Here are some updates on Leones de Ponce in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (offseason league) this past week and how the Nationals' prospects are faring. Third baseman Zach Walters has put together four multi-hit games in his last nine contests, with 10 hits since Dec. 6. He had three hits on Dec. 6 and Dec. 16, plus a pair of base knocks on Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. Over his last 10 games, he is hitting .270 and his overall average is .260 overall with eight doubles and 13 RBIs...

The Nationals won their division and the Redskins are tied for the lead in theirs in mid-December. It's a wild time to be a D.C. sports fan. Last week, I discussed why Adam LaRoche has yet to make a decision on whether to return to D.C. and re-sign with the Nationals. The main reason is that LaRoche is still looking for a three-year contract, and the Nats are unwilling to offer anything beyond two years. At first glance, the Nationals' insistence on holding firm on their two-year offer...

One of the responsibilities laid at the feet of new third base coach Bobby Dickerson will be working with the infielders. He spent the past three seasons as the Orioles' minor league infield coordinator, so the task shouldn't trip him up. Manager Buck Showalter noted last week that Dickerson did an outstanding job assisting rookie Manny Machado in the transition from shortstop to third base. Machado made only two starts at the hot corner with Double-A Bowie, but he took countless ground...

Left-hander Dana Eveland, who appeared in 14 games with the Orioles this season, has signed with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Professional Baseball League. Confirmation came via a tweet from @bicycleyoun. Eveland is guaranteed $675,000 from Hanwha after making $750,000 with the Orioles in 2012. Eveland actually signed with the Eagles a few weeks ago, but the team didn't announce it until today. The Orioles acquired Eveland, 29, from the Dodgers during the 2011 Winter Meetings for pitcher...

The Nationals weren't a team that relied heavily on speed in 2012. They didn't have to. When healthy, the Nats' starting lineup featured eight guys who have hit at least 15 home runs in a season. Seven of those players have legitimate 25-homer power. The Nats also had a strong overall team on-base percentage, which nearly slotted them in the top third of the league in that category. They were tied for 14th in the league in stolen bases last season, swiping 105 bags. Not bad, but nothing...

Is anyone else surprised that left-hander John Lannan settled for a one-year deal with the Phillies worth a reported $2.5 million guaranteed, with another $2.5 million possible in incentives? Everyone else is hauling in ridiculous amounts of cash for being mediocre. Didn't Lannan get the memo? Left-hander Joe Saunders must be hoping that Lannan didn't just set the market for him. Saw this interesting stat on Twitter yesterday: Lannan is 3-13 with a 5.53 ERA against the Phillies, and 39-39...

Given we currently have a free agent market in which Anibal Sanchez, a pitcher coming off a nine-win, 3.86-ERA season, can land a five-year, $80 million deal, it's shocking that the Mets aren't willing to offer R.A. Dickey the two-year, $26 million extension he's seeking. Instead, the Mets are on the verge of dealing the Cy Young Award-winning knuckleballer to the Blue Jays, according to reports, for top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud and other pieces. I guess this is the move you make...

A pair of former College of William & Mary standouts, Will Rhymes and Bill Bray, will be looking to make the Nationals out of spring training. Second baseman Rhymes is a non-roster invitee who most recently played for the Tampa Bay Rays. The 5-foot-9, 155-lb. infielder is a career .266 hitter with 23 extra-base hits and 29 RBIs in 130 games. He broke in with the Detroit Tigers in 2010, and played 83 games in Motown. He was MiLB.com organization All-Star with the Tigers for 2010 and has made...

Why haven't the Orioles made a trade? There isn't one particular reason. That would be way too easy. The Orioles aren't simply going to hand over their young pitching. Teams need to value these arms as much as the Orioles. If they don't, executive vice president Dan Duquette will keep his surplus and Triple-A Norfolk's rotation will be loaded like a baked potato. The Orioles aren't deep in certain areas, which works against them while, for example, the Mets attempt to deal...

I'm taking a break from researching the Washington Wizards and all the schools defecting from the Big East to check on the latest rumors involving the Orioles' interest in New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey. Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweeted earlier today that the Orioles were one of the "serious players" for Dickey, the National League's Cy Young Award winner. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com followed with this tweet: "Orioles and Rangers don't seem in middle of Dickey talks...