It hasn't been a quiet offseason for Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth. At this point, I'm sure you've seen the TMZ-like images of Werth entering a Fairfax County jail to serve part of a five-day sentence after pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge. It was the result of being pulled over last July after exceeding 105 mph in his Porsche on Interstate 495 in Virginia. Though embarrassing, this will not interfere with the season in any way, as Werth will finish his sentence shortly. On...

So the Orioles have settled 10 of their 11 arbitration cases before they went to any hearings. Shouldn't it be 11-for-11? It probably should. The lone case to resolve is with outfielder Alejandro De Aza. The player is seeking $5.65 million with the club offering $5 million. Can't the sides just meet in the middle? What is the holdup here? Will there really be a hearing over such a small difference? Even Scott Boras can resolve an arbitration case. When asked about this during FanFest, De...

The day after a visit from the commissioner of Major League Baseball, the work and progress goes on for the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in southeast D.C. Executive director Tal Alter has been here since the academy was just an idea, and has watched the facility grow from its first shovel in the dirt to a living, breathing entity that is making an impact on the lives of dozens of school-age children in the surrounding neighborhoods. "We are a start-up, that's for sure," Alter said. "We...

The Orioles continue to piece together their camp roster, which apparently won't exceed 59 players. They've settled on their invites from inside the organization and may add someone else from outside. I'm told that the current head count includes outfielder Nolan Reimold, though he may not sign his contract until arriving in Sarasota. The more I check, the more I'm certain that the Orioles are headed to an arbitration hearing with outfielder Alejandro De Aza. I keep getting confirmation....

With just about two weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers report, we begin our daily position-by-position breakdown of the Nationals. We lead off with catcher. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has assembled one of best starting pitching rotations in the past few decades. The staff possesses a unique array of pitches and personalities. Manager Matt Williams and pitching coach Steve McCatty will mostly rely on Wilson Ramos to handle each of them behind the plate throughout the...

On Saturday, more than 16,000 fans gathered at the Baltimore Convention Center to kick off another season of Orioles baseball. The MASN booth stood in the middle of the excitement, offering fans ways to win prizes and take photos with their favorite players. One of the biggest hits of the day was MASN's #SwagGrab claw machine. We rewarded our Twitter followers with an opportunity to try their hand at the arcade game, where they had chances to win Orioles gear, autographed memorabilia or suite...

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with left-hander Zach Britton on a one-year contract, thus avoiding arbitration. Britton, 27, went 3-2 with a 1.65 ERA (76.1IP, 14ER) and a career-high 37 saves after pitching exclusively in relief for the first time in his career. He finished the season ranked fourth among AL relievers in saves and became the 10th different Oriole to record a 30-save season in club history. Over 119 games (46 starts) in the majors, Britton is 21-19...

New Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was in the nation's capital on Wednesday to visit with kids during a tour of the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. While posing for a picture, one of the youngsters asked Manfred which major league team was his favorite. Manfred, not wanting to name a team for obvious political reasons, opted for what he thought was a safer answer. "The first game I ever went to was a Yankees game," said Manfred. The kids, mostly from D.C.'s Wards 7 and 8,...

If you are a young player and you get selected in the Rule 5 draft, there are worse teams to be selected by than the Orioles. It didn't take long for 24-year-old right-hander Logan Verrett to realize that after the Orioles selected him with the 13th of 14 picks made in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. "I was ecstatic to find out their history of keeping Rule 5 picks," Verrett said Saturday at FanFest. "After I found that out, I realized I couldn't have been with a better...

The Orioles have reached agreement on a 2015 contract with closer Zach Britton, according to a source, leaving them with only one unsigned player as spring training approaches. Britton will receive $3.2 million guaranteed and he could earn another $300,000 in incentives based on games finished. He submitted $4.2 million when the sides exchanged figures last month and the Orioles countered at $2.2 million. He made $521,500 last season. Notice how these things usually are resolved at the...