SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have invited outfielders Delmon Young and Jack Cust to their mini-camp, according to an industry source, and both players are expected to arrive Tuesday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. The Orioles are interested in signing Young and Cust to minor league deals with invitations to spring training, according to the source. Young is more likely to be signed than Cust, but it's possible that the Orioles extend contracts to both of them. Young, 28, is viewed strictly...

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico - One of the Orioles not in mini-camp in Sarasota this week is catcher Johnny Monell, who was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants on Nov. 30 in exchange for cash considerations. Monell, who got his first taste of the majors in 2013, is expected to compete for the role of Matt Wieters' backup in spring training. Monell is currently playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League - officially Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente - with los Criollos de Caguas,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dylan Bundy has set June 28 as his target date to pitch in a "competitive" game, exactly one year after undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Bundy, regarded in some circles as the Orioles' top prospect - slightly ahead of pitcher Kevin Gausman - is throwing from 60 feet and said "everything's great." "I'm throwing without pain for the first time in a year, so that's always a positive," Bundy said after participating in today's mini-camp...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles annual mini-camp officially begins on Tuesday, but about a dozen players gathered on one of the practice fields at the Ed Smith Stadium complex this morning to participate in conditioning drills and do some throwing. Five of the players were easy to identify - pitchers Tommy Hunter, Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Mike Wright, and outfielder Henry Urrutia. Bundy, recovering from ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, played catch with minor league...

Nationals second baseman prospect Tony Renda is ready to take the next step in the system after a very successful 2013 campaign with low Single-A Hagerstown. Renda batted .294 in 135 games with 99 runs, 51 RBIs, 30 stolen bases, 43 doubles, three triples and three home runs for the division champion and league finalist Suns. He also was the club's first recipient of the newly established Bob Boone award, which exemplifies "a player that has demonstrated professionalism, leadership, loyalty,...

Yesterday was quite a day of television. Two NFL Divisional Round playoff games, a very interesting "60 Minutes" episode that featured a piece on Alex Rodriguez's alleged PED usage (I guess we still have to say "alleged," even though Rodriguez might be the only person left on the planet who doesn't believe he took PEDs), and then the Golden Globes. I'm usually not a big awards show guy, but I flipped over to the Golden Globes right as Jon Voight won an award for the Best Supporting...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles used 26 different pitchers last season. That may seem like a lot, but imagine if they had used the same one. The poor guy would have been exhausted and practically living with Dr. James Andrews. Yes, that's renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews to you and me. Nineteen different pitchers recorded wins in 2013, tying the 2001 and 2012 clubs for the second-most in franchise history. The 2011 team had 20 pitchers win a game. Not the same game, of course. It was 20...

If you grade the Orioles' offense on the bottom line - and that is runs scored - it would get decent grades for the 2013 season. The O's scored 745 runs last year to tie for fourth in the American League. Only Boston (853), Detroit (796) and Oakland (767) scored more. The O's scored 31 more runs in 2013 than they did in 2012. They averaged 4.6 runs per game and the AL average was 4.33. But going beyond just the runs scored, most fans could tell you there are areas on the offense the...

When discussing the Nationals' bench options for this upcoming season, I've heard a few people take casual shots at Scott Hairston, saying that they don't see much of a place for Hairston in 2014. That's only natural, I guess; not only do we live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately type of world, but fans in this area have yet to see Hairston have much success in a Nationals jersey. They have seen Tyler Moore slug 10 homers in limited playing time in 2012, and some might feel that Moore...

Former Oriole Rafael Palmeiro is on the very short list of players that have both 3,000 hits and 500 homers. The group includes Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray and Palmeiro. That is one of the most exclusive lists in the history of the sport and those accomplishments clearly cement Palmeiro's credentials to be a Hall of Famer. But he'll probably never make it to Cooperstown. Like many other players, Palmeiro is tied to performance-enhancing drugs, but unlike some others, he is now off...