SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles announced the following promotions to their baseball operations staff, including one involving former center fielder Brady Anderson, a member of the team's Hall of Fame: Anderson, previously the team's special assistant to the executive vice president of baseball operations, is now the club's vice president of baseball operations. Ned Rice, previously assistant director of major league operations, is now director of major league administration. Mike Snyder,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - First baseman Conor Jackson came off the field early today after his lower back tightened while fielding ground balls during the workout. "It was just a little back issue. Nothing crazy," said Jackson, 30, who signed a minor league deal Dec. 5. "With three days left before games start, just want to be careful about it. Kind of what the trainers preach from day one. If you've got something, you don't want to let it linger. I don't think it will linger. "I hadn't taken...

As full-squad workouts hit full throttle, it is interesting to note that the San Francisco Giants will be fielding the same team that beat the Detroit Tigers in last October's World Series. Usually, teams change personnel even when they win a title. The Giants kept their outfield together, with Gregor Blanco, Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. They re-signed second baseman Marco Scutaro, 37, to a long-term deal. Are the Giants putting their roster together with their heart? Maybe, but general...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals now have two pitchers on the Team USA roster for the World Baseball Classic. Ross Detwiler has accepted an invitation to pitch for Team USA, the Nats announced this morning. Detwiler joins fellow Nats left-hander Gio Gonzalez on the Team USA roster. Gonzalez isn't scheduled to participate in the WBC until the second round, instead staying with the Nats until he has made three Grapefruit League starts. Detwiler went 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA last season, his first full...

VIERA, Fla. - Not only does Bill Bray come to Nationals camp this year fighting to win a job, he comes in fighting to put the bad habits he picked up during an injury-plagued 2012 season behind him. And it's a process that isn't as easy as it might sound. Bray excelled with the Reds in 2011, putting up a 2.98 ERA in a whopping 79 appearances, becoming a crucial part of Cincinnati's bullpen. He entered 2012 hoping to have similar success, but suffered a groin injury that threw him...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles third baseman Manny Machado returned to camp this morning and said he's full-go for workouts, which will include batting practice and defensive drills. Machado missed yesterday's workout while undergoing an additional procedure as part of his physical. He's been dealing with some acid reflux that he said runs in his family. "Everything's fine. Everything came out good. Nothing too bad there," he said. "It was quick. The doctor was waiting for me, so I got in...

VIERA, Fla. - Nationals manager Davey Johnson gets why Christian Garcia might prefer to remain a reliever. Johnson knows that after spending eight-plus years in the minor leagues, Garcia finally was able to make it to the bigs because he became a dominant late-inning guy out of the bullpen. The Nats skipper understands that if everything else was equal and Garcia had his pick of roles, he'd probably choose to remain a bullpen guy on the big league squad. But Johnson also knows that Garcia...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will take the field this morning at 10 a.m. to stretch and begin another workout. Third baseman Manny Machado is expected back in camp after being away yesterday. And we finally know that reliever Luis Ayala is staying, which really makes the most sense after his participation in the Caribbean Series. It's time for him to focus on the Orioles, and to allow them to adjust his schedule so he's properly rested while still able to get ready. We can debate whether...

The Orioles' Single-A Delmarva affiliate will certainly have an experienced manager this year when Luis Pujols skippers the Shorebirds in his first season in the O's organization. A native of the Dominican Republic, the 57-year-old Pujols has spent 13 seasons with Detroit and San Francisco as a major league coach, and in 2002 he was named interim manager of the Tigers six games into the season after Phil Garner was fired. A young Tigers squad, with 13 players making their big league debuts,...

VIERA, Fla. - Is Christian Garcia a starter? Is the promising 27-year-old a reliever? No one knows at this point, not even Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo or manager Davey Johnson. The Nationals' decision makers are coming into this spring with an open mind on Garcia, letting how the righty pitches and how their pitching staff is constructed steer their decision on how Garcia will be used. "We know he can do both, and that's an important thing," Rizzo said early this afternoon....