two pitchers set for the 2018 rotation in Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman, they are going to need to add starters any way they can, and the trade front is one avenue that could work. The potential issue is that any contending team that wants to add...

On April 3, Orioles fans were spoiled with a dramatic and thrilling opening day contest in a 2016 American League wild card game rematch against the Blue Jays. Tied 2-2 with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the 11th inning, O's slugger Mark Trumbo picked up right where he left off in 2016, when he led the majors with 47 home runs during the regular season. A solo shot to left-center field notched his sixth career walk-off homer, this one coming off Jason Grilli, which led the Birds to...

The results of this year's National League Cy Young Award vote, which will be announced at approximately 6:45 p.m. Eastern time, won't change Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg's career stats. No matter what happens tonight, Scherzer still owns a 141-75 record, 3.30 ERA and 2,149 strikeouts during an awfully impressive career. And regardless of tonight's winner, Strasburg remains 84-45 with a 3.07 ERA and 1,288 strikeouts during his notable career. And yet the result of this Cy Young vote...

We're very thankful for "Nationals Classics" during this time of year. With no baseball being played and the holidays approaching, we've stacked not one, but two "Nationals Classics" from this past year into this week's Throwback Thursday. First up this week is one of the most exciting games we saw in 2017. After falling behind early to the Phillies on Sept. 8, the Nationals put together a furious comeback behind Michael A. Taylor, who had one the best games of his career. The highlight...

Oh, there's no place like Winterfest for the holidays! As the weather gets colder, we're already thinking about gathering around the MASN booth at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. We'll have tons of presents for you, including photo sessions with some of your favorite players and broadcasters, multiple chances to win autographed prizes and a new, exclusive prize you can take home! Just in time for the holidays, we're giving away ugly sweater-themed long-sleeve...

The annual GM meetings are taking place this week in Orlando. It's the kind of event where a lot of stuff is discussed but very little is actually done. Most clubs and most players prefer to wait until the Winter Meetings in December to start getting serious about contract negotiations or blockbuster trades. But this is the unofficial beginning of the Hot Stove League, with general managers and agents beginning the conversations that may ultimately lead to actual transactions down the...

The Orioles weren't deemed to be in active mode to trade closer Zach Britton this winter, preferring to make another run at the playoffs with him at the back end of the bullpen. No matter the cost in his final year of arbitration eligibility. No matter how many days were ticking off before he hit free agency. And then they got to the GM meetings in Orlando, Fla. and reopened the possibility of dealing him. Executive vice president Dan Duquette is discussing Britton with multiple teams, though...

As the discussion about bullpenning in baseball continues and more teams talk about pulling their starters earlier in games, it will be interesting to see if the Orioles have interest in a similar plan. Teams like the Mets and Rays have indicated a desire to be more proactive in pulling starting pitchers next season before they face batting orders the third time through. This story recently appeared in New York's Newsday and said the Mets plan to use an eight-man bullpen next season. The story...