Later today, the Orioles and the rest of the teams in Major League Baseball must set their 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 draft set for Dec. 8 at the Winter Meetings. Any player from the organization the Orioles add to the 40-man today will be protected and will not be available to be selected by another team during that draft. It was at about this time last year that the Orioles added Zach Britton, Joe Mahoney and Matt Angle to their 40-man roster. Last year the Orioles lost Pedro...

The Washington Nationals today announced that hitting coach Rick Eckstein, pitching coach Steve McCatty, third base coach Bo Porter, first base coach Trent Jewett and bullpen coach Jim Lett will return as members of manager Davey Johnson's coaching staff for the 2012 season. The Nationals also announced that Randy Knorr will join the staff as bench coach. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Eckstein and McCatty return...

The Nationals' prospect list has moved into the fast lane this offseason, thanks to the franchise's big take in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. The team was able to select Anthony Rendon, Matt Purke, Brian Goodwin and pitcher Alex Meyer with their early June selections. Meyer, at 6-foot-9 and 220 lbs., could be an imposing force in the Nationals' rotation once he gains experience and consistency. Recently in Florida at the team's instructional camp, Nationals director of player...

I've got my power cord and I'm back at my laptop. Just long enough to provide an incremental non-update update on the backup catching situation. You can cross three names off the list, though I'd do it in pencil, just in case the Orioles are left scrambling. As of today, they haven't reached out to Ryan Doumit, Kelly Shoppach or Chris Snyder. Snyder is looking for a starting job. He won't find one in Baltimore. Shoppach is attracting plenty of suitors, according to one industry source,...

A lot of fans and reporters are wondering what the Orioles' total team payroll will be for the 2012 season. While the Orioles -and just about every other team out there - are very unlikely to disclose their projected budget for next season, we can at least make a good guess at where the Orioles are right now with their 2012 payroll. In compiling some salary numbers from two excellent Web sites in Cot's Baseball Contracts and MLBTradeRumors, I figure the Orioles will be between $70 and $75...

True confession: I left the power cord to my laptop at the MASN studio in Hunt Valley last night, which means I'll have to power-write this blog entry before my computer dies. The one day that I don't have to drive to Hunt Valley ... I'll have to drive to Hunt Valley. Welcome to my world. Anyway, you know that the Orioles need a veteran starting pitcher and you know they're not going to hand out a long-term contract and spend mega-bucks on one, so how can they bulk up the rotation?...

Right-handed reliever Cole Kimball was claimed off waivers Wednesday by the Toronto Blue Jays, ending his tenure with the Nationals after only 12 big league games. Kimball made a quick rise to the Nationals early last season before a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder shut down his year. He finished with 14 innings, 1-0 record and a 1.93 ERA, including 11 strikeouts. So when Kimball received the call Wednesday morning, he understood it was a business move, but that did not make it any...

I just had a quick phone conversation with executive vice president Dan Duquette before I'm needed in studio for "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" on MASN. This is frantic multi-tasking. Duquette continued to meet with clubs and agents today, and he'll remain busy through the night. He's hoping to sign a few free agents by early next week "to fill out our bench." Asked specifically about the type of reserves he's targeting, Duquette said, "Infield help and backup catcher." The GM...

This week's announcement of changes in the Orioles' uniforms for 2012 - most notably the return of orange jerseys and caps bearing the smiling visage of the cartoon bird - has been overwhelmingly well received. And those new-look lids are going to pop up on some A-list celebrities in short order. The club timed its announcement with a Tuesday morning delivery of the retro-style caps to about a dozen or so celebrities with ties to Baltimore and/or the Orioles. Actor Josh Charles, who spoke so...

Remember those rumblings about the Orioles doing something more concrete at Camden Yards to honor their six Hall of Famers? Turns out those plans are finally out in the open - and the finished products will be in bronze. A club source has confirmed the Orioles will erect bronze statues of their players enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. - Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. - in an area beyond the bullpen...