The shroud of secrecy around the bidding process for Yu Darvish - which is starting to feel like an Oliver Stone screenplay instead of an elongated baseball transaction - is slowly starting to lift, and Nationals fans hoping the Japanese pitcher would take the mound in D.C. may not like what it's revealing. According to this story in the New York Post, the Blue Jays have placed the winning bid for Darvish, a proffer upwards of $50 million intended to blow away the Nippon-Ham Fighters, who...

There are thoughts and arguments on both sides of the fence on where a particular 19-year-old No. 1 Nationals prospect should play in 2012. Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr remembers how disappointed Bryce Harper was last season when he was told after an impressive spring that he was not going to go north with the big club. So after starting slow and then tearing up Single-A, Double-A and the Arizona Fall League, why not give Harper a shot with the Nationals out of spring training? Knorr...

New Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada says one of the biggest differences between baseball in Japan and the U.S. is that the game is "more power generated" here. He's referring to both the batters and the pitchers. He's not going to blow the ball past anyone, but it sounds like he's a left-handed version of Koji Uehara - excellent control and a wide assortment of pitches. Hopefully, he's got better stamina. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said he's hoping that the minor league...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette took more questions from reporters after today's press conference to introduce Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada. I say he "took" them. That doesn't mean he answered all of them. Like many baseball executives, Duquette won't show his hand and let the rest of the world know which players he's pursuing. He isn't going to offer specifics on trade talks or which free agents are mulling offers from the club. Don't bother asking whether he...

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of today's press conference occurred near the beginning, when Japanese pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada gave his opening remarks in English. You had to appreciate the effort. "My name is Tsuyoshi Wada," he said. "I'm from Shimane, Japan. I played for Fukoka SoftBank Hawks. I would like to thank you, Baltimore Orioles organization to give me this opportunity. I was dreaming to play major league baseball since I was a college (pitcher), so this is a very special...

While it's clearly not the priority this offseason, improving the Nationals' bench for 2012 is one of general manager Mike Rizzo's tasks. And while Rizzo will make the moves, it will be in concert with manager Davey Johnson, who has to use the players to the best of their (and his) abilities. Therefore, GM and manager had better be on the same page in terms of roster construction. Johnson has expressed a clear preference for a bench built on offense, while predecessor Jim Riggleman went...

The Orioles will introduce Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada today at a 4 p.m. press conference at Camden Yards. Here's the first thing you need to know: His name is pronounced "sue-YO-she WAH-dah" It's probably also good to know that Wada, 30, was 107-61 with a 3.13 ERA and 1,329 strikeouts in 210 career games and 1,444 2/3 innings over nine seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League. In his 52 starts over the last two seasons, Wada is 33-13 with a 2.29...

The bench for each major league team is a major part of a team's long-term success through the ups and downs of a rigorous 162-game season. Many times, if you make the right choices for your bench this time of year, it can reap short-term return if you trade them at the trading deadline for future prospects. Jerry Hairston Jr., made a big splash with the Milwaukee Brewers deep into the playoffs last season after the Nationals traded him for minor leaguer Erik Komatsu. Last week, the...

The Orioles announced today that they have signed LHP Tsuyoshi Wada (sue-YO-she WAH-dah) to a two-year contract with a club option for 2014. Wada, 30, was 107-61 with a 3.13 ERA (1444.2IP, 503ER) and 1,329 strikeouts in 210 career games (207 starts) over nine seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League. In his 52 starts over the last two seasons, Wada is 33-13 with a 2.29 ERA (354.0IP, 90IP) and has struck out 337 batters while walking 95 and allowing just 18 home...

The 5 p.m. Eastern time deadline for submitting bids on the Yu Darvish posting has passed, and if the Nationals have bid on the Japanese right-hander, he isn't saying. Appearing this evening on "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" on MASN, Rizzo sidestepped a direct question from host Amber Theoharis about whether the Nationals beat the clock with a bid. Just as he told reporters last week at the Winter Meetings when Darvish's posting was announced, Rizzo said it wasn't in the Nationals'...