The season is done. The ballots are in. The Orioles' Chris Davis and Adam Jones are going to appear on American League MVP ballots. The Nationals' Jordan Zimmermann should make some National League Cy Young Award ballots and maybe his teammate, Jayson Werth, will get NL MVP votes as well. The Baseball Writers' Association of America will announce their awards in November, but here's one perspective: * NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers is the winner. How could anyone argue with...

Right-hander Taylor Jordan made a solid impression in his first season at the major league level after advancing two levels in 2013. Jordan recovered nicely from Tommy John surgery and got off to a good start with high Single-A Potomac. In six starts, Jordan went 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA with 29 strikeouts and six walks in 36 1/3 innings. After his promotion to Double-A Harrisburg, Jordan continued to pitch well. That is actually an understatement. He went 7-0 with an 0.83 ERA in eight starts...

So now what do we do? Well, here on this blog we quickly transition to offseason mode which sometimes can be pretty fun, too, as we both look back and ahead, speculate on what might happen, report on what does happen and get your input on it all along the way. If you are new here, you should know that our blogs stay active all year long and we never stop talking about the Orioles. MASNSports.com is one place you can always come for O's news and always come to discuss O's news. I want to...

PHOENIX - I'm about to say goodbye to Phoenix and wrap up the 2013 season from a personal perspective, as my flight back east is set to take off in just a little bit. Quickly, I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you for following along this season, both here on the blog and on Twitter. While it's a long season and the job can be pretty grueling at times, you guys have again helped make things fun. I really enjoy the back-and-forth with everyone, and truly thank you for your...

The Orioles currently hold the 17th pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Better to count down the days until pitchers and catchers report. Welcome to Day One of the offseason. It's going to be quiet for a while, with teams pretty much in shutdown mode during the playoffs. It seems like only yesterday that reporters were staking out Luis Ayala's locker in Sarasota, eagerly awaiting confirmation on whether he would pitch in the World...

PHOENIX - The Nationals' 2013 season is over. "World Series or bust" came up bust. One thing that's strange about professional sports is how quickly the focus inevitably turns once a season ends. A week ago, the Nats embarked on a road trip still hoping to pull off a miraculous run into the postseason. Two days ago, they ran out their regular lineup and played a game for their manager, who was trying to reach a statistical milestone. But after yesterday's game, as the Nats packed their...

PHOENIX - Pitching coach Steve McCatty, like most of the Nationals' coaches, has an interesting relationship with Davey Johnson. Johnson will tend to yell a decent amount. He demands plenty from his coaches. He'll complain about mistakes and ask why various moves weren't made. Then, he'll share a laugh with whoever he was yelling at just seconds or minutes earlier, cracking that big smile that we've seen so many times over the last two and a half years. Was today, Johnson's last day as...

PHOENIX - If you were expecting the waterworks to kick in for Davey Johnson after his last game as Nationals manager, you can keep on waiting. Johnson was all smiles after today's 3-2 Nationals loss in the regular season finale, this despite the fact that his managerial career ends on a losing note. He finishes his career with a 1,372-1,071 record, 301 games above the .500 mark. "It was a heck of a ride," Johnson said. "Great group of guys. Time to go home. Put me out of pasture." Did...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't do well with goodbyes, and it showed again today following a 7-6 victory over the Red Sox at sold-out Camden Yards that officially closed the 2013 season. His eyes were moist as he talked about his team and the fan support, and he closed his media session by joking about how he wanted to avoid a Jerry Maguire/Roy Firestone moment. No more questions, please. "You've heard me talk about it a lot," he said. "We're sitting here with just such great...

Chris Davis said his left wrist got bent back a bit, but he is relieved he suffered just a sprain when Jacoby Ellsbury hit his glove hand running to first base in the fourth inning. Davis came out of the game, but X-rays were negative. "You know, right there, that is a tough play with a guy who runs well," Davis said. "Tough play for Clev (catcher Steve Clevenger). Thought I had a chance to maybe sneak in there, but he hit my wrist and bent it back pretty good. But they said no fracture, no...