LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - There's really no way to describe the Winter Meetings to someone who doesn't follow baseball and have it sound....sexy. Family or friends who aren't into sports hear what goes on and they generally react with the same half-hearted response. "Ohh, that's sounds, um, fun." I guess it's not totally their fault. Describing the logistics and setup of the Winter Meetings in a personal ad probably wouldn't sweep too many people off their feet. The idea of a...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - I passed along some quick-hit notes from Matt Williams' session with reporters earlier today, but now that our meeting with general manager Mike Rizzo is done and I've had a chance to settle in a bit, I can provide some more in-depth quotes from the Nationals' new skipper. Since being named Nats manager more than five weeks ago, Williams has tried to hit the ground running. He's met with a handful of Nationals players, integrated himself in organizational meetings...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The latest analysis from Day 2 of the winter meetings at Disney's Dolphin and Swan Resort: * The biggest trade of the winter meetings took place Tuesday with Arizona, the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox pulling the trigger. The Angels get outfielder Mark Trumbo and his 30-plus home run power. The Angels get a young pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, 22, to help build the final three spots in the rotation behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, and the White Sox get rangy...

LAKE BUENVA VISTA, Fla. - At some point late next March, the Orioles will have a decision to make on Kevin Gausman, one of their top young pitching prospects. Will he begin the season pitching as part of the Orioles roster, or does he need to begin the year at Triple-A for more minor league seasoning? Mananger Buck Showalter, while confident in Gausman's ability to now get big league hitters out, also knows he is not a finished product yet. So how will he make that decision when the time...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - I'm emptying my notebook from today's 10-minute meeting with Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette. "We made some progress," he said. "We met with a couple of teams and we also met with a couple of agents to move on a left-handed hitter. We worked on our Rule 5 draft today, so we're putting our list together for Thursday. There are a couple interesting candidates in that Rule 5 draft that we'll give some further consideration to and see if we can come...

LAKE BUENVA VISTA, Fla. - Through most of the first two days of the Winter Meetings, we have seen much less activity throughout baseball than we saw in the week or two leading up to this gathering. Why is that the case? One theory is with the price high for free agents, teams have turned more toward trade options and more trade partners makes that avenue difficult as well. There is some level of gridlock in that regard. This afternoon, during our daily video interview with Dan Duquette here...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told reporters today that the Orioles made their first offer to a free agent since arriving at the Swan and Dolphin Resort for the Winter Meetings. However, he added that it wasn't a closer. Duquette noted the speculation earlier today about Grant Balfour, without mentioning the reliever by name, and described it as "pretty far out ahead of the market." Duquette added that the Orioles have "a lot more work to do" in...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla - One of the most interesting storylines that will play out when the Nationals arrive at Space Coast Stadium for their first spring training under new skipper Matt Williams is his evolution as a manager. While Williams has said he wants to be aggressive - playing to players' strengths, forcing things on offense and making opponents defend against his club - Williams is pretty much a blank canvas as a manager. Yes, there was some fill-in work at Double-A Mobile, and a...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent right-hander Ryan Webb to a two-year contract. Webb, 27, spent 2013 with Miami, posting a 2.91 ERA and setting career-highs in games (66), innings pitched (80.1 - 4th most among NL relievers), strikeouts (54) and WHIP (1.21). He also posted a 2.65 ERA (37.1IP, 11ER) and 4.67 K/BB ratio in 37.1 innings in the second half. Originally selected by the A's in the 4th round of the 2004 First Year Player Draft, Webb has averaged a 1.99...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - There has been a lot of chatter here at the Swan and Dolphin Resort, home to the Winter Meetings, linking various teams to Nationals relievers Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen. There have been reports that the Cubs were interested in both right-handers. I had heard that the Tigers were kicking the tires on Clippard and Storen. But Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said that a lot of the trade rumors swirling around Clippard and Storen are overblown. In other words,...