Five former Orioles are included on the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot, which was released today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The ballot contains 17 newcomers and 17 holdovers, and is being mailed this week to more than 575 voting members of the BBWAA. The former Orioles are pitchers Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling and Lee Smith, and outfielders Tim Raines and Sammy Sosa. The list of newcomers to the ballot includes pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, infielder...

The Nationals have made it a mandate: Build from pitching and catching. Their organization is filled with outstanding hurlers and backstops that have played well for the Nationals or have brought fruit in trades over the years. Derek Norris, who was traded in a blockbuster 2011 deal for left-hander Gio Gonzalez, has become a starter for the Oakland A's, helping to guide them to a playoff appearance last season. (Ironically, A.J. Cole was part of that deal to Oakland, has since been traded back...

We've got lots of action on the hot stove this morning. And all of it is coming out of Boston. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported last night that Hanley Ramirez is flying to Beantown today to finalize a contract with the Red Sox, one that will be in the five-year, $90 million range. Ramirez got his start in the Red Sox organization before being traded to the Marlins in the winter of 2005 in the deal that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston. Now he's apparently bringing it full...

Heading into the 2013 season, the Toronto Blue Jays were a trendy pick to win the American League East. They made some bold moves and spent some money the previous winter. They acquired players like R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Melky Cabrera and Jose Reyes. But it didn't work out and Toronto finished in last place at 77-84. It got a little better last season, when the Blue Jays finished 83-79, and they've been spending again this winter, already signing catcher Russell Martin to a...

So how do you feel about Melky Cabrera? I'm just curious, since I've heard from multiple people that he's a "fallback option" for the Orioles if they can't re-sign Nick Markakis. His name has been discussed. He's on the radar, as the kids say. Cabrera's 50-game suspension after testing positive for testosterone occurred two years ago, one month after he was named Most Valuable Player in the All-Star Game. If the Orioles were able to overlook Nelson Cruz's suspension, signing him to a...

Nationals fans know what they have in Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon. They know that Desmond has won three straight Silver Slugger awards among National League shortstops, and in those three years, that he has hit 69 homers, driven in 244 runs and posted an impressive slash line of .275/.326/.462. He's also mixed in some speed with his power, stealing 66 bags over the last three seasons, joining elite company as one of the few shortstops in history to have three straight 20/20 seasons. They...

One of the more popular questions that I receive in television and radio interviews centers on the Orioles' intentions with catcher Matt Wieters and first baseman Chris Davis, both pending free agents following the 2015 season. Rather than being asked about possible contract extensions, the inquiries are aimed at whether the Orioles will consider trading Wieters and Davis over the winter or during the season. They're both represented by Scott Boras, who usually wants his clients to test the...

When the Orioles finally made a draft pick last June, they selected a high school player with their top pick for the fifth time in six years. But unlike in some recent years, they didn't have one of the top picks in the draft. In fact, this time the Orioles' first selection came on Day Two and in the third round of the First-Year Player Draft. With the 90th overall selection, the Orioles tabbed left-handed pitcher Brian Gonzalez from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Florida. Gonzalez...

The Orioles wanted to re-sign infielder Buck Britton, who spent seven years in their organization before becoming a minor league free agent. However, they sensed that he had a better offer waiting for him and figured they were going to lose him. Sure enough, the Dodgers signed Britton to a minor league contract today that most likely includes an invitation to spring training. Update: Britton did receive a spring invite, and his contract includes an opt-out clause. Britton, 28, tweeted the...

We knew that Adam LaRoche wouldn't be returning to the Nationals for the 2015 season. Now we know where the 35-year-old first baseman will be suiting up for the next two years. LaRoche has agreed to terms on a two-year, $25 million deal with the White Sox, a contract that was first reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale. The deal will give LaRoche a hitter-friendly home ballpark, as 1.86 home runs were hit per game at U.S. Cellular Field in 2014, ninth-most in the majors. Just 1.33...