The Orioles have until 1 p.m. today to sign their remaining arbitration-eligible players before the sides exchange figures and hearing dates are arranged. Try to breathe normally. They reached agreement with pitcher Bud Norris last night and have come to terms on one-year deals with Tommy Hunter and Troy Patton this morning, according to sources. I actually was exchanging text messages with Hunter earlier today. He hadn't heard that a deal was done, then got the call a few seconds later...

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In case you missed it late last night, the Nationals agreed to terms with Ross Detwiler on a contract for the 2014 season, one that will pay the left-hander $3 million with a chance to earn $50,000 more if he throws 180 innings. That leaves seven arbitration-eligible Nats players without contracts at this point: Jerry Blevins, Tyler Clippard, Ian Desmond, Doug Fister, Wilson Ramos, Drew Storen and Jordan Zimmermann. As I mentioned earlier in the week, expect a number of deals to come in a...

No more mini-camp news today. And no more Sarasota sunshine, though the wind yesterday cut through me like a knife while I stood on one of the back fields and watched Nolan Reimold and Delmon Young take batting practice. The temperatures dipped into the 50s, and anyone who's spent time in Florida knows that it feels more like the 30s down there. In Baltimore, it would be smedium T-shirt weather. The Orioles moved their batting practice session to a field where the wind was blowing in,...

Maybe crying in baseball is sometimes OK. I didn't exactly need to reach for a paper towel, but I got a little misty-eyed last night watching that MLB Network special on Cal Ripken's most memorable game. Yep, I'll admit it. It was a tremendous special about the night of Sept. 6, 1995 when Ripken played in consecutive game No. 2,131 to pass Lou Gehrig and become the game's all-time Ironman. Watching Ripken talk about his parents and watching him watch his dad, who died less than four...

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has taken another step on his surgically repaired left knee toward being ready to play on opening day. A great, big step. Machado received positive news today after having the knee examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. He's considered "way ahead of schedule," according to one member of the organization. Another estimation places him at six-to-eight weeks. Machado, 21, still hasn't been cleared for baseball activities, but it's a mere...

The Nationals have agreed to terms with left-hander Ross Detwiler on a contract for the 2014 season, avoiding salary arbitration. Per the New York Post, Detwiler will make $3 million this season, with a $50,000 bonus if he reaches 180 innings. Update: A source familiar with the contract confirms that Detilwer will make $3 million this season, a raise over the $2.34 million he made in 2013. Detwiler has gone 18-29 with a 3.79 ERA over 85 big league appearances (69 starts). He was a solid...

The Orioles have reached an agreement on a one-year contract with right-hander Bud Norris, according to an industry source. This allows the club to avoid a possible arbitration hearing. Norris went 4-3 with a 4.80 ERA in 11 games, including nine starts, for the Orioles last year after he was acquired in a trade with Houston. Over 50 2/3 innings, Norris gave up 61 hits with 24 walks and 57 strikeouts. In five home games, Norris went 2-1 with a 7.30 ERA and in six road games, he went 2-2 with...

Tucked in at the end of the press release announcing Major League Baseball's new instant replay system - MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski has the full rundown here - is a paragraph announcing the return of one creative use of technology that has been absent from big league ballparks for 38 years. "Clubs will now have the right to show replays of all close plays on its ballpark scoreboard, regardless of whether the play is reviewed," reads the passage. Though it makes little sense,...

Nationals fans: You've had plenty to be pleased with this offseason. While other major league rosters and rotations are still completely up in the air, the Nats have been receiving national praise for their offseason moves, most of which came very early in the offseason. As we look toward NatsFest (Look for me at the MASN booth!), at which many players will make an appearance, the biggest question for the Nats is who the fifth starter will be. The question is certainly not a bad one to have,...