VIERA, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez arrived for spring training as somewhat of a forgotten man in the incredible Nationals starting rotation. The hype surrounds the signing of Max Scherzer while some controversy follows the impending free agency of Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister. Stephen Strasburg seemingly will always dominate headlines. So here's Gonzalez coming off a frustrating season in which he landed on the disabled list for the first time in his career. Left shoulder inflammation bothered...

Baseball America has announced its much anticipated top 100 list for 2015 top prospects. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is No. 1, while Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is listed as No. 2. The Nationals are well represented on the list with three players in the top 50 and six players in the top 96. It is no surprise that top prospect Lucas Giolito cracked the top 10 and is No. 7 overall. New to the list this season for the Nationals are right-handers Reynaldo Lopez (No. 49) and newly acquired Joe...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Today marks the Orioles' first official workout of spring training at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. It's supposed to be pitchers and catchers, but the place is crawling with position players, too. It's such a common occurrence now, I didn't question why shortstop J.J. Hardy was chatting with reporters at his locker yesterday morning. Or why outfielders Adam Jones and Alex Hassan were getting dressed just a few lockers apart. Or why third baseman Manny Machado was...

It was a question that took only a few words to ask, but a long, passionate and well-thought out answer was provided. I asked Orioles director of player development Brian Graham this week to provide his take on the Orioles taking a fall in several publications' organizational rankings. Last year the Orioles farm system was rated No. 10 by ESPN.com and No. 12 by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. This winter, the Orioles have dropped to No. 22 by ESPN.com and Baseball Prospectus....

VIERA, Fla. - This Nationals roster is facing more expectations than questions heading into the season. But the ability to stay healthy is one issue that's concerning for this team, considering several key players have missed extended time in recent years. Catcher Wilson Ramos is one of those players who's struggled with injuries. In 2012, a knee injury limited him to only 24 games behind the plate. Multiple hamstring injuries allowed him to call just 77 games in 2013. Last season, it was a...

VIERA, Fla. - Last offseason, Doug Fister was the Nationals' prize offseason acquisition when he arrived in D.C. via a trade with Detroit. This time around, it's his former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer who is the talk of NatsTown. Fister landed in Detroit from Seattle at the trade deadline in 2011. Over the next two-plus seasons, Scherzer and Fister were a combined 84-39 while helping to lead the Tigers to three straight American League Central titles and a World Series runner-up appearance...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he may allow Matt Wieters to catch the intrasquad games on the first two days of March rather than restrict him to being the designated hitter. Wieters won't be cleared to throw with maximum effort behind the plate, but the Orioles can control the running game. That's not the case in the Grapefruit League. Wieters is slated to make his exhibition debut behind the plate on March 17, exactly nine months after his elbow surgery. In the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette met with reporters in the workroom for about eight minutes today and provided updates on Everth Cabrera and Paul Janish, among other topics. On Cabrera's pending deal: "I don't know that it's going to be done this week. There's a couple of issues that need to be resolved. We've had some discussions. There's not a lot that I can say about players while we're in the process. The rules don't allow it, but we've done a lot of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Infielder Paul Janish, signed by the Orioles to a minor league deal in November, underwent surgery a few days ago to remove bone chips from his right elbow and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of camp. Janish was supposed to compete for a utility job. With Janish currently out of the mix, the Orioles signed another utility player, Jayson Nix, to a minor league deal and reached agreement with Everth Cabrera on a one-year deal. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The temperature at the Ed Smith Stadium complex won't climb above the low 50s this afternoon and players are dressed accordingly, with hooded sweatshirts the uniform of the day. There's no snow on the ground, but it still qualifies as cold in Florida. Shortstop J.J. Hardy, counted among the early arrivals, said he's taking batting practice indoors, but it's not entirely due to the weather. There's a long wait to step into the cage with so many players already in...