The Nationals continue to talk to the A's about a blockbuster swap for left-hander Gio Gonzalez, and they're moving closer to locking in a veteran utility man that manager Davey Johnson has wanted to add all offseason. According to baseball sources with knowledge of the negotiations, the Nationals are closing in on a deal with 36-year-old Mark DeRosa, whose versatility would fit well with Johnson's rejiggered bench. The right-handed-hitting DeRosa is a 14-season major leaguer and has played...

Yesterday, I gave you a sneak peek at Baseball America's list of the top 10 Orioles prospects heading into the 2012 season. Here's the "Best Tools" portion of the report: Best Hitter for Average: Manny Machado Best Power Hitter: Aaron Baker Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Tyler Kelly Fastest Baserunner: Glynn Davis Best Athlete: Xavier Avery Best Fastball: Dylan Bundy Best Curveball: Dylan Bundy Best Slider: Mike Wright Best Changeup: Dan Klein Best Control: Oliver Drake Best Defensive...

The Baltimore Orioles are looking for the new voice of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The search is on for a public address announcer for home games at Oriole Park beginning in 2012, the ballpark's 20th Anniversary season. The new public address announcer will be only the third in Camden Yards history, following Rex Barney (1992-97) and David McGowan (1998-2011). After 14 seasons as public address announcer at Camden Yards, McGowan has stepped down from the position due to a change in his...

Here's another change for the 20th anniversary season at Camden Yards: The Orioles are searching for a new voice to replace veteran public address announcer David McGowan, who has announced he will step down from his duties after 14 seasons. "It is with great sadness that I must step down as public address announcer due to a career change," McGowan said in a team-issued statement. "I feel so fortunate to have played even a small role in helping Orioles fans enjoy major league baseball in...

Not that you'll be shocked by this news, but Baseball America has selected pitcher Dylan Bundy as the No. 1 prospect in the Orioles' organization. Bundy, the club's top pick in the 2011 draft, receives the honor without throwing a single professional pitch. Shortstop Manny Machado is ranked No. 2 on the list, followed by infielder Jonathan Schoop, pitcher Parker Bridwell, infielder/outfielder LJ Hoes, infielder Nicky Delmonico, infielder Ryan Flaherty, third baseman Jason Esposito,...

The Nationals have claimed third baseman Carlos Rivero off waivers from the Phillies, per a team-issued press release. The 23-year-old Venezuelan hit .270 with 36 doubles, 16 homers and 71 RBIs between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2011. He was primarily a shortstop at the start of his minor league career in the Indians' organization, but switched to third base almost full-time last season when he joined the Phillies. The addition of Rivero gives the Nationals 37 players on...

The Washington Nationals today claimed third baseman Carlos Rivero off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The 6-foot-3 Rivero hit .275 with 36 doubles, 15 home runs and 66 RBI while spending a majority of the 2011 season with Double-A Reading. Rivero, 23, is a career .258 hitter with 146 doubles, 47 homers and 358 RBIs in 720 games spanning seven seasons as a professional. He...

Enough days have passed since the Winter Meetings that I wanted to bring up Prince Fielder's name again. The timing just seemed right. And I was developing a twitch. I'm not going to make any guarantees regarding Fielder except that I'll mention him again in a few weeks if he's still on the market. You can take that one to the bank. The Orioles didn't appear to have much interest in Vladimir Guerrero last winter, but they kept monitoring the situation, the market dried up, owner Peter...

The Nationals announced Monday that their Gulf Coast League affiliate will have a new manager in former collegiate coach Tripp Keister. Keister brings two decades as a coach at the collegiate level and major league amateur scout to his new position as skipper of the GCL Nationals. While at Wesley College in Dover, Del., Keister led the Wolverines to a 157-92-1 record since 2006, including the Capital Athletic Conference championship game in 2010. His six years as coach was the best run in...

The Orioles just sent out a press release confirming that they signed outfielder Endy Chavez to a one-year deal. Chavez passed his physical after agreeing to terms over the weekend and is officially a member of the organization. Chavez, who turns 34 in February, batted .301/.323/.426 with five home runs and 27 RBIs in 83 games with the Texas Rangers this year. He's a career .274/.313/.373 hitter in 10 major league seasons. "Endy is a tremendous defender and gives us needed depth in the...