ORIOLES GENERATE $97 MILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT ANNUALLY THROUGH YEAR-ROUND TRAINING HEADQUARTERS AND SARASOTA 365 TOURISM MARKETING INITIATIVE Team's unique tourism creation, marketing initiatives, and year-round sports, culture, and family recreational events credited for record-breaking economic impact results The economic impact of the Orioles in Sarasota continued to grow year-over-year to approximately $97 million, according to an independent economic impact analysis commissioned by...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - With such a short timeframe between reporting day and the open of Grapefruit League play, the Nationals are trying to squeeze a lot into only a few full-squad workouts. Position players have only officially been in camp for two days but already they've done the kind of baserunning drills typically reserved for later in spring and held two days' worth of live batting practice sessions. Whether these guys will be ready for real game action in less than 48 hours - they...

The Orioles announced today that they will be wearing the caps of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School baseball team, the Stoneman Douglas Eagles, on Friday, February 23, during both pregame activities and the 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles will join the Rays and the other 28 MLB clubs to honor the victims of this senseless act of violence and to show support for the Parkland, Fla., community. The caps will be authenticated, autographed, and...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The work is done in the morning and early afternoons, ground balls hit to Tim Beckham at third base under a hot Florida sun on the Camden Yards replica field. The first Grapefruit League game hasn't been played and grades remain incomplete, but the transition so far has been seamless. Manny Machado has an ideal vantage point over at shortstop, Beckham's old position, and he's impressed with how his teammate is handling the move both mentally and physically. "I think he...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Joaquín Benoit has played for good teams and bad teams. He has appeared in 20 postseason games (three of those in the World Series) and he's played out the string in September for clubs that were going nowhere. Now 40, with far fewer days ahead of him than behind him, Benoit's priorities have changed. When looking for a job this winter and spring, he sought only two things: a major league contract and a chance to win. That made the Nationals, who officially...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Outfielder Colby Rasmus is taking his physical in Sarasota today and his minor league deal won't be announced until the Orioles have the results in hand. Update: The Orioles announced the deal. Rasmus increases the camp total to 63 players. Rasmus opened the 2017 season on the Rays disabled list following surgery on his left hip and he developed tendinitis in June. The Orioles must be convinced that his head is all right. The Rays placed Rasmus on the restricted list in July...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' search for a left-handed hitting corner outfielder has led them to Colby Rasmus. Rasmus and the Orioles have agreed to terms on a minor league deal pending the completion of a physical, according to a source. Rasmus, 31, could platoon in right field and back up at all three spots. He's a career .252/.318/.463 hitter against right-handers and a .211/.290/.366 hitter versus lefties. Most of Rasmus' experience is in center field, where he's made 724 starts, but...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman no longer will be a spectator in spring training. Hidden behind the walls of the Ed Smith Stadium complex while negotiations continued on a new contract, Tillman is free to join the workouts and prepare to join a rotation that's added two starters in less than a week. "It is a relief," he said this morning while standing outside an entrance to the clubhouse. "I've been stuck inside looking out the windows for the last three days, so it feels good to finally...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Joaquin Benoit and placed right-handed pitcher Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Benoit, 40, joins the Nationals after spending the 2017 season with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He began his 16th Major League season with the Phillies, where he struck out more than a...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed right-hander Chris Tillman to a one-year contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jaycob Brugman has been designated for assignment. Tillman, 29, has gone 73-55 with a 4.43 ERA (551 ER/1118.1 IP) with 834 strikeouts in 198 starts (203 games). He has spent all nine Major League seasons with the Orioles, collecting 10-or-more wins in four-straight seasons (2013-16) and ranks tied for 12th in Orioles history (since 1954) in career...