It's always tricky to project a major league roster in early November. Too many players could be signed or non-tendered. The list can become outdated in the blink of an eye. However, there isn't much else to write about in early November, so why not? Perhaps the Red Sox name Rick Peterson as their pitching coach. The Orioles could claim another player off waivers. I won't plan my entire day around it. I'm focusing on the bench this morning. Assuming manager Buck Showalter carries four...

How much should the Nationals be prepared to pay in order to keep Adam LaRoche in D.C.? How long a contract should they be willing to offer? Those are questions that are being tossed around both by people within the Nationals organization and within LaRoche's camp. Contract talks are still not to the point where a deal is expected in the very near future, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. But don't take that to mean that the Nationals aren't still very much in the...

For more than 10 years, Will Lingo of Baseball America put together the Orioles top 10 prospects list. But this year, those duties were turned over to Matt Forman. Last week he released this list of the Orioles top 10 prospects: 1 - P Dylan Bundy 2 - P Kevin Gausman 3 - IF Jonathan Schoop 4 - IF Nicky Delmonico 5 - P Eduardo Rodriguez 6 - OF LJ Hoes 7 - OF Xavier Avery 8 - P Mike Wright 9 - P Branden Kline 10 - IF Adrian Marin Recently, I interviewed Forman about this top 10 list. In this...

Infielder Steve Tolleson has refused his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and elected to become a free agent. The Orioles designated Tolleson on Friday to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Tolleson, 29, batted .183/.227/.310 with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs in 29 games over four stints with the Orioles in 2012. He hit a game-tying three-run homer off the Phillies' Cliff Lee on June 10 at Camden Yards. Tolleson played second base, shortstop, third base and left field for...

After spending the last six seasons with the Nationals, Pat Corrales has left the organization to become a special assistant to Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti. Corrales served in a number of roles during his time with the Nationals. He was the team's bench coach on three separate occasions (2007-08, the second half of 2009 and the second half of 2011), served as a special assistant to the GM and most recently spent this last season working in player development. Corrales roamed...

Election day in southwest Florida could have an impact on the Nationals' efforts to relocate their spring training facility from Space Coast Stadium in Viera to vacant City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Officials from Lee County have been engaged in discussions with the Nationals since March, but this story in the Naples Daily News sheds some light as to why there is so little public discussion about the talks - and casts some doubts as to whether they will bear any fruit. "I can tell you...

Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson is the leading candidate to be named the Red Sox's pitching coach, according to this report from ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Peterson apparently is the choice of new Red Sox manager John Farrell, who was tutored by Peterson at Double-A Waterbury in 1986 and Triple-A Buffalo in 1987. An announcement is expected to come Tuesday. Peterson has declined to comment on his interview with the Red Sox, which took place on Saturday, and Orioles...

When you assess the Nationals' roster, there are a handful of needs which will have to be addressed this offseason. There's obviously the Adam LaRoche situation, which will determine who will man first base for the next two or three seasons and also will end up impacting Michael Morse and the starting left field job. There's a need for a fifth starter, now that Edwin Jackson is unlikely to return and John Lannan appears likely to be non-tendered. There are bullpen spots that have to be...

We should get less of a couple of questions that we used to get bombarded with on these blogs every winter come free agency time - questions like when will the Orioles sign a big name free and how can the Orioles compete without one? The theory that some held to with a vice-like grip - that the Orioles had to spend a lot more than they were to win - has been proven baseless this year. They didn't win the American League East, but they were plenty good enough to do that with a payroll in the...

Some of the Nationals' best position player prospects are on display in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters. Brian Goodwin, Jason Martinson, Anthony Rendon and Matt Skole have combined to provide a good measure of the offense for the Rafters as they pursue the AFL crown. The Rafters are 11-9 with about two weeks remaining in the season. Salt River had hit 16 homers in 20 games, second to Mesa. They have 38 stolen bases, a league-leading total. Their .393 slugging percentage...