Add another name to the list of organizational depth players signed by the Nationals this offseason. Left-hander Mike Ballard has inked a minor league deal with the Nats, per this tweet from MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ballard is a 27-year-old native of Norfolk, Va., who has logged a 51-43 record and 4.50 ERA in eight minor league seasons. He spent the first five years of his pro career in the Rangers system before joining the Orioles organization last season, when he went 8-3 with a 3.33 ERA at...

Depending on your point of view, general manager Mike Rizzo is either a forward-thinking executive who just made a decisive move that landed the Nationals a front-line starting pitcher with the trade for Gio Gonzalez, or he's the overreacting fool who just mortgaged the club's farm system and future for a chance to win sooner rather than later. But Rizzo's latest deal, whatever it does or does not produce, is also perfect fodder for our "What if?" Wednesday discussion, which this week...

Back in the days before the Internet, Twitter and MLBTradeRumors.com, folks whiled away the winter months by sitting around and talking baseball. They didn't wait for the next day's newspaper, the 11 p.m. news or a few seconds of diamond discussion on the radio; they talked among themselves, shared opinions and engaged in meaningful dialogue. Taking a cue from this old-school approach, the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds have changed the format of their annual Hot Stove Banquet, which will be...

There's no way around it: The Nationals have at least one more starting pitcher than spots in the vastly improved five-man rotation that will break camp from spring training in Viera, Fla., in early April. "We have great depth in the starting rotation," general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday night during a conference call to announce the trade for Gio Gonzalez. "We've got (Stephen) Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Chien-Ming Wang, Ross Detwiler, John Lannan. We also have guys...

Catcher Derek Norris, one of the four top prospects traded last week and considered one of the highest-rated backstops not yet in the majors, believes he can contribute right now with his new team, the Oakland Athletics. Norris has been the prized possession of the Nationals' revamped minor league system, and each season has continued to develop his defense. Norris has jumped from Single-A Potomac Nationals to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, working on his ability to call games and his...

Hopefully you had very happy and relaxing holiday season, Nationals fans. And if you're like me, you're not too thrilled about having to get back to work. So as you're browsing the internet, pretending to get things done, take a look at Stephen Strasburg's recent getup. Strasburg apparently attended an ugly sweater party recently and, quite honestly, his sweater of choice was as nasty as his breaking ball. The sweater is

We've known all along that Jim Johnson's role in 2012 would be determined by the moves made over the winter. If the Orioles fortified the bullpen and were short on starters, he would join the rotation. If they signed and traded for enough starters, he would continue to be a reliever. It's still December and the jury is still out, but Johnson looks like a late-inning reliever. Remember how executive vice president Dan Duquette responded two weeks ago to a question about Johnson's role...

If there is one position where the Orioles are set for the next several seasons and one position where they can hold their own with just about every other club in baseball, it is catcher. With Matt Wieters, they have a 25-year-old catcher that is a Gold Glove winner, was a first-time All-Star in 2011, a switch-hitter, a player that is big and durable and is under team control through the 2015 season. Those factors would make most teams envious of what the Orioles have at that...

It was true last year and likely will be true again next year: The Orioles can improve as a team, but they need their young pitching to take a step forward in 2012. The opposite pretty much is what we saw last year. * Brian Matusz ended 2010 going 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA over his last eight starts, then got injured, lost his fastball and went 1-9 with an ERA of 10.69 last season. * Jake Arrieta's ERA increased from 4.66 during his 2010 rookie year to 5.05 last summer. * Zach Britton had his ups...

The Heat beat the Mavericks yesterday in a rematch of the NBA finals, which leads me to this question: The NBA season has started? We're still waiting on baseball. I told you earlier this month that pitchers and catchers report to spring training Feb. 18. Position players report Feb. 23, with the first full-squad workout being held the following day. Is anyone here Sarasota-bound? The renovations continue at Ed Smith Stadium. The clubhouses are being upgraded, and changes also are being...