There are a lot of ifs at work here. But if the Orioles acquired pitcher Jeff Hoffman from Toronto, and if we then re-ranked the list of the Orioles' top prospects, then Hoffman might rank behind only one player. He is a hard-throwing right-hander that just turned 22 and, if added, might immediately be the Orioles' No. 2 prospect behind only Dylan Bundy. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted this yesterday: If a TOR/Duquette deal is finished, compensation will be substantial. Jeff Hoffman...

This is the story that doesn't end, it just goes on and on my friends... I didn't make it out of York, Pa., without the Twitter world being jolted again by reports that the Orioles are close to settling on compensation from the Blue Jays that would allow executive vice president Dan Duquette to take the job as president and CEO in Toronto. A source close to the situation said "nothing is imminent" and there won't be a resolution before next week. The source added that Duquette's status...

The game of baseball is filled with highs and lows. Sometimes it can feel like it is mostly lows. Or it's the lows that you remember longer. A bad pitch leads to a huge inning. A strikeout with the bases loaded foils a possible big rally. It happens in almost every game. Rick Ankiel, probably more than any other player in the modern era, knows about the highs and lows of playing Major League Baseball. He started as a top pitching prospect. Through his well-documented wildness on the mound, he...

There are 162 games in a baseball season, so determining a team's opening day starter seems to be a low-level story. But it is never that way. Opening day starters are a topic of conversation the minute teams arrive in spring training. Given so much is set with the Nationals going into the spring, the opening day starter is virtually the only question to be answered. Some managers announce their opening day starter at the beginning of spring training. Others hold back, even though reporters...

Mike Rizzo's history with Max Scherzer is well-documented. The Nationals general manager was the scouting director in Arizona in 2006 when the Diamondbacks selected the hard-throwing Scherzer with the No. 11 pick in the first-year player draft. Rizzo scouted Scherzer, and loved what he saw out of the young right-hander. And when it came time for the Diamondbacks to make their first-round pick, Rizzo had to convince the others in the Arizona war room that Scherzer was the best guy on the...

When he hears that the Orioles are looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder, I wonder if David Lough ever says to himself, "Hey, I'm a left-handed-hitting outfielder. Give me a chance." I'm sure he does, and who knows? He may well get a bigger shot than we think come April. Right now, barring any additions, Steve Pearce is penciled in as the starter in right field and Alejandro De Aza is in left. But will the lack of an addition by the Orioles lead to a greater chance for Lough? He is a...

Paul Beeston insisted in December that he would remain as Blue Jays president and CEO in 2015. Bob McCown of Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto offered further confirmation yesterday. Does this end the Blue Jays' interest in Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette? Is it safe to go outside again. Not a chance. Duquette still could wind up with Beeston's job in 2016 and beyond if Orioles managing partner Peter G. Angelos agrees to compensation. If the club decides that it's reached the...

After getting a brief tour of the home clubhouse at Nationals Park and signing his contract early this afternoon, it became official - Max Scherzer is a Washington National. Scherzer met with reporters today, discussing the process that he went through this offseason as he waited to see where he'd end up and what eventually lured him to D.C. The $210 million sure doesn't hurt, but Scherzer said there was more to his decision than just that. "You can offer as much money as you want, but if...

Most people looked at the Nationals rotation as 2014 morphed into 2015 and saw the strongest starting five in the major leagues. General manager Mike Rizzo looked at the potential juggernaut on the mound and thought about only one thing: making it even more imposing. The Nationals introduced Max Scherzer on Wednesday afternoon after the right-hander put pen to paper on a seven-year, $210 million contract. If the Nats weren't already the odds-on favorite to repeat as National League East...

The Orioles have reached agreement with pitcher Steve Johnson on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, allowing the Baltimore native to stay home. Johnson, 27, is rehabbing from surgery in September to remove a bone spur behind his right shoulder. He's been pain-free while playing catch. The St. Paul's graduate was bothered this summer by tendinitis in his shoulder that forced him onto the disabled list and limited him to 13 appearances at Triple-A Norfolk. His innings...