Having reached agreement with Delmon Young on a one-year deal on Christmas Eve, the Orioles still need the outfielder to take his physical before they can make it official. The Orioles knew that the physical wouldn't get done before Jan. 1. I was told today that Young will take it on Wednesday in Baltimore. No rush, I suppose. Team officials are confident that Young's physical won't turn up anything that could nix the deal. It's pretty much a formality. Young is guaranteed $2.25 million and...

In building a winning baseball team, you need to have plenty of talented players. That part is obvious and a given. But how do aspects like team chemistry and character of the individual players factor in? Are they important, even if you can't put a stat on those intangibles like you can a batting average or ERA? When the Orioles acquired Nelson Cruz, who was coming off a suspension, and Delmon Young last year, some fans wondered how the pair would impact clubhouse chemistry. Now some wonder...

We've talked a lot this winter about the crop of pending free agents that the Nationals have and how it will be interesting to see how general manager Mike Rizzo proceeds with that group. When discussing the Nats' list of upcoming 2015 free agents, five names are usually listed - Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond, Tyler Clippard and Denard Span. Pretty strong list there, one that contains five major contributors to this squad. But beyond those five, there are a few other players who...

This offseason is exciting as we look ahead to the potential of 20-year-old third baseman Drew Ward. He is a 6-foot-4, 210-lb. infielder from a town of about 440 in central Oklahoma. Ward hit 10 homers last year, after hitting one in 2013 for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Nationals, and added an impressive 73 RBIs. The 2013 third-rounder could be one of those future power bats the Nationals covet. After Steven Souza Jr. was traded and Tyler Moore is potentially in the big leagues for good, Matt...

With so much attention placed on the Orioles' attempts to craft their roster for the upcoming season, it's easy to forget that they need to give raises to their 11 arbitration-eligible players. Players can file for arbitration on Jan. 13, and the sides exchange salary figures three days later. Hearings take place between Feb. 1-21 if agreements aren't reached. Here's the list of the Orioles' 11 arbitration-eligible players with their salaries last season and MLBTradeRumors.com's...

If the Orioles do sign outfielder Colby Rasmus, in one sense, maybe he fits right in. He is a player that can deliver home runs while also striking out a lot. The O's have some players that do that. But one stat I read about Rasmus was rather surprising and it is how he fared last year in Isolated Power. In a writeup about Rasmus and his free agent outlook for this winter, MLBTradeRumors.com's profile included this excerpt: Despite seeing only 376 plate appearances in 2014, Rasmus...

Yesterday afternoon was a bit strange for me. Not only did I actually get a chance to sit in the seats at Nationals Park and watch a sporting event, but there was a hockey rink smack-dab in the middle of the field. Play ba ... wait, no. We'll have to wait a few more months for that. Yesterday's Winter Classic was a very enjoyable experience, largely because it was just such a cool thing to be a part of. The sight lines from my lower-level seat weren't great, and I'll admit that I had...

Will there be a mass exodus of Orioles following the 2015 season? There sure could be and it has some fans very concerned already, apparent by reading some of the comments here. As many as 11 current members of the 40-man roster are potential free agents following the coming season. Is the O's window to win closing that fast? There are two starting pitchers in Bud Norris and Wei-Yin Chen that are set to be free agents. There are four relievers that could become free agents, including Darren...

Now that we've made it past the holidays, the Orioles could make a flurry of moves before opening day. Not a blizzard. The plow won't be driving through your neighborhood. But the baseball forecast in Baltimore is calling for flurries. The Delmon Young signing is just one of the moves. The Orioles will add at least one left-handed bat for the outfield, with Colby Rasmus the current favorite if manager Buck Showalter is satisfied with their meeting. A catcher and right-handed reliever also...

Standing against the wall of an elevator descending to field level at Nationals Park, Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner blends in a little too well with the rest of the red-clad Capitals fans streaming into the ballyard for the National Hockey League's Bridgestone Winter Classic. Nationals curly W sweater? Check. Winter Classic jacket to brave the chilly temps and biting breeze? You bet. Caps toque? Of course, even the little snowball on top seems both festive and appropriate. Sunglasses?...