Throughout much of spring training last year, it appeared Craig Stammen was likely ticketed for the starting rotation at Triple-A Syracuse. The Nationals looked like they had a full bullpen at the major league level and Stammen was still viewed as a guy who could provide organizational depth as a starter. But thanks to a strong spring, Stammen ended up cracking the Nationals' opening day roster as a reliever, and almost immediately became a key contributor out of the 'pen. Just a week into...

The Blue Jays haven't announced the hiring of DeMarlo Hale as bench coach, but that's the word on the street. I've been told that he's "getting the job." It would take a drastic reversal for Hale to remain as Orioles third base coach. I wrote last night that Triple-A manager Ron Johnson could emerge as a leading in-house candidate. Another possibility could be Bobby Dickerson, who currently serves as minor league infield coordinator and has filled in as bullpen coach. Dickerson was a...

There seems to be a concern among some of the Orioles' fan base that the club wants to return pretty much the same roster as it had last year. A concern that the club may stand pat, so to speak. I say one big reason to not worry about that theory is the duo of Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter. Those men were at the controls in 2012, when the Orioles led the universe in roster moves. "Stand pat" is not in their dictionaries. But if the Orioles did return a club next season that looked a lot...

The Orioles apparently will need to find a new third base coach for 2013. The Toronto Blue Jays will hire DeMarlo Hale as their bench coach, according to two industry sources. One source said Hale could receive a three-year contract. The Orioles will retain five of their six coaches, having reached agreements with pitching coach Rick Adair and hitting coach Jim Presley over the past week. Hale was the last remaining unsigned coach, and the Orioles made him an offer to return next...

I've awoken from my food-induced coma, and in a little bit, it'll be time to go back for Round Two. Momma Kolko has given me plenty of leftovers to tackle, and I plan on doing just that this afternoon. Speaking of tackling, watching the Skins push the Cowboys around yesterday kind of put the finishing touches on a nice Thanksgiving. This Griffin guy is decent, I guess. Hope you all enjoyed your holiday. If you happen to be a Major League Baseball free agent, your Thanksgiving probably was...

Jeremy Guthrie went 9-17 with an ERA of 4.33 for the 2011 Orioles. This July, he was traded from Colorado to Kansas City. After his first three starts with the Royals, he was 3-12 with a 6.10 ERA between the two teams. This week, Guthrie signed a new deal with Kansas City for three years and $25 million. The Yankees signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal worth $15 million and there were reports that Kuroda could have gotten more from other teams. While both pitchers are talented veterans,...

On Black Friday, I appreciate that you chose to shop at this blog. It's still a bargain after all these years. A combination of tryptophan and NyQuil has me walking around in a fog this morning. Good turkey, bad cold. But I wanted to take a closer look at the gains made by the Orioles in 2012. Dan Duquette didn't receive a single vote for The Sporting News Executive of the Year award. That honor went to Oakland's Billy Beane, who garnered 31 of the 57 votes. 1. Billy Beane (Athletics): 31...

The Nationals announced this week that right-hander Erik Davis had been added to the 40-man roster. The move might have surprised a few baseball fans who have not heard that much about Davis, but it certainly was no surprise to those who saw him play or coached him, especially Double-A Harrisburg pitching coach Paul Menhart. "I was absolutely ecstatic," Menhart said. "This kid had an unreal turnaround in his career from last year to this year." The 6-foot-4, 200 lb. Davis struggled after...

A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there from northern Virginia to D.C. to Baltimore and beyond. Hope you all enjoy food, football and family today. This is my favorite holiday of the year for all those reasons. Nationals fans have a lot to be thankful for today beyond the three F's above. They've got a team which is on the rise, a stable of young players who will be around for a while and an ownership group which doesn't plan on trading away every recognizable name on the roster....

Trayvon Robinson says he knew "something" was going to happen. He was out of minor league options. The Mariners figured to trade him if they could find a partner. He just didn't know when or where. Robinson assumed it would happen at the Winter Meetings or shortly before spring training, not earlier this week. "I've been kind of waiting," he said yesterday. The Orioles acquired Robinson, a switch-hitting outfielder, from the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday for infielder Robert...