As spring training gets started this weekend, the Orioles will be looking for their No. 5 starter, a closer, a left-fielder and a DH. Here is what the Orioles are up against with the four teams in the AL East: * BOSTON - The Red Sox, who beat St. Louis in the World Series last season, will try to be the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees won three consecutively. ... Unless the Red Sox sign Stephen Drew, they will use prospect Xander Bogaerts at...

Last season, Tanner Roark emerged as a force to be reckoned with. As someone who came into 2013 unheralded, Roark enters spring training today competing for a chance to be a part of the Nationals rotation. After making his major league debut on Aug. 7, Roark appeared in 14 games, finishing with a 7-1 record and a 1.51 ERA. The video below highlights one of his strongest outings of the season, when he threw seven scoreless innings against the Braves with six strikeouts. Roark reports with...

While we sit here and bear the snowstorm of the year, pitchers and catchers are reporting to Sarasota, Fla., to mark the first day of spring training. Among those reporting today is right-hander Kevin Gausman. Seen as one of the Orioles' top prospects, Gausman spent 2013 jumping between Triple-A and the big leagues, where he made 20 appearances for Baltimore. In his sixth appearance, Gausman entered in relief with the O's down 3-0 in the third inning against the Yankees. With Gausman...

VIERA, Fla. - Earlier this morning, Nationals right-hander Nathan Karns discussed the possibility of being traded. Now the rumors have come to fruition. Karns just finished meeting with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, who informed him that he'd been dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays. So instead of reacquainting himself with teammates in the only organization he's ever known, Karns is now packing his gear and stuffing belongings into a giant trash bag. He'll soon be traveling across Florida...

VIERA, Fla. - Nathan Karns was having a relaxing dinner with fellow right-hander Aaron Barrett last night, mentally preparing for the first official day of spring training for Nationals pitchers and catchers today. Then Karns got a call from his agent telling him that his name was being tossed out in trade rumors involving Rays catcher Jose Lobaton. How about that for a bit of pre-camp news? "My mom calls me and goes, 'Is it true?' " Karns said today. "I was like, 'I have no idea, I...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The selfie didn't lie. The Orioles have reached agreement on a three-year contract with south Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon, according to an industry source. The team most likely will withhold confirmation until getting back the results of his physical. Yoon will receive $5.75 million guaranteed over three seasons. The deal also includes performance bonuses for games started. Yoon got the rumor mill spinning late Tuesday night after posting a photo of himself in an Orioles...

VIERA, Fla. - As I start to get moving this morning on my first full day in Florida, I'd just like to wish everyone well back up north as you deal with this massive snowstorm that's coming through the mid-Atlantic region. Stay safe, everyone. Hopefully everyone's power remains on throughout the day, and I hope to have plenty of notes and updates from down here to keep you satiated on the baseball front. Today is the report date for all Nationals pitchers and catchers, but that doesn't...

SARASOTA, Fla. - My flight out of Baltimore departed yesterday at 1:45 p.m. I arrived at my hotel in Sarasota around 10 p.m. Not quite the way I drew it up. In between, there was an unexpected landing in Orlando, complications with my rental car and an hour-long drive from Tampa. Upon arriving at my hotel, I was reminded how the internet is slower than Jose Molina. It doesn't matter if you try to use a wireless card. It's the same hamster on a wheel. Hope you enjoy being disconnected at...

As a kid growing up in the Baltimore area, Steve Clevenger went to Camden Yards and dreamed of playing on that field for the Orioles one day. His dream came true late last season when the Orioles acquired him from the Cubs in July and he was a September call-up. In four games, Clevenger handled himself well behind the plate and went 4-for-15 with two RBIs. When he made his O's debut Sept. 13, Clevenger became the 22nd Maryland-born Oriole. That was a taste of playing for the orange and...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Greetings from rainy Orlando. My flight to stormy Tampa has been diverted, and passengers on my Southwest flight are now in two states. Florida and limbo. Eventually, we'll be allowed back on the plane. That's the idea, though the fine folks at Southwest are clearly working without a solid plan. They keep changing it on the fly - and now the ground. Earlier today, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced that he will retire following the 2014 season. His final home game will...