On Sept. 29, a day after Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper tangled publicly in dugout, the eventual National League MVP attempted to sweep the mess underneath the rug. "If Pap's gonna help us win a World Series next year, that's what I need," Harper said in front of his locker after serving a team-imposed one-game suspension for his role in the fracas. During the same rap session, Harper indicated he planned to reach out to Papelbon at some point since the veteran closer had already been...

While the Orioles continue their roster construction, I'm curious how the current and future moves will impact pitcher Vance Worley and infielder Jimmy Paredes. The Orioles claimed Worley off waivers from the Pirates and gave him $2.6 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He's been viewed as a candidate for the rotation and bullpen. Worley is out of options and remains in limbo as the executive vice president Dan Duquette continues his efforts to add more pitching. I'm still...

Baseball is close. The biggest sports day of the year is upon us, as we'll all gather around for tonight's Super Bowl. But once the Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the Broncos or Panthers, we can truly the flip the calendar, allowing our attention to shift to the national pastime as spring training nears. There will be more than $100 million wagered legally in Las Vegas on tonight's game on anything from the final score to whether there will be an earthquake in the Bay Area during the game....

With the 50th Super Bowl set for later today, it is not a bad time to revisit a story I first wrote here about two years ago. It was not long after the Seattle Seahawks beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson passed for 206 yards and two touchdowns that day. The championship came for Wilson less than seven years from the time when Wilson was a draft pick of the Orioles. That 2007 baseball season was the year the Orioles selected...

Just when it appeared that the Orioles had no interest in surrendering their first pick in the draft, they definitely are reconsidering as right-hander Yovani Gallardo remains on the free agent market. The latest shift in thinking apparently has occurred within the past week. They're checking medicals again and weighing the pros and cons. They haven't walked away from Gallardo. They just can't seem to quit him. The pros include the need to bring in an established starter for a rotation that...

Despite knowing the Nationals were losing right-handers Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister from their rotation, there was still plenty attractive about coming to D.C. for new pitching coach Mike Maddux. "What an inventory of arms over here, man," said an excited Maddux when asked about the opportunity. "I look at a rotation that features Max Scherzer up top ... Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross, Tanner Roark. Everybody's got their own little shtick going on there. One guy is...

Not long after he was named the Orioles minor league Player of the Year and helped Double-A Bowie win the Eastern League championship last September, first baseman Trey Mancini took on a different but familiar role - that of a student. He returned to Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in pursuit of a degree and he got it. Mancini added 24 credits over two offseasons to earn a political science degree from the prestigious university. Mancini took 18 credits in the offseason after the 2014 season...

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with left-hander Zach Britton on a one-year contract, thus avoiding arbitration. Britton, 28, went 4-1 with a 1.92 ERA (14 earned runs in 65 2/3 innings pitched) and ranked tied for third in the American League with 36 saves. Since the beginning of the 2014 season, Britton is tied for second among American League relievers with 73 saves, posting a 1.77 ERA (28 earned runs in 142 innings pitched) in that span. In 183 career major league...

And then there were none. The Orioles avoided an arbitration hearing with closer Zach Britton, their lone unsigned player, by agreeing to a one-year, $6.75 million deal, a source has confirmed. The left-hander's arbitration hearing had been scheduled for Feb. 17, after the sides couldn't come to an agreement. The Orioles had offered Britton $5.6 million, while Britton had countered at $7.9 million. The deal represents the midpoint between the two figures. The 28-year-old Britton went 4-1 with...

When we last heard from Mark Trumbo, he had just been acquired in a trade with the Mariners in a deal that become official on Dec. 2. He was surprised by it, since he hadn't heard the Orioles mentioned as a possibility, and revealed his long-standing admiration for the organization. Meanwhile, executive vice president Dan Duquette vowed to continue his search for at least one more impact bat. "This isn't the last move the club is going to make to put our team together for 2016," Duquette...