Matt Williams has been around professional baseball for 27 years. He played 17 years in the big leagues, spent a few years getting a different perspective on the game when he worked as a Diamondbacks broadcaster and has been a part of Arizona's coaching staff for the last four seasons. Williams has seen pretty much everything there is to see in pro baseball. His knowledge of the game is vast. But there is one aspect of Williams' resume that is lacking as he takes the newest leap in his...

The Boston Red Sox are the 2013 World Series champions. Now that the season is over, just one question comes to mind: Is it spring training yet? With many eyes on the Red Sox and the Cardinals this week, there's a lot of news surrounding the Orioles that you may have missed. Dave Wallace has been hired as the O's new pitching coach, taking the spot vacated by Rick Adair. On Tuesday, the Orioles' defense was honored, as J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones and Manny Machado were all awarded Gold Gloves....

The Boston Red Sox are 2013 World Series champions, and with another season wrapping up Wednesday, the Nationals officially announced that Matt Williams is their new manager. The official statement came from the Nationals on Thursday morning. With the announcement came the news that Randy Knorr would be continuing his role as bench coach. In case you missed the news, we'll have you covered here on MASNsports.com each Friday with top news from the Nationals. Here are some other headlines...

Anyone else staring at a pile of fun-size candy wrappers this morning and feeling a bit sheepish? I could wallpaper my living room with them. And that's no fun. The Orioles made two roster moves yesterday and more are coming. None of them will blow back your hair. They're creating room for future acquisitions and players they want to place on the 40-man roster to protect from the Rule 5 draft. Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Chris Jones comes to mind, though the Orioles first will have to...

After a season where the Orioles finished 10th in the American League in team ERA and 12th in starting pitcher ERA, it's pretty clear they'll need to pitch better to get back in the playoffs in 2014. But how to upgrade the rotation, in particular, after O's starters posted a 4.57 ERA in 2013? Everyone wants an ace, but we know that there are not any available in this free agent class and getting one via a deal is very unlikely. That said, here is a look at five free agent pitchers that...

The Orioles announced today that infielder Dan Johnson and outfielder Chris Dickerson have been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Johnson and Dickerson will be removed from the 40-man roster, allowing the Orioles to clear room for players they need to protect in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Both are expected to decline their assignments and elect free agency. Johnson went 0-for-5 in three games played for the Orioles this season. In 138 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Norfolk,...

The Orioles today announced that they have outrighted infielder Dan Johnson and outfielder Chris Dickerson to Triple-A Norfolk. Johnson, 34, went 0-for-5 in three games with the Orioles after having his contract selected on September 13. He batted a combined .250/.378/.439 with 21 home runs and 70 RBI in 138 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees system (133 games) and Norfolk (five games) in 2013. Dickerson, 31, batted .238/.266/.400 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 56...

Former Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman and coach Matt Williams was named manager of the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Bob Baum, an Associated Press writer based in Phoenix who covers the Diamondbacks, remembers Williams as a player for Arizona. "I covered him since he was a player in his first year," Baum said. "He is a classic old-school baseball type guy. He is very straightforward. I like that he was always straightforward with us, no baloney. "He is exceedingly honest and to...

Randy Knorr might not have gotten the Nationals' managerial job, but he will return as the team's bench coach next season. And Knorr says he's thrilled to be back in that role. Knorr, who had been one of a handful of candidates to interview for the Nats' managerial vacancy, finalized his deal to return as bench coach today, he said. General manager Mike Rizzo and new Nationals manager Matt Williams both reached out to Knorr last week and let him know they hoped he would take the bench...

The contract of Orioles bullpen coach Bill Castro runs out today, and whether he returns in 2014 remains an uncertainty. Castro said he still hasn't been contacted by the Orioles, who hired Dave Wallace as their pitching coach earlier this week. Castro inherited the job Aug. 15 after Rick Adair took a personal leave of absence. "I haven't heard anything either way," said Castro, named the Orioles bullpen coach before the 2012 season. "The only thing I know is I see what you guys write....