LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Start with a big-name free agent. Make sure he's represented by Scott Boras. Then connect them to the Nationals, specifically managing principal owner Ted Lerner. Congratulations, you've just created the perfect Winter Meetings rumor. It's happened before, it'll happen again and it did happen today when ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweeted that Boras "is trying to engage the Nationals on Jake Arrieta." Crasnick went on to point out the obvious - the Nats already have...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Rumors are as much a part of the Winter Meetings as suite visits, shopping lists and late-night quaffing of beers. Most rumors don't pan out, and those that have legs often tire out long before they reach the finish line. But you listen to them, consider them, and then decide which of them have a shred of validity and which don't. It's kind of like tossing strands of boiled spaghetti at the wall to determine if the pasta is done. Only the strings ready to be eaten...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - One of the more interesting decisions facing the Orioles in the offseason is whether to remove a bullpen piece in order to acquire a starting pitcher or left-handed bat. Whether it's worth the risk of weakening an area that must remain sturdy as the team leans so heavily on it. There's no reason to drag Mychal Givens into the discussion because the Orioles are extremely reluctant to part with him for a variety of reasons. He's regarded as the closer in waiting with...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Orioles have been defined at the Winter Meetings as the team that needs multiple starting pitchers but won't spend big on them, as well as a left-handed bat, and must decide whether to trade third baseman Manny Machado and closer Zach Britton in a rebuild-versus-reload tug of war. One of the lesser subplots in this Disney drama revolves around the catchers. The Orioles believe they could use another one as insurance in case Chance Sisco needs to repeat...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Are the Orioles rebuilding or reloading? Are they doing something in the middle? Are they still deciding which direction they are heading? After Day One of the Winter Meetings, it does seem that the Orioles are open to listening to trade offers for pending free agent third baseman Manny Machado. That certainly doesn't signal the team is ready for any selloff or complete rebuild, but it possibly could be a bit of a change in thinking from the club's top...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Yankees, who a year ago were thought of as a rebuilding club, officially introduced Giancarlo Stanton, the National League MVP in 2017, as a member of their team. "This is a great new chapter in my life,'' Stanton said at a press conference Monday as baseball's Winter Meetings opened in the Magic Kingdom. Stanton, who led the majors with 59 home runs for the Marlins, also led with 132 RBIs and a .631 slugging percentage. His 1.007 OPS ranked fourth by the...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Catcher Matt Wieters will be back behind the plate for the Nationals next season, having exercised his $10.5 million player option. But the guaranteed contract doesn't mean he'll carry the same workload. The numbers the veteran backstop amassed during his first season in D.C. were abysmal. He caught in 118 games as the Nats grew increasingly dissatisfied with backup Jose Lobaton's lack of offense and unusually poor defense, and had little positive to show for it....

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The deliberate pace usually set by the Orioles while constructing their opening day roster may have to be accelerated. The market can't play out and leave them out in the cold. "There's so many teams looking for pitching, we might have to be a little bit more proactive than that," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "The market's dynamic and it's starting to take shape and you see a lot of these teams looking at who they want to sign and who wants to sign...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette does not say the club is looking to trade pending free agent third baseman Manny Machado. But in an interview this afternoon with MASNsports.com, he did confirm that teams are asking about Machado. He said Machado is "coveted by a lot of teams." Machado has one year left on his Orioles contract before he can hit the open market via free agency and perhaps cash in a on a deal that will prove to be too rich for many clubs,...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Nationals are in the market for at least one experienced reliever, preferably right-handed. Whether they're willing to jump right now into a market that has quickly become the most active of any position at the Winter Meetings remains to be seen. Another veteran right-handed setup man came off the board Monday when Pat Neshek returned to the Phillies for a two-year deal worth a reported $16.25 million. That came on the heels of a pair of signings Sunday: Brandon...