SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles optioned pitcher Hunter Harvey to Double-A Bowie this afternoon and will start Miguel Castro in tonight's game against the Yankees in Tampa. Rule 5 pick Nestor Cortes Jr. will follow him to the mound. Harvey allowed three earned runs (four total) and nine hits over seven innings in his three starts in the Grapefruit League. He walked four batters and struck out seven. Tanner Scott and Jimmy Yacabonis also are listed among the relievers tonight. Tim Beckham is...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals are going to need to tap into their right-handed bullpen depth to open the season. Already down one arm all spring when Koda Glover reported to camp with a sore shoulder, the Nats now acknowledge they won't have veteran Joaquin Benoit for opening day after the 40-year-old was diagnosed with a strained forearm. Benoit, who was signed to a $1 million major league contract one week after camp opened, made three Grapefruit League appearances, most recently...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed right-hander Alex Cobb to a four-year contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander José Mesa Jr. has been designated for assignment. Cobb, 30, went 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA (73 ER/179.1 IP) and 128 strikeouts in 29 starts with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017. Over a six-year Major League career, Cobb has gone 48-35 with a 3.50 ERA (272 ER/700.0 IP) and 570 strikeouts in 115 starts. He has started 22 or more games in four seasons,...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Daniel Murphy acknowledged what has become obvious over the course of the spring: He won't be on the Nationals' active roster to begin the season. "I think it's reasonable to expect I won't be in the opening day lineup," the veteran second baseman said this morning. From the day Murphy had microfracture surgery on his right knee in October, the Nationals qualified their timetable for his recovery by saying they were "hopeful" he'd be ready for opening day. And...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Cobb has passed his physical, according to a source, and is the latest free agent pitcher to join the Orioles rotation with less than a week remaining before they break camp. Cobb agreed to terms yesterday on a four-year, $57 million contract, the largest given by the Orioles to a free agent pitcher. It exceeds the $50 million deal for Ubaldo Jiménez in 2014. A better return is anticipated and sorely needed. The Orioles haven't announced Cobb's signing, but it's done...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If you're stuck indoors all day because of the snow back home, you're in luck: Tune into MASN at 1 p.m. and watch the Nationals face the Astros on a sunny, 73-degree afternoon in Florida! (Sorry if that sounds like I'm trying to rub it in. I'm not.) The whole crew is back in town for the next few days and will have the broadcast of this matchup. It'll be your first chance to see Adam Eaton with your own eyes. It's Eaton's third Grapefruit League game, and he's...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg's aversion to pitching on muggy, East Coast summer afternoons is well known. The San Diego native has long proclaimed his preference to take the mound in cool weather vs. hot weather. But Strasburg also chose to sign a seven-year extension with the Nationals, making Washington (not to mention the rest of the National League East division) his home for the long-term. And that includes South Florida in March, because the conditions Tuesday at FITTEAM...

So how much better will the Orioles be with right-handers Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb in their 2018 rotation? They'll be joined by Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman. The best-case scenario for the team would be for Cobb and Cashner to pitch at or close to their track records, Tillman to return to pre-2017 form, and Bundy and Gausman to take steps forward. Will the Orioles go three-for-three with that wish list? If they do they might have a lot of fun this summer. Even if only part...

It took a while - quite a while - but a team that last year ranked last in the majors in rotation ERA has remade its starting five for the 2018 season. The Orioles posted a rotation ERA of 5.70 last season. But tonight they are on the verge of adding free agent right-hander Alex Cobb to the earlier signing of Andrew Cashner and the re-signing of Chris Tillman. MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko reported that the Orioles are close to a four-year deal with Cobb. Yahoo Sports first reported the club...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles played the waiting game again in free agency and are close to scoring with the biggest piece remaining on the free agent market. Right-hander Alex Cobb is nearing an agreement with the Orioles, according to a source, and would become the third starter signed by the club since opening camp. Confirmation could come later tonight. Cobb, 30, spent all six of his major league seasons with the Rays and compiled a 48-35 record, 3.50 ERA and 1.217 WHIP in 115 starts. In a...