Dave Martinez's inaugural staff with the Nationals will include at least one experienced, well-regarded coach. Kevin Long, who has a long list of supporters after a decade with the Yankees and Mets, has been hired as the Nationals' new hitting coach, the club announced this evening. Long, 50, becomes the first member of Martinez's staff, bringing instant credibility and experience to the first-time manager's coaching roster, with other key positions expected to be filled over the next week...

The Orioles are one more day away, at the most, from receiving official word that catcher Welington Castillo is declining his $7 million option for 2018 and entering the free agent market. Nothing has happened over the last month that leads them to believe in a different outcome. There's always the chance that everyone is floored by a reversal. Never say never. But it would be a huge shocker. Castillo was more likely to return after batting .175/.230/.386 in June and .258/.298/.412 in the...

Mike Rizzo had the opportunity to hire Dave Martinez four years ago. The Nationals needed a new manager following Davey Johnson's planned departure, and the former major league outfielder - at that point still bench coach for the Rays - was among the candidates Rizzo interviewed before selecting Matt Williams. Rizzo again had the opportunity to hire Martinez two years ago. The Nationals again needed a new manager following Williams' firing, and Martinez now had the experience of helping lead...

A key component that new Nationals manager Dave Martinez believes is important to a successful and cohesive clubhouse is how players feel before and after games. How he interacts with those players on the roster can go a long way in the final product put on the field. "I'm actually excited to talk to all of them," Martinez said. "To me, there are 25 guys on the roster, I utilize all 25 guys. the 25th man has an important job. He's going to be put in a moment where he's going to help us...

Buried amid the Nationals' latest managerial change was the news that one of the club's most important players - Daniel Murphy - needed significant knee surgery at season's end. And though team officials believe the All-Star second baseman will be fully healed well before the start of the 2018 season, they can't definitively say that just yet. Murphy had debridement and microfracture surgery two weeks ago to repair damage to the articular cartilage in his right knee. The procedure, which...

The conclusion of the World Series last night ignited the start of free agency, beginning with 149 players hitting the market earlier this afternoon. The list, made available by the Major League Baseball Players Association, includes Orioles pitchers Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jiménez and Jeremy Hellickson, designated hitter Pedro Álvarez, outfielders Seth Smith and Craig Gentry, and utility infielder Ryan Flaherty. Three more Orioles will join the group. Catcher Welington Castillo is expected...

The Orioles and the Mayors' Feed the Hungry Program are teaming up again this year to collect and distribute food to help people in need in Sarasota. The Orioles will collect non-perishable food items at Ed Smith Stadium beginning on Monday, November 6, and will host the charity's Thanksgiving Sorting Day at the ballpark on Friday, November 17. Non-perishable food items may be dropped off at Ed Smith Stadium, located at 2700 12th Street, on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The collection...

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado hit 33 homers and drove in 95 runs in the 2017 season. That was just less than the 37 homers and 96 RBIs he produced in 2016. He was also the American League Player of the Month this past August, when he hit .341 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs. In August, Machado hit three grand slams in an 11-game span. The last one came on Aug. 18 and was a walk-off slam, turning a potential 7-5 loss to the Angels into a 9-7 win. If you don't think hitting three slams in 11...

Let's take a look at four more questions confronting the Orioles as the offseason really kicks in following the World Series. Last-place teams have lots of them. Questions, not World Series. I've been picking and choosing which ones to highlight. The level of importance varies, but each topic is worth discussing. Should the Orioles push to negotiate a new deal for Manny Machado beyond spring training? There's an ice-breaker offer, the preliminary kind that the Orioles presented Chris Tillman...

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Gio Gonzalez, who enjoyed perhaps the best regular season of his career but once again struggled in October. PLAYER REVIEW: GIO GONZALEZ Age on opening day 2018: 32 How acquired: Traded from Athletics with Robert Gilliam for A.J. Cole, Tommy Milone, Derek Norris and Brad Peacock, December 2011 MLB service time: 8 years, 162 days 2017 salary: $12 million Contract...