This will be the only blog entry I file today from outside the Baltimore Convention Center, barring late-breaking news as I'm heading back home in the evening. Don't hold your breath for the Orioles to announce a major signing at FanFest. It's doubtful that they would confirm a deal pending a physical - more fallout from the Grant Balfour debacle - and it would be extremely difficult to arrange and complete the exams, approve the results and get a signature on a contract before the crowd...

For the Orioles, the effort to get better on the international front continued this week with the additions of two players the club is high on. The Orioles purchased a 17-year-old first baseman, Carlos Diaz, from the Mexico City Red Devils. Diaz is from Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico. The Orioles signed 16-year old international free agent third baseman Jomar Reyes. Reyes is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Orioles vice president Dan Duquette praised Fred Ferreira, the club's...

Drum roll please, it's time to announce Baseball America's No. 1 Nats prospect. It is, of course, 19-year-old right-hander Lucas Giolito, which comes as no surprise. Giolito rebounded from Tommy John surgery to post solid numbers in his first true pro season within the Nationals organization. In eight games with Rookie-level Gulf Coast Nationals and three starts at short-season Single-A Auburn, Giolito went 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA in 11 starts. In 36 2/3 innings, Giolito struck out 39...

The Potomac Nationals are coming off a tremendous season that saw them win both halves of the Carolina League Northern Division season and appear in the Mills Cup Championship final series. Most of those prospects from 2013 will now move on to Double-A Harrisburg. That will mean that new high Single-A manager Tripp Keister will have most of his roster from low Single-A Hagerstown to follow suit and join him in Woodbridge, Va. Here is my educated guess as to who will be on the field for the...

The Orioles have signed veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to spring training, according to a team official. This is not the big announcement for FanFest. I repeat, this is not the big announcement for FanFest. It's also not an indication that the Orioles are trying to trade shortstop J.J. Hardy. They've expressed a desire to sign him to an extension before he hits the free agent market next winter. Gonzalez, who turns 37 next month, batted...

I'm sure you're counting down the days until opening day, but if not, let me remind you there are only two more months! That's right. Just two months until the Nationals begin their season in New York. We took to Instagram yesterday, asking fans to submit their #TBT, "Throwback Thursday," pictures of their favorite memories from Nats Park. We saw awesome pictures of fans' experiences, and although it was difficult, we narrowed it down to five of our favorites. Check out the photos...

In many ways, Davey Johnson was a players' manager. One of those ways was that he ran a pretty laid-back spring training, in which early workouts usually were complete well before noon and veterans often weren't required to go on the long road trips. Things will probably be a bit different under new Nationals manager Matt Williams. Williams said at the Winter Meetings in December that he had the first 25 days of spring training totally mapped out. At NatsFest last weekend, Williams noted...

Multi-Platinum entertainer Jason Aldean announced today that he will perform at Nationals Park - home of the Washington Nationals - on Friday, July 25, 2014 as part of his "2014 Burn It Down" tour. Red-hot duo Florida Georgia Line and breakthrough artist Tyler Farr are also on the bill. Tickets and parking will go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 7 at 10:00 a.m., online at nationals.com/jasonaldean or LiveNation.com and by phone at 888.632.6287. Nationals Season Plan Holders...

Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman flew into Baltimore yesterday afternoon, an early arrival for this weekend's FanFest activities. So much has changed since the last time he signed autographs at the Baltimore Convention Center. Tillman was out of options and trying to make the club. Now he's the favorite to take the ball on opening day. What's the mindset this spring? "First, you've got to be ready. You've got to be ready for your teammates," Tillman said last night on the "Hot Stove...

Well, now that NatsFest is over, we can officially begin our countdown to the baseball season. First step: Exactly two weeks until pitchers and catchers report. Pretty soon, Dan Kolko will be heading down to Viera, Fla., for spring training, trading in the cold for Florida weather and baseball. I'm not saying I'm jealous of the weather he'll experience, but I'm also not ruling out sneaking down to Florida by stowing away in Kolko's luggage. NatsFest was such a great event, and I had a...