The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent outfielder Endy Chavez to a one-year contract. Chavez, 33, batted .301/.323/.426 with five home runs and 27 RBIs in 83 games for the American League champion Texas Rangers in 201. In 10 major league seasons, Chavez has batted .274/.313/.373 for six teams and appeared in the playoffs twice, in 2006 with the New York Mets and 2011 with Texas . "Endy is a tremendous defender and gives us needed depth in the outfield," said Orioles...

Long before the hope embodied by Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman was the face of the Nationals. When the team was still trying to gain a foothold on the D.C. sports scene, when vestiges of the Expos hadn't yet been eradicated from towel carts and equipment bags, it was Zimmerman who provided optimism for the future. His selection as the transplanted team's first draft pick in 2005 was a watershed moment, an opportunity for then-general manager Jim Bowden to select a player...

FanFest autograph vouchers will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. at www.orioles.com. A preview of the sessions will be available at the team Web site no later than 9 p.m. on Jan. 6 to allow fans to plan for the next morning's purchase. Details regarding the number of autograph vouchers available, the cost, and more will be announced shortly after Jan. 1 by the team. Just as last year, when the new autograph procedures debuted, all proceeds generated from the sale of autograph vouchers...

The posting portion of the Yu Darvish sweepstakes is over and the Texas Rangers were the winner, with a reported record bid of $51.7 million. That gets them 30 days to negotiate with the Japanese right-hander in hopes of knocking out a long-term contract that's expected to push their total investment in Darvish well over $100 million. Is it just me, or do you sometimes feel like baseball executives are playing with Monopoly money? The Nationals didn't place a bid on Darvish, despite...

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers Jeff Fulchino and Waldis Joaquin, catcher Carlos Maldonado, infielders Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Chad Tracy, and outfielders Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels and Xavier Paul on minor-league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. Additionally, the Nationals extended Spring Training invites to right-handed pitcher Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Corey Brown. Nationals Executive Vice President...

The Nationals have agreed to terms with nine players on minor league contracts with invitations to spring training in Viera, Fla. So make room in the clubhouse for right-handers Jeff Fulchino and Waldis Joaquin, catcher Carlos Maldonado, infielders Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Chad Tracy, and outfielders Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels and Xavier Paul. In addition, three players currently in the organization have been invited to camp as non-roster players: catcher Sandy Leon, outfielder...

The Washington Nationals have announced their minor league managers, coaches and instructors. Meanwhile, the Orioles might not make their final decisions for at least another week. Quick review: Ron Johnson (Triple-A Norfolk), Gary Kendall (Double-A Bowie) and Gary Allenson (short-season Single-A Aberdeen) are expected to manage at three of the affiliates. And former major league pitching coach Rick Peterson is the heavy favorite to be named minor league pitching coordinator, the job that...

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with outfielder Mike Cameron on a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. A former All-Star (2001) and three-time Gold Glove winner, Cameron has batted .249 with 278 home runs, 968 RBIs and 297 stolen bases spanning 17 seasons with Chicago-AL (1995-98), Cincinnati ('99), Seattle (2000-03), New York-NL ('04-05), San...

According to this tweet from FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals have reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Mike Cameron. It's a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The 38-year-old would fill the Nationals' need for a right-handed-hitting backup outfielder who can play center field. Cameron can also play left and right, but 1,787 of his 1,921 career games have been in the middle. General manager Mike Rizzo has been trying to...

The Washington Nationals today named their minor league managers, coaches and coordinators for the 2012 season. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone, Director of Player Development Doug Harris and Director of Minor League Operations Mark Scialabba made the joint announcements. The Nationals promoted two managers within their system, elevating Tony Beasley from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse and Matthew LeCroy from Single-A Potomac to...