Triple-A Syracuse will feature the only manager joining the system after spending last season in another organization. Billy Gardner Jr. comes over from the Tampa Bay Rays after managing the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. Director of player development Mark Scialabba said the Nationals are lucky to have a manager such as Gardner joining the organization. "Billy is going to bring a lot of experience to the upper levels," Scialabba said. "He is a disciplined coach. We are excited to have...

In less than 48 hours, I'll be on a flight headed for Orlando, ready to leave behind this brutal weather and kick off spring training 2014. Word on the street is that the D.C. area is supposed to get more snow later this week. Guess I'll miss out on that. What awful luck. (Is my sarcasm coming through clearly enough?) Nationals pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to camp by Thursday, Feb. 13, but I'll be getting down there a day early in order to get settled and check in with the...

Orioles pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Thursday. By my math, that's three more days. Do I remain supremely confident that executive vice president Dan Duquette will sign a veteran starter? Supremely may be a reach. FOXSports.com confirmed last night that the Orioles and Blue Jays remain in contact with Ervin Santana's representatives. The one holdup for the Orioles, of course, is the draft pick compensation. Santana's price has come down significantly...

The Orioles could certainly get a lift this year with better production out of the designated hitter spot. Last season, O's designated hitters batted .234 with 21 homers, 69 RBIs, a .415 slugging percentage and .704 OPS. The O's ranked ninth in the American League in batting average from the DH spot, 13th in OBP, fifth in slugging, fourth in homers and eighth in OPS, a little under the league average of .725. No less than 16 players got at-bats at the DH spot in 2013. That will always be a...

It's not too difficult to remember how we all felt this time last year. Nationals fans expected a stellar season following the team's division title in 2012. I expected the Nats to win over 100 games. Davey Johnson, well, he had such high expectations that he entered the season thinking, "World Series or bust." Things will probably be a little different this year, after the Nats delivered a surprisingly low 86 wins in 2013 and failed to make the postseason. Nats fans will likely be more...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette stated multiple times during FanFest that the club's best players would come via the farm system rather than free agency. The ol' draft and develop strategy toward building a winner. The organization has improved its depth, as evidenced by various ratings from national baseball sites, but should the Orioles stay the course and horde their top pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft? Signing Ubaldo Jimenez or Ervin Santana would give the Orioles...

When Orioles fans watched Michael Wacha of the St. Louis Cardinals pitch so well - dominating at times - in the playoffs last fall, it might have led some to wonder if Kevin Gausman could do that for their team one day. There are many reasons to compare the two young hard-throwing, right-handed pitchers. They are similar in age, with Wacha 22 and Gausman turning 23 last month. Both were 2012 first-round draft picks out of major colleges. Both feature a fastball-changeup combo with a mid-90s...

A couple of weeks ago, A.J. Burnett wasn't sure whether he wanted to pitch in 2014. Now, Burnett's decision on what uniform he'll be wearing this upcoming season has become one of the main storylines remaining as we work up toward spring training. And the Nationals are being mentioned as one potential landing spot for the 37-year-old right-hander. Burnett, who posted a 3.30 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 191 innings for the Pirates last season, has reportedly drawn interest from a few teams...

Let me start by saying I agree with those fans that feel the Orioles should spend more on their payroll. Dan Duquette has mentioned the $100 million figure for the 2014 payroll and the O's should spend at least that much on talent for this season. With their payroll somewhere probably around the low $80s right now, they have some money to spend according to the head of the club's baseball operations. Some fans are stirred up over the payroll issue and the Orioles are probably never going to...

Anyone tired of reading and talking about the Orioles' quest to sign a veteran starting pitcher? If so, my apologies. I'm actually tired of writing about it, but here I go again, checking the list of remaining free agent starters that's provided by MLBTradeRumors: Erik Bedard (35) A.J. Burnett (37) Chris Capuano (35) Odrisamer Despaigne (27) Jon Garland (34) Tommy Hanson (27) Aaron Harang (36) Ubaldo Jimenez (30) Jair Jurrjens (28) Jeff Karstens (31) Paul Maholm (32) Jason Marquis...