If the Nationals don't end up trading away any of their key contributors this offseason, their roster in 2015 could very well look quite similar to how it did in 2014. After all, the Nats only currently have five players who are free agents this winter. Two of them were starting position players down the stretch and in the postseason (Adam LaRoche and Asdrubal Cabrera), one of them was the closer for the bulk of the season but was demoted to a lower-leverage role in September (Rafael Soriano)...

Some Orioles fans are not happy with Chris Davis. Not only did his batting average drop to .196 this season, but he ended the year serving a 25-game suspension for taking Adderall. Davis let down his organization, teammates and Orioles fans. One year after leading the majors with 53 homers, he ended this season on the restricted list and was not available to the Orioles down the stretch and for two playoff series. What a difference a year makes. This time last year, we were pondering whether...

The Orioles were determined to sign a starting pitcher last winter and ended up with three after reporting to spring training, reaching agreements with Suk-min Yoon, Ubaldo Jimenez and Johan Santana. They also kept checking on Ervin Santana before the Braves struck a deal. They previously made offers to A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo and Gavin Floyd, rotation depth being a priority in the warehouse. Yoon and Johan Santana never made it to Baltimore. Yoon went 4-8 with a 5.74 ERA in 23 games at...

The Arizona Fall League East Division All-Stars downed the West All-Stars 6-2 in Saturday's AFL Fall Stars Game. Dalton Pompey and Roman Quinn combined for three hits and four RBIs in the win. Nationals second base prospect Tony Renda went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout. It was certainly an honor for Renda to be involved in this All-Star game and again helps his profile. It also is important for Renda to continue to get these at-bats against top competition. He started the AFL with...

As I mentioned yesterday, we shouldn't expect to hear much news about Nationals players being non-tendered this offseason. The Nationals have 11 arbitration-eligible players (a list that you can find here), and are expected to tender contracts to pretty much all of them. The only real question mark, in my mind, is Ross Detwiler. Detwiler, a No. 6 overall pick of the Nats in the 2007 draft, has had a bit of an up-and-down last few seasons. In 2012, he established himself as a legitimate major...

The Orioles are determined to make some sort of a move each day until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. They may slow down on Thanksgiving, probably from the tryptophan in the turkey. Otherwise ... With Nick Hundley becoming a free agent over the weekend, the Orioles are left with four catchers on their 40-man roster. I'm including Matt Wieters, who will come off the 60-day disabled list to join Caleb Joseph, Steve Clevenger and Michael Ohlman. Ohlman batted .236/.310/.318 in...

The Orioles today announced that they have declined their 2015 club option on catcher Nick Hundley. Hundley, 31, hit .233/.273/.352 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 50 games for the Orioles after being acquired from San Diego on May 24. The Orioles now have 31 players on their 40-man major league roster.

The other shoe dropped tonight. The Orioles just confirmed that they declined the $5 million option on Nick Hundley's contract, making the veteran catcher a free agent. Hundley made $4 million this season while batting .233/.273/.352 with four doubles, five home runs and 19 RBIs in 50 games with the Orioles. He threw out 5 of 27 (19 percent) runners attempting to steal after going 0-for-9 with the Padres. I've heard that the Orioles would like to re-sign Hundley at a lesser cost, though they...

Last Monday, Baseball America released its latest list of the Orioles' top 10 prospects. If you didn't see the list the first time, Dylan Bundy tops it for the fourth straight year. Here is a look at the list and where those players might start the 2015 season. 1) Dylan Bundy, RHP: Believe it or not, Bundy has pitched 16 2/3 innings in his life at the Double-A level. I expect there is a good chance he returns to the Eastern League and begins the 2015 season with Bowie. He needs to build on...

The Nationals have gotten the option decisions out of the way, with Denard Span returning for 2015, and Adam LaRoche and Rafael Soriano heading for free agency after having their options declined. In the coming days, the Nats will have to continue adjusting their 40-man roster, clearing space for minor leaguers who need to be added, and cutting players who aren't deemed necessary to the efforts to defend the National League East title and make a deeper postseason push next season. But a little...