As of midnight, free agency has officially begun. After being able to talk solely with their previous team for the last five days, free agents are now allowed to chat with any team and begin negotiations on contracts for the 2013 season. Adam LaRoche will mull over his one-year, $13.3 million qualifying offer from the Nationals, but it's an offer he's certain to decline. A multi-year deal is in his future, be it with the Nats or one of the other 29 teams around the league. There were nine...

The Orioles were fairly busy yesterday. They signed second baseman Alexi Casilla off waivers from the Minnesota Twins, outrighted outfielder Lew Ford, infielder Steve Tolleson and left-hander Zach Phillips to Triple-A Norfolk, and reinstated second baseman Brian Roberts, pitchers Oliver Drake, Stu Pomeranz and Tsuyoshi Wada, and outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list. I've been asked for my take on the Casilla signing. It's pretty simple. Executive vice president Dan Duquette...

It is a fair question to ask. Do the Orioles now have enough pitching depth that they should consider trading some pitchers this offseason? It appears that the answer is yes. The Orioles have a long list of young pitchers that are lower-salaried and years away from free agency. When it comes to making a trade that is almost as important anymore as how talented the player is. The flip side of the argument is that age-old adage that you never have enough pitching. When you think you do, go get...

The Nationals have extended a qualifying offer to Adam LaRoche, an industry source has confirmed, guaranteeing the team a compensatory draft pick in 2013 if LaRoche chooses to sign elsewhere. The Nats did not extend qualifying offers to any of their other free agents, including right-handed starter Edwin Jackson. LaRoche now has seven days to accept a one-year, $13.3 million deal. He's expected to decline the offer in search of a multi-year deal. The Nationals can still negotiate a new...

The commissioner's office has suspended infielder Ryan Adams for 25 games after he tested positive for an amphetamine in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, according to a press release. Adams is currently on the roster of the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. His suspension is effective at the start of the 2013 season. The positive test occurred when Adams was on the Orioles' 40-man roster. The 25-year-old Adams batted .224 with four home runs and 20...

The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds will have a new pitching coach in 2013. Justin Lord has been hired by the Orioles and will join the Shorebirds staff, even though the parent club has not yet announced any coaching assignments for next year. The past two seasons, Lord was pitching coach with the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League. The Miners won the league championship this year. Troy Mattes was the pitching coach the last three seasons at Delmarva and at Bluefield the three...

The Orioles today announced that they have claimed infielder Alexi Casilla off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Additionally, the Orioles have outrighted outfielder Lew Ford, infielder Steve Tolleson and left-hander Zach Phillips to Triple-A Norfolk and reinstated right-handers Oliver Drake and Stu Pomeranz, left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, infielder Brian Roberts and outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list. Casilla, 28, played in a career-high 106 games for Minnesota in 2012,...

Looking to improve their depth at second base and present manager Buck Showalter with more options, the Orioles have claimed Alexi Casilla off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The switch-hitting Casilla, 28, is a career .250/.305/.334 hitter in parts of seven seasons with the Twins. He's amassed 72 doubles, 14 triples, 11 home runs and 147 RBIs in 1,580 at-bats, and he's stolen 71 bases in 80 attempts. Casilla has played 399 games at second base, 77 at shortstop and 10 at third base. The...

Nationals prospect Matt Skole is enjoying his opportunity to play for Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League and is anxious to get back on the field after "tweaking" his hamstring last Saturday. "I just tweaked it a little bit," Skole said. "They gave me this week off. I am going to play (today). I think they are being overcautious. It wasn't that big of a deal. Those guys took care of me." Skole is a third baseman by trade. For low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac...

The Nationals have been linked to Michael Bourn for some time now, dating back a couple years to his days with the Astros. The reasons are fairly obvious: The Nats have been searching for their long-term answer in center field, they could use speed and a stable presence at the top of the order (even though Jayson Werth is an option there), and Bourn's agent happens to be Scott Boras, with whom Nats general manager Mike Rizzo has a good working relationship. Now, with Bourn poised to hit the...