The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Joe Ross and a player to be named from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Steven Souza Jr. and minor league left-handed pitcher Travis Ott on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The deal was part of a three-team trade that also included the Tampa Bay Rays, who will receive Souza Jr. and Ott. Ross, 21, went 10-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) between...

Left-hander Wesley Wright has passed his physical and signed his one-year contract with the Orioles after agreeing to terms earlier this week. Wright will receive $1.7 million, according to a source. The Orioles have a full 40-man roster and will need to remove someone if they're going to sign or trade for an outfielder, most bullpen help, a backup catcher. You name it. In case you haven't memorized it, Wright is 10-18 with a 4.17 ERA in seven major league seasons, the first 5 1/2 with the...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent left-hander Wesley Wright to a one-year contract. Wright, 29, posted a 3.17 ERA (48.1IP, 17ER) in 58 games for the Cubs in 2014, his third straight season making 55 or more appearances. He held left-handed hitters to a .594 OPS, not allowing an extra-base hit to a lefty in 85 plate appearances. Wright also allowed a career-low 0.4...

Earlier this week, the Orioles failed to convince Charlie Manuel to accept the job of hitting coach despite numerous attempts to lure him to Baltimore. They pretty much knew by Tuesday morning that it wasn't going to happen. However, they have received permission to interview Rangers minor league hitting coordinator Scott Coolbaugh, according to an industry source. The Orioles were under the impression at the Winter Meetings that the Rangers denied permission, but Coolbaugh is expected to...

Most of baseball thinks Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo made another lopsided deal Wednesday, when he agreed to send outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays, Washington's contribution to a three-team, 11-player blockbuster that shipped 2013 American League Rookie of the Year Wil Meyers from Tampa Bay to the Padres. While I'm happy to recap the swap, you might want to go grab a snack and a soda. It'll take a couple of minutes to process everything. A flow chart may work well, too. OK,...

The agent for Delmon Young indicated today that the veteran outfielder isn't close to making a decision on where to sign, but he said the Orioles "absolutely" remain in play. "Everything has been very positive," said Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group, who met with the Orioles during the Winter Meetings in San Diego. "They value Delmon and realize what he brings to the table, and hopefully it's just a matter of getting it right." Wolfe wouldn't discuss specifics of the negotiations,...

Not long ago, I wrote how the 2015 season is extremely important for the professional future of Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia. He turns 28 in February, was limited to 51 games at Triple-A Norfolk last year due to a sports hernia that required surgery, and the Orioles may hold open tryouts in the outfield if they can't sign or trade for anyone. Urrutia's work ethic isn't an issue, as I was reminded during a text exchange Wednesday night that resumed yesterday morning. He's hitting the...

Right-hander Lucas Giolito made tremendous progress in 2014 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound first-round selection from 2012 won 10 games and pitched 98 innings for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns. Baseball Prospectus lists him as its No. 1 Nationals prospect. No. 1: right-hander Lucas Giolito Chris Mellen, co-director of the Baseball Prospectus prospect team, believes Giolito has the potential to be a frontline starter in the majors and the Nationals are...

In the Orioles' search for an outfielder, they have said that they would like to re-sign Delmon Young. Young's bat was the O's secret weapon off the bench all season, so when the Birds were down by two runs with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of Game 2 of the American League Division series, Buck Showalter decided to pinch-hit Young. We all know what happened next. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Watch Young's bases-clearing double in the video below and check back...

I'm sure every Nationals fan already knows what this week's Throwback Thursday is about. Cue the goosebumps. Yesterday, it was reported that the Nationals were involved in a three-team trade, dealing Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays and receiving two prospects from the Padres. Automatically, I know the first thing that comes to mind is "The Catch," so without further adieu, relive the jaw-dropping play below. Your browser does not support iframes.