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...

When baseball pundits talk about the future of the Nationals rotation, Lucas Giolito, A.J. Cole and even right-hander Reynaldo Lopez get mentioned. At the beginning of last year, many would not have known who Lopez was. But the pitcher who just turned 21 on Jan. 4 made a big splash on the scene by pitching well for low Single-A Hagerstown. In nine starts for the Suns, the 6-foot, 185-lb. Lopez went 4-1 with a 1.33 ERA in 47 1/3 innings, striking out 39 and walking only 11 batters. If you add...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with 2013 American League Cy Young Award winner right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer on a seven-year contract on Wednesday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Scherzer, 30, joins the Nationals after seven Major League seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2010-14) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2008-09), and on the heels of back-to-back All-Star campaigns. Scherzer is 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA in 207 career games (198...

Individual tickets for all 16 of the Orioles' spring training games at Ed Smith Stadium will go on sale this Saturday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m. It is recommended that fans purchase tickets online or by phone. Fans interested in season tickets, five-game flex-plans, or group tickets, or those wishing to receive additional spring training ticket information may call the Orioles spring training office at 941-893-6300. Spring training tickets for Orioles home games at Ed Smith Stadium may be...

What a banner year it's been for the NFL. Oh, wait. Did I say "banner year"? I meant disastrous year filled with public relations nightmare after public relations nightmare. The latest NFL issue deals with the ESPN report that came out late last night saying that 11 of the Patriots' 12 footballs used in the AFC championship game were significantly underinflated. I don't know about you guys, but I'm now a bit less pumped up about the Super Bowl two Sundays from now. This controversy has...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter flew into Baltimore yesterday, in case you're tracking his every move. Maybe he missed the snow. As I wrote earlier this week, Showalter is going to meet with managing partner Peter G. Angelos about a variety of topics. He's not making a special trip to discuss executive vice president Dan Duquette. However, the Blue Jays' continued interest in Duquette will come up. The word "compensation" figures to be used during their conversation. It would make a good...

Colby Rasmus, we hardly knew you. We sure talked about you a lot, though. Rasmus signed a one-year deal with Houston on Tuesday, reportedly for an $8 million guarantee. That was apparently more than the Orioles were willing to go, which was said to be in the $7 million range. When it came to Rasmus, it seemed some fans really wanted him and the pop he could bring to right field, while others wanted no part of him and saw a low batting average and high amount of strikeouts that came with that...