The Orioles must decide in the next three weeks whether to offer Luke Scott a contract for the 2012 season or let him become a free agent. Scott has no idea which direction the Orioles are leaning. And he's not pushing them. "They're still getting things squared away with the new GM," Scott said last week, referring to new executive vice president Dan Duquette. Scott's agent recently contacted the Orioles again to find out whether they planned to non-tender the veteran outfielder/DH,...

The Nationals were very impressed with the speed and hitting ability of outfielder Brian Goodwin at instructional league. The coaches marveled at his speed from home plate to first base and were equally appreciative of his work at the plate. The way Goodwin played in Viera, Fla., showed a little bit of the potential and a great deal of the talent that the Nationals were looking for when they selected the speedy outfielder early in the First-Year Player Draft in June. Baseball America has also...

Now that the dust has settled from yesterday's 40-man roster activity, I wanted to chime in with a few observations. First of all, please keep in mind that the Orioles can eliminate players from the 40-man and add others from outside the organization - whether it's someone acquired via free agency, a trade or the Rule 5 draft. The only restriction is they can't add someone from within the organization, so the minor leaguers currently exposed to the Dec. 8 draft will remain that way. I...

In his first few days on the job as Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations, Dan Duquette made the Baltimore media rounds. He was on many talk shows and was interviewed often. While he was polite to all, there seemingly was not too much to be learned from his comments. We didn't get any major insight into his plan to revamp the Orioles. We didn't get many specifics. While fans and reporters are still trying to get a handle on what kind of job Duquette will do and how he will...

The Orioles today announced that they have added right-hander Oliver Drake to the 40-man roster. Drake, 24, spent the 2011 season with Class-A Fredrick (14 games), Double-A Bowie (12 games) and Triple-A Norfolk (one game), going a combined 11-8 with a 3.32 ERA (162.2IP, 60ER), striking out 129 and walking 43 in 25 starts. Selected by the Orioles in the 43rd round of the 2008 First Year Player Draft out of the Naval Academy, Drake is 26-23 with a 3.80 ERA (443.1IP, 187ER) and 357 strikeouts...

It was late this afternoon when Oliver Drake got an important phone call. Tripp Norton, the Orioles' assistant director of player development, informed Drake that he was being added to the Orioles' 40-man roster. The 43rd-round draft pick from 2008 out of Navy went 11-8 with an ERA of 3.32, making 13 starts for Single-A Frederick, 12 at Double-A Bowie and one for Triple-A Norfolk in 2011. "I'm just really excited," Drake said by phone from his offseason home in Gardner, Mass. "It's a...

The Orioles have signed infielder Matt Antonelli, a former first-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres. Pending a physical, he is expected to be added to the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old, right-handed batter was the Padres' top pick, taken 17th overall in 2006 out of Wake Forest. He could compete for playing time at second and/or third base in Baltimore. Antonelli spent most of last year with Triple-A Syracuse in the Nationals' organization, batting .297 with eight homers, 30 RBIs and...

The Orioles added pitcher Oliver Drake to the 40-man roster today in the only move made at the deadline. Drake, a 43rd-round pick out of the Naval Academy in 2008, was 11-8 with a 3.32 ERA in 27 games at Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie and Single-A Frederick. He walked 43 and struck out 129 in 162 2/3 innings. Most of his success came with the Keys, where he went 8-3 with a 2.14 ERA. The 40-man roster currently stands at 39. The Orioles can't add anyone else from within the organization...

The Washington Nationals today selected the contracts of first baseman Tyler Moore, catchers Derek Norris and Jhonatan Solano, and outfielder Eury Perez. Additionally, the Nationals claimed right-handed pitcher Cole Kimball off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Moore hit .271 with 35 doubles, 31 home runs and 90 RBIs in 137 games with Harrisburg of the Double-A Eastern League in...

I don't have much for you this morning beyond a reminder that the Orioles must set their 40-man roster later today. They currently have two openings. Once the roster is finalized, they can't add another player from within the organization. However, they can add anyone who's acquired via free agency or trade. That's eventually going to happen. I swear. I'll pass along the changes whenever the Orioles make the announcement. The Orioles have made offers to a few free agents while...