SAN DIEGO - The Orioles made their first transactions of the Winter Meetings today at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, selecting right-hander Logan Verrett with their pick in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft and acquiring right-hander Jason Garcia from the Astros following his selection with the fourth overall pick. Garcia, who came from the Red Sox's organization, was obtained for cash considerations. The Orioles have 39 players on their 40-man roster. The Orioles had the 28th...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected right-hander Logan Verrett in the Rule 5 draft from the New York Mets organization. Verrett, 24, went 11-5 with a 4.33 ERA (162.0IP, 78ER) in 28 starts with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2014. In three seasons in the New York organization, he has gone 28-13 with a 3.89 ERA (411.1IP, 178ER) and 3.5 strikeouts per walk. Verrett was originally selected in the 3rd round of the 2011 First Year Player Draft out of Baylor University. With this move, the...

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired right-hander Jason Garcia from Houston following his selection with the #4 pick in the Rule 5 draft out of the Boston Red Sox organization in exchange for cash considerations. Garcia, 22, went 3-2 with three saves and a 3.67 ERA (56.1IP, 23ER) in 14 combined games (seven starts) with Class-A Lowell and Greenville. He struck out 9.4 batters per 9.0 innings and held right-handed hitters to a .189/.275/.236 line in 121 total plate...

Current and former Orioles will host 80 kindergarten through fifth grade students from Callaway Elementary School in Baltimore as part of the 36th Annual OriolesREACH Holiday Party for Kids next Tuesday, December 16, from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Dave & Busters in the Arundel Mills Mall. Manager Buck Showalter, along with current Orioles Brad Brach and Steve Pearce, will be joined by former O's Al Bumbry, Dave Johnson, and Scott McGregor for the event. MASN broadcaster Jim Hunter will serve as...

It's the final day of Winter Meetings and the Orioles have yet to make a move. Dan Duquette and the O's still have holes to fill, perhaps most evidently in the outfield. Buck Showalter has stated that Steve Pearce currently projects as the starting right fielder. Last season, Pearce played 40 games in the outfield, recording 75 putouts and five assists while committing no errors in 271 innings. Don't remember his skills covering the green? This week, I'm throwin' it back to one of...

This week, Ian Desmond's name has been thrown around the rumor mill at the Winter Meetings. With just one year left on his contract, the Nationals have their ears open, listening to offers for the shortstop. Desmond is one of the most powerful shortstops in the league. He has hit at least 20 home runs in each of his last three seasons and has won three straight Silver Slugger Awards. Coincidence? I think not. This week, I'm throwin' it back to Desmond's furthest home run of the season, a...

SAN DIEGO - We saw quite a few changes in the National League East yesterday. Jimmy Rollins - to this point a career-long Phillie - was shipped out to Los Angeles and will now play shortstop for the Dodgers. Dee Gordon and former National Dan Haren were traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins, although Haren is now taking time to decide whether he'd rather retire or play another season away from his West Coast home. Antonio Bastardo was sent from the Phillies to the Pirates. The Mets are...

SAN DIEGO - We've reached the finish line of the 2014 Winter Meetings at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The Rule 5 draft will be held at 9 a.m. PST, followed by a frantic race to the airport. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad baseball world. The Orioles apparently will head home with a selection in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft and possibly a pick in the Triple-A phase. Last year, they took Michael Almanzar and Julio Borbon. The earth didn't shake. The only real excitement generated by...

SAN DIEGO - The Nationals have yet to make a move at the Winter Meetings, and based on what I'm hearing, nothing big is imminent at this point. But according to multiple sources, the Nats have been incredibly active here despite the lack of a completed deal, and they are plenty willing to engage in trade discussions involving some of their big-name players. Depending on who you talk to, you'll hear different deals that have been discussed. According to one source, a potential major trade with...

SAN DIEGO - Jon Lester is getting ready to earn $155 million for the Chicago Cubs. So that means teams that were trying to sign Lester are looking for other ways to fix their rotation. The Giants were in Lester and so were the Red Sox, Lester's former team. Lester could have gone to either of those teams that have a combined five World Series victories since 2004. Instead, he accepted the challenge of becoming the first player in history to win World Series with the Red Sox and Cubs, who...