The Winter Meetings have come and gone. Our Dan Kolko and Pete Kerzel chased rumors and news around the Swan and Dolphin Resort, and the Nats returned from Florida with left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins and a signed Nate McLouth contract. Add this to the Doug Fister trade earlier in the offseason, and the Nats have had a very successful offseason, one that Buster Olney calls the best in the majors. To make room for McLouth on the 40-man roster, Corey Brown was designated for assignment. This...

The Winter Meetings have come and gone. While Dan Duquette said Monday that the Orioles "should be adding more players by the end of the week," they returned from Florida with just two Rule 5 draft picks. Although rumors swirling around had the Birds linked with many names, including Raul Ibanez and Nelson Cruz, they left without much to show. In an attempt to fill the void left by the Jim Johnson trade, the Orioles put a two-year offer on the table for closer Grant Balfour. In addition,...

After five days down in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for the madness that is the Winter Meetings, I'm back in the comfort of the mid-Atlantic region. As soon as I had started to finally get comfortable with navigating through my massive hotel and getting to my room, it was time to go home. As soon as I had figured out the quickest way from the lobby at the Swan and Dolphin Resort to the media work room, I had a cab waiting for me to send me off to the airport. Happens every year. I'd like to...

The Orioles may have reached the point in the offseason where they have to overpay to get what they want. They seem to want Grant Balfour to be their closer, and it looks like they are going to have to outbid other clubs to get him. The time has come for the Orioles to do just that. The Orioles need help with their starting pitching. Bartolo Colon signed a two-year, $20 million dollar deal with the Mets. Tim Hudson signed a two-year, $23 million dollar deal with the Giants. Those deals...

I left the Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., yesterday and realized that the temperature had been in the 80s during my entire stay. I never ventured outside the hotel until hailing a cab for the return trip to the Orlando airport. Quite a shock to the ol' system when I stepped off the plane at BWI. The Orioles announced their acquisition of minor league catcher David Freitas as the PTBN in the Jim Johnson-Jemile Weeks trade a few minutes before I boarded my flight. Timing is...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Now that the Rule 5 draft has been completed, the Orioles received minor league catcher David Freitas from the Athletics as the player to be named in the Jim Johnson trade. Freitas, who turns 25 on March 18, is the exact kind of hitter Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is looking to add to the organization - a high on-base guy. The backstop has a career .377 on-base percentage in 373 minor league games spanning four seasons since he was a 15th-round pick of the...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Greetings from Orlando International Airport, where I've just arrived through the security checkpoint to news that the Nationals' deal with outfielder Nate McLouth is official. That means McLouth passed his physical and that his $10.75 million deal is official. The Nationals envision the veteran, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, as a perfect fourth outfielder, since he's able to play all positions, is a plus defender and adds a dimension of speed to the bench. In...

The Washington Nationals today signed outfielder Nate McLouth to a two-year contract. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. McLouth, a nine-year veteran, is a career .250 (779-for-3118) hitter with 185 doubles, 19 triples, 100 home runs, 326 RBI and 129 stolen bases in 966 games with the Orioles (2012-13), Braves (2009-11) and Pirates (2005-09, '12). The left-handed hitting McLouth joins the Nationals after hitting .258 with 31...

The Washington Nationals are looking for outgoing and energetic personalities to be a part of the team's entertainment crew for the 2014 season. Beginning this week, the Nationals are accepting applications for the NatPack, the Racing Presidents and the Ball Girl squad. Fans across the Nation's Capital have until Friday, January 3, 2014 to apply for these seasonal positions by visiting the Job Opportunities section on nationals.com or checking out www.teamworkonline.com. NATPACK The NatPack...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Another Winter Meetings week has come and gone. We headed south. We blogged. We tweeted. We waited for big news that never came. That doesn't mean it never will. We'll see on that one. The fans are restless and some of the reporters may be too. Over the next few days and maybe weeks, we'll begin to find out if the groundwork was set or advanced this week for additions that can help the 2014 Orioles. Before we headed for the airport, Roch and I headed for one more...