NASHVILLE - Welcome to the final day of the 2015 Winter Meetings. We've reached the Rule 5 draft, followed by the stampede of executives and reporters to the airport. Try not to get in the way. I'm staying later because of my dedication. Or because I whiffed on the 1:30 p.m. flight and don't want to pay the cost of changing my reservation. What's a few extra hours at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center? Maybe I'll get in a little Christmas shopping. The Orioles will be...

NASHVILLE - So here is an interesting question: What if Chris Davis accepts what Dan Duquette termed "a really aggressive offer?" Will the Orioles have enough cash remaining to fill other needs? Here is what Duquette said when I asked that yesterday: "Well, keep in mind we have a really strong core of this ballclub. When Matt Wieters made the choice to come back he gave us a real solid catcher to go along with Caleb Joseph. That is one of the more dynamic catching combinations in the league....

NASHVILLE - The Nationals' efforts to rebuild their bullpen continued Wednesday night at the Winter Meetings. The New York Post's Joel Sherman reports that Washington has reached a one-year deal with right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, late of the Giants. Petit, 31, has bounced back and forth from the bullpen to the starting rotation during his eight-year career in the majors. He made just one start in 2015 and 41 appearances as a reliever, posting a 3.67 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 15 walks over 76...

NASHVILLE - The Orioles held another round of negotiations with agent Scott Boras today, but the conversation took place via a phone call and involved managing partner Peter Angelos. According to two industry sources, Angelos and Boras spoke again while trying to strike a deal with first baseman Chris Davis. They met in person before the Winter Meetings and were in contact again today while Angelos remained in Baltimore. The Orioles' offer hasn't changed, according to the sources. They're...

NASHVILLE - The news of the third day of the winter meetings involves second basemen, one that's going home and another that's leaving home. Ben Zobrist signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, partly because he wanted to be close to home and family in Eureka, Ill. Neil Walker has no choice but to leave his family roots in Pittsburgh after the Pirates traded him to the New York Mets. Zobrist has played in the south with Tampa Bay and on the West Coast with Oakland. He...

NASHVILLE - This morning's Rule 5 draft is the final order of business at the Winter Meetings. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo will be flying back to D.C. by the time the first selection is made shortly after 9 a.m.; he's left his trusted front office lieutenants to handle the Rule 5 business. For those of you unfamiliar with the Rule 5, here's a quick refresher: Teams can pick players that were not protected on other teams' 40-man rosters (and who were 18 or younger on the June 5...

NASHVILLE - We had another chance today to record a video interview with Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette. We spent some time on the Chris Davis talks and also asked if the Orioles would consider it difficult to relinquish the 14th draft pick to sign a free agent. Did any free agent or trade talks get advanced today? Are the Orioles close to anything "We made some good progress on some free agent players that we've been talking to. Hopefully we will be able to bring some of those...

NASHVILLE - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette didn't meet today with agent Scott Boras and no more progress has been made in trying to reach agreement with first baseman Chris Davis. Duquette said he believes the club's relationship with Boras "is fine" and he's not conceding that a deal won't get done before team executives head home on Thursday afternoon. "I don't know," Duquette said. "I would never say never, but there's a lot of things that go into these multi-year...

NASHVILLE - Day 3 is wrapping up at the Winter Meetings, and some parties are already packing up to head home. Our flight isn't until 4:50 p.m. tomorrow, but my colleague, Olivia Witherite, flies back to Baltimore tonight. So that means more video editing and posting for me! Don't feel bad for me, I actually like taking time to crank them out and put them on the Web site for fans to enjoy. As for the Nationals, reports surfaced earlier today that the club had made an offer to free agent...

NASHVILLE - One of the most eagerly anticipated happenings of the Winter Meetings has finally taken place. Super agent Scott Boras held court during his annual scrum outside the media workroom at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center this afternoon, and didn't shy away from talking about contractual issues surrounding two of the Nationals players - and one ex-Nat - he represents. Coming off his first National League Most Valuable Player award, right fielder Bryce Harper's stock...