Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche will take part in the 2013 USO Holiday Tour led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey. Joining him will be Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Bridget Kelly, former New England Patriots offensive tackle and three-time Super Bowl champion Matt Light, actor/comedian Thomas "Nephew Tommy" Miles, stars of A&E's hit reality show "Duck Dynasty" Jep and Willie Robertson and former correspondent on NBC's "The Voice"...

Second baseman Robinson Cano, far and away the top free agent in this year's class, flew to Seattle yesterday and reportedly received a nine-year, $225 million deal from the Mariners, according to CBSSports.com. Anyone still want Cano coming to D.C. if it's at that price? The Mariners' offer is one that tops the Yankees' largest projected proposal to Cano by two years and $50 million, leaving Seattle with what's believed to be the top offer on the table by a wide margin. As of right...

Jemile Weeks is trying to learn as much as he can about Baltimore before joining his new teammates at FanFest and in spring training. But he's going to need more time. "All I've gotten so far is Charm City and the Birdland thing that's going on," he said last night during our phone conversation. "I've still got to go out and explore the city." The trade that unfolded Monday night is still fresh, and Weeks joked that he was doing his best to answer my questions and be as helpful as...

It was big news earlier this week when free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury went from the Red Sox to the Yankees. He agreed to a seven-year, $153 million dollar deal with New York with a 2021 option at $16 million. That is a whopper of a deal. I think the Yankees got a heckuva player, but paid way too big a price. There is a reason that his own team, which has some of its own very deep pockets, didn't offer Ellsbury that much. I can only imagine the outrage in Baltimore if an Orioles star...

The Orioles are likely to find their next closer on the free agent market. Executive vice president Dan Duquette has referred to the number of experienced late-inning specialists "on the board." One of those names dropped off it this morning. The Red Sox reportedly have agreed to terms with Edward Mujica on a two-year, $9.5 million contract, with the idea of having him serve as Koji Uehara's set-up man for the 2014 season. Not a bad price, especially if he closes in 2015. The Orioles...

Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy recently began a light throwing program in Florida and he is ahead of schedule in his return from June surgery. In the last few days, Bundy began a light tossing program of 25 throws from about 60 feet every other day. His rehab throwing program will ramp up a bit more in January when he makes more throws at longer distances. Bundy underwent ligament-reconstructive surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews on June 27. Dr. Andrews and O's minor league...

The Nationals felt so confident in the left-handed pitching they have available in their organization that they were will to part with Robbie Ray. Ray came on strong in 2013 and got a lot of attention from opposing scouts. With Double-A Harrisburg, he became a part of a very a tremendous starting five. Ray was 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 starts at Harrisburg. He had 60 strikeouts and 21 walks. For the season, combined with his high Single-A Potomac numbers, Ray went 11-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 160...

If you take the time to consider which players within the Nationals organization benefit most from this week's trade that brought Doug Fister to D.C. and shipped Steve Lombardozzi, Ian Krol and Robbie Ray to Detroit, there's no doubt that Danny Espinosa's name would be near, if not at, the top of the list. As of Monday morning, Espinosa sat behind Lombardozzi on the Nats' middle infield depth chart. Lombardozzi had established himself as a quality utility player on the major league roster,...

The big news of the week was the Orioles' trade that sent Jim Johnson to the Atheltics in exchange for infielder Jemile Weeks and a player to be named. Many Baltimore fans were sad to see the closer go after back-to-back seasons with at least 50 saves. In honor of Johnson's time with the Birds, we're throwin' it back to his 50th save of the 2013 season, his last save in an Orioles uniform. Your browser does not support iframes.

Earlier this week, the Nationals acquired right-hander Doug Fister from the Tigers in exchange for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, and left-handers Ian Krol and Robbie Ray. Despite the excitement surrounding Fister joining the Nats rotation, many D.C. fans were sad to see Lombardozzi go. The kid from Atholton High School always seemed to be a fan favorite around Nats Park. In honor of his time with the Nationals, we're throwin' it back to one of Lombo's memorable moments. In this highlight...