Just a couple of days after Denard Span was named the Nationals' recipient of the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award, there's a report that the Nats might be open to trading their speedy center fielder. According to CBSsports.com's Jon Heyman, officials from competing teams say that the Nats "appear willing" to listen to offers for Span, who hit .279/.327/.380 this season and was a finalist for a Gold Glove this season after going the entirety of the 2013 campaign without allowing...

In case you missed my update last night, the Orioles want to keep former bullpen coach Bill Castro in the organization. I'm not sure in what capacity, but there's apparently a spot for him. Dom Chiti has been hired as Castro's replacement, and he's valued by the Orioles almost as much for his scouting abilities as his work with pitchers. The Orioles will tap that resource. Chiti must have really wanted to get back in uniform, and back in a teaching mode, to leave a front office position...

Henry Urrutia had another strong game for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. The Orioles' 2013 minor league Player of the Year is batting .410 in 16 AFL games with three doubles, three homers and 13 RBIs. Urrutia is slugging .607 with an OPS of 1.069 and is batting over .400 against both left (.412) and right-handed pitchers (.409). Over his last three games, Urrutia is 8-for-13 with a homer, three runs and five...

Now that the Orioles have settled on a new bullpen coach, with the hiring of Dom Chiti expected to be announced Monday, the focus shifts to the two supposed in-house candidates. Scott McGregor and Bill Castro weren't contacted about the pitching and bullpen coach openings. The Orioles chose Braves minor league pitching coordinator Dave Wallace for the former job, and he had a strong voice in the decision to hire Chiti, a Braves special assistant. McGregor will return to his former role as...

General manager Mike Rizzo has admitted that he erred when he decided to put just one left-hander in the Nationals bullpen going into the start of the 2013 season. Rizzo and the Nationals looked around for left-handed relievers last winter, but instead of adding a new face or retaining Sean Burnett, Michael Gonzalez or Tom Gorzelanny, they opted to break camp with starter-turned-reliever Zach Duke as their lone southpaw in the 'pen. That didn't exactly work out as planned. Duke pitched to...

While wondering whether Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson presenting Manny Machado with his Gold Glove last night was also a passing of the torch ... The list of minor league free agents includes a 39-year-old pitcher who spent the entire 2013 season at the Triple-A level and isn't ready to quit. Left-hander Mark Hendrickson is putting retirement on hold and will attempt to latch on with a club before spring training. He transitioned into a sidearmer at the advice of Orioles manager Buck...

Since the conclusion of the 2013 season, third baseman Manny Machado won a Rawlings Gold Glove and a Fielding Bible Award, and last night was named the Orioles' 2013 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year. Now comes another honor. Machado received the Rawlings Platinum Glove tonight as the best defensive player in the American League, the announcement coming at the annual Gold Glove Awards dinner in New York City. The Platinum Glove was been handed out for the past three seasons. Rangers third...

The Orioles are prepared to name Braves special assistant Dom Chiti as their new bullpen coach, according to industry sources. An announcement could come on Monday. Chiti, 54, pitched, coached and scouted in the Orioles system, and served as manager Buck Showalter's bullpen coach with the Texas Rangers in 2006. Chiti last pitched professionally with Single-A Hagerstown, an Orioles affiliate, back in 1981. Chiti started his coaching career with the Rangers in 1982 before joining the Orioles....

It was on display in the playoffs, whether it was Michael Wacha or Trevor Rosenthal of the St. Louis Cardinals throwing the ball by a hitter or the Detroit Tigers staff ringing up another strikeout. It was an impressive display of power pitching. A good fastball has always been valued in the sport, but are we entering an era when power pitching will be more important and more sought-after than ever? The combination of a starter who can throw mid-90s heat like Wacha and a closer with...

Right-handers Lucas Giolito and Jake Johansen made positive progress last month at the fall instructional league conducted by the Nationals in Viera, Fla. This week they completed a strength and conditioning camp at the same location. Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams said both looked very good in their workouts and pitching performances during the October instructional league. "Well, I think they are really on the right track heading forward," Williams said. "They both...