Last night, Nick Markakis agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal with the Braves, ending his 11-year tenure with the Orioles organization. There's a lot to remember when you look back at Markakis' time in Baltimore. The right fielder was a consistent force defensively and offensively, but arguably the most memorable moment of his career isn't an amazing catch or clutch home run. After 1,352 games of wearing orange and black, Markakis had a priceless reaction when he heard "Your 2014...

Did you really think the Nelson Cruz news was going to be the low point of your week? Nick Markakis will sign his four-year, $44 million contract with the Braves once he passes a physical. You've got more time to process how the longest-tenured Oriole will be wearing a different uniform and playing in a different league. Hopefully, left-hander Andrew Miller's pending agreement with a new team won't become a distraction. That news could come as early as today. (Is it really between the...

So should the Orioles have considered the feelings of the fans when negotiating with Nick Markakis? And just because some fans are very upset over his departure to Atlanta, others said he was not worth such money with his declining stats. So even if the O's did take the fans into account, who will win out? If you sit in Dan Duquette's chair, you have a lot to consider and that probably does include fan sentiment, but it has to rank well behind plenty of other aspects to be considered. Things...

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy spoke to Nick Markakis earlier this afternoon, two friends getting caught up on today's news. Two friends coming to grips with being former teammates. Markakis has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Braves, removing the longest-tenured Oriole from the clubhouse. "He gave me a call and kind of let me know how it all went down," Hardy said. "As a friend and teammate of Nick's, it sucks to watch him go, but it looks like he'll be in a good...

What seemed very unlikely is now going to happen: Nick Markakis is going to leave the Orioles. The O's right fielder since 2006 and a first-round draft pick in 2003 will leave the organization after 1,365 games sporting the orange and black. Markakis has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal worth $44 million with Atlanta. So much for reports he might have had a deal for four years and $48 million from the Orioles. This will be a gut punch for some fans. Fans that get attached to players for...

Within the span of a few days, the Orioles have lost the leading home run hitter in the majors last season and their longest-tenured player. Nelson Cruz agreed to a four-year, $57 million contract with the Mariners on Monday, and Nick Markakis has agreed to a four-year deal with the Braves today worth $44 million, according to an industry source. The Orioles have been notified of Markakis' decision. Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement. The Orioles were negotiating a four-year deal with...

One year after declining to offer Eddie Gamboa a contract and removing him from the 40-man roster at the non-tender deadline, the Orioles have signed the knuckleballer to a major league deal. The Orioles re-signed Gamboa to a minor league contract last winter and he went a combined 5-7 with a 3.81 ERA and a career-high 8.6 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 19 games (17 starts) with Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. He's currently pitching in the Mexican Winter League, where he's gone 4-2 with...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed right-hander Eddie Gamboa to a major league contract. Gamboa, 29, went a combined 5-7 with a 3.81 ERA (108.2IP, 46ER) and a career-high 8.6 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 19 games (17 starts) with Double-A Bowie (five starts) and Triple-A Norfolk (14 games/12 starts) in 2014. He is currently pitching for Navajoa in the Mexican Pacific League Winter League, where he has gone 4-2 with a 1.33 ERA (54.0IP, 8ER) in eight starts, striking out 49 and...

The Washington Nationals today released new details about NatsFest, taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, December 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Season Plan Holders will have exclusive access to the event for an entire hour (10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) before NatsFest opens to the general public at 11:00 a.m. * For more information on becoming a Season Plan Holder and receiving exclusive benefits like this, stop by the Ticket Sales booth at NatsFest or visit...

Forget the notion that the Orioles will reunite with former closer Jim Johnson. He's off the board. The Braves announced today that they signed Johnson to a major league deal, the transaction coming a year and one day after the Orioles traded him to the Athletics at the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Johnson is joining his third organization since that deal. He posted a 7.14 ERA and 2.058 WHIP in 38 appearances with the A's and a 6.92 ERA and 1.615 WHIP in 16...