LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The end is in sight. The sunlight shining into the lobby of the Swan and Dolphin Resort has started to dissipate as we get to the nighttime hours of the last full day of the Winter Meetings. Soon enough, we'll be on our way back to the 30-degree temperatures many of you are experiencing, although if that means I get to sleep in my own bed, eat dinner before 10 p.m. and not have to chase down rumors all day, I'll be perfectly fine with it. Within the last two...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette met with reporters and other media types again today in his suite, part of his daily routine at the Winter Meetings. Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's suite is directly across the hall. I mention it only because he joked that we were trying to break into his room while we waited for Duquette. Probably didn't help that I was swiping the lock with my credit card. Anyway, here's a sampling of quotes from...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - During his briefing with reporters this afternoon and again later during a one-on-one video interview with MASNsports.com, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said today the club is hopeful of pursuing a contract extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy, who can be a free agent after the 2014 season. Duquette said no talks have taken place yet, but it could happen later in the winter. "He had a great year this year," Duquette said. "He got the Gold Glove...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Executive vice president Dan Duquette said he's made offers to starting pitchers, relievers and hitters as he increases efforts to add players to the roster before heading home from the Winter Meetings. No names were provided, of course, but he indicated that the Orioles retain interest in more than one closer. Duquette also said he's been active on the trade front, though a couple of left-handed hitters came off the board. Duquette said it's possible that the...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Mark your calendars for Jan. 25 - that's when the Nationals will hold NatsFest, which is moving this year to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. According to team officials, the Nationals worked diligently to hold the event again at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, but could not because of limited date availability at that facility. Tickets will be available for purchase online at nationals.com/natsfest starting tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 12 at...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the Nationals looked over the market for left-handed relievers, considering both free agent and trade options, they were looking to find a certain type of player: a relatively young southpaw whose contract offered more than a year of team control and who came with a price tag that made sense for the organization. Under those qualifications, they were able to narrow their search. It left them discussing three or four trade proposals with various teams and making an...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Family members had clued Jerry Blevins in to the fact that his name was being mentioned in trade rumors at the Winter Meetings over the past couple of days. But the left-handed reliever was still surprised when an A's official phoned him Wednesday afternoon to tell him he'd been traded to the Nationals in exchange for minor league outfielder Billy Burns. "I got a call from someone in the A's organization letting me know I'd been traded," Blevins said by telephone...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - With no news to report and another hour remaining before executive vice president Dan Duquette meets with reporters, I decided to flip through my notebook and pass along the latest musings from the hotel lobby. Keep in mind that things change quickly. A few of these nuggets were unearthed much earlier in the day - long before I began stalking agent Scott Boras. * The Orioles met with Shin-Soo Choo's representatives on the first day of the meetings, according to a...

Fans of all ages are invited out to celebrate baseball's return in 2014 when the Washington Nationals host NatsFest on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Tickets will be available for purchase online at nationals.com/natsfest starting tomorrow, Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the annual fun-filled baseball festival will offer a variety of interactive games and activities, including live batting...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Superagent Scott Boras drew the usual crowd of reporters at the Winter Meetings. Today was his day to talk following an appearance on MLB Network Radio. It looked like field seats at a Springsteen concert. I didn't have the most ideal vantage point, but I slowly crept forward as reporters and cameramen gave up and left the scene. Boras spent most of the session fielding questions about free agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. However, he eventually focused on catcher...