The Orioles made a minor deal tonight, acquiring left-hander Daniel Rodriguez from the Braves for cash considerations. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said Rodriguez will be assigned to Triple-A Norfolk's roster. He won't receive an invitation to spring training, "but we'll probably take a look at him," Duquette said. Rodriguez, 30, was 6-13 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.464 WHIP in 29 appearances (21 starts) last season for Triple-A Gwinnett. Left-handed hitters posted a .241/.308/.345...

It's been a quiet day so far, except for the stampede of shoppers in a panic over the weather forecast. The Orioles were on the verge of signing outfielder Nolan Reimold to a minor league deal last month on the final day of the Winter Meetings, but it didn't get done and other teams joined the mix. I've heard that the Indians are the most aggressive suitor at the moment and may have moved past the Orioles. The Indians want to sign Reimold to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring...

When listening to Max Scherzer explain his reasoning for signing with the Nationals a couple of days ago during his introductory press conference, one thing stood out to me above all others, and that's that this franchise has come a long way in the last handful of years. From 2008-10, the Nats lost a total of 298 games. Their winning percentage was .386 during that three-year span. The Nats finished last in the National League East all three years. It was tough to get free agents who...

I woke up this morning, checked my e-mails, text messages and Twitter, and knew that Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette hadn't changed jobs. Why I also checked my Facebook page is beyond me. I must have still been groggy. There may not be any significant updates today on Duquette's situation, but trust me, there will be updates. A day can't pass without them, which is just one of the myriad issues here. Anyone remember that this team still wants to find a left-handed-hitting...

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...