Final installment in a series on how the Nationals are focusing on improving nutrition in the minor leagues. Read the second part here. The Nationals' minor league system has grown in talent and strength the last few seasons due to shrewd and strategic draft selections. The organization has also made sure those top draft picks are fed well, can build strength with the very best from every other team and do so on a level playing field. In the third installment of Eating Right, we focus on the...

See, the Orioles are busy. They even made a trade during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. OK, they didn't deal Matt Wieters, and it was not exactly a blockbuster. Will their offseason hot stove really take fire this week? This time next week we'll be in Orlando for the start of the Winter Meetings. While we wait for that fun to begin, let's look at a few items in the news in the baseball world. Item: The Yankees and free agent Robinson Cano are still $80 million dollars apart, as Cano...

Today is the deadline for teams to offer contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. Executive vice president Dan Duquette indicated recently that the Orioles will tender all nine of their players - pitchers Jim Johnson, Troy Patton, Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter and Bud Norris, outfielders Nolan Reimold and Steve Pearce, first baseman Chris Davis and catcher Matt Wieters. Of that group, only Reimold, Pearce and Patton were viewed as possible non-tenders. Davis made $3.3 million this year....

In Tyler Moore's two years in a Nationals jersey, we've seen very different levels of production. In 2012, his first time making an appearance in the big leagues, Moore put up a .263/.327/.513 slash line, slugged 10 home runs in 156 at-bats and posted an OPS+ of 123. That average of a home run every 15.6 at-bats was on par with Chris Davis that season, for what it's worth. In 2013, Moore suffered a big dropoff. He hit to a .222/.260/.347 slash line, belted four home runs in 167 at-bats...

Taking time this morning to ponder that the Auburn player that ran back that missed field goal to beat Alabama yesterday was named Chris Davis. The baseball-playing Davis crushed baseballs while the football-playing Davis crushed the hopes of Alabama's fan base. In the last two weeks, the Orioles have added eight players to their 40-man roster with three coming from their own organization. Here is a recap: * Nov. 18 - Orioles sign left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz to a one-year...

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired catcher Johnny Monell from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash considerations. Monell, 27, batted .275/.364/.494 (114-415) with 20 homers and 64 RBI in 121 games for Triple-A Fresno in 2013. He appeared in eight games for the Giants in 2013, batting .125/.222/.125 (1-8) with one RBI. In his seven minor league campaigns in the Giants organization, Monell batted .267/.351/.456 (569-2131) with 77 homers and 332 RBI in 641 games. He...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said newly acquired catcher Johnny Monell will compete for the backup job in 2014. The Orioles obtained Monell from the Giants tonight for cash considerations and placed him on the 40-man roster. Monell, 27, batted .275/.364/.494 with 27 doubles, two triples, 20 homers and 64 RBIs in 121 games with Triple-A Fresno this season. He's a career .267/.351/.456 hitter in seven minor league seasons in the Giants organization. Monell made his major...

The Orioles have acquired catcher Johnny Monell from the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations, according to a tweet from Andrew Baggarly of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. The 27-year-old Monell has spent his entire career in the Giants' minor league system, but was designated for assignment earlier this week. In 641 games over seven minor league seasons, the left-handed batter has posted a .267/.351/.456 line. He has spent most of the past four seasons at Double-A and Triple-A. He's...

Before rolling out of my house late yesterday afternoon, I looked up stats for a Sunday morning blog entry on backup catching candidates for the Orioles. I also was prepared to issue a warning against any snarky "slow news day" remarks. You know the rest. The Orioles acquired catcher Johnny Monell from the Giants for cash considerations and tossed him into the mix. Coincidence? Or did I make it happen? If it's the latter, I'll try to get you a frontline starting pitcher and a...

By now, it's no secret that the Nationals are looking into ways to bolster their starting rotation by adding another arm. It might be via free agency. It might be through a trade. Regardless, the chances of the Nats bringing in another hurler at some point prior to the date for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training appear to be pretty good. We've already seen some movement on the free agent market, with a number of starters inking deals before we even get to the Winter...