With Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings beginning Monday in Dallas, it is no secret the Nationals have a starting pitcher and leadoff hitter as their two priorities. How difficult will it be to solve both of those issues next week in Texas? It probably will not be an easy task to complete for many teams, not just the Nationals, because the Michael Bourns are not available as free agents. When you look at the Nationals' system, there are some bright stars in the future waiting in...

The Orioles have expressed interest in Venezuelan left-hander Renyel Pinto, 29, a free agent who spent parts of five seasons with the Florida Marlins. David Stockstill, the Orioles' director of international operations, scouted Pinto over the past week in the Venezuela Winter League and recently met with him. I'm told that a deal isn't done, but it's a possibility. In his first seven starts for Caribes, Pinto was 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 28 hits allowed, 16 walks and 42 strikeouts in 43 2/3...

I wrote this morning that former Brewers pitcher Bill Castro had emerged as a leading candidate to become bullpen coach, and nothing has changed. He's still the top choice at the moment, but I'm told that a final decision hasn't been made. Castro twice served as bullpen and pitching coach with the Brewers before being fired on Aug. 12, 2009. He was the pitching coach for the Dominican Republic's entry in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. He would give manager Buck Showalter a desired...

After missing the last 10 games last summer at Double-A Bowie with an injured left thumb, infielder Greg Miclat was headed to winter ball for more experience and more at-bats. But after just seven games in Panama, Miclat suffered an injury in the rib cage area that would eventually end his short time at winter ball and lead him back to the United States. "I had an MRA and it revealed a glute strain," Miclat said by phone recently. "The glute muscle that controls external rotation of the...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette and new scouting director Gary Rajsich just finished a conference call with several Baltimore reporters and here are some topics they discussed. Duquette on the amount of scouts the team will employ: "We have appropriate staffing levels and we are going to be making some other changes to the staff to make sure we are strong, not just in amatuer scouting, but in professional and international scouting as well." Duquette informed reporters that...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed today that director of professional scouting Lee MacPhail IV will be reassigned within the organization. MacPhail will be given a major league scouting position, according to Duquette, who passed along the news to reporters during a conference call to introduce Gary Rajsich as the new director of scouting. MacPhail's duties included overseeing professional scouting, advance scouting and major league video coaching. He also went on the...

The Orioles today announced that Gary Rajsich (pronounced Ray-sitch) has been named Director of Amateur Scouting. "We have added a very good, veteran baseball man with this hire," said Orioles Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette. "Gary is an excellent judge of talent at all levels." Rajsich, 57, began his scouting career with the Boston Red Sox, serving in both the amateur and professional departments from 1994-2006. In his time with Boston, Rajsich drafted and...

The Orioles just confirmed in a press release that Gary Rajsich has been hired as director of amateur scouting. "We have added a very good, veteran baseball man with this hire," executive vice president Dan Duquette said in a statement. "Gary is an excellent judge of talent at all levels." Rajsich's name is pronounced "Ray-sitch." Here's more from the press release: Rajsich, 57, began his scouting career with the Boston Red Sox, serving in both the amateur and professional...

The Orioles are expected to reveal their coaching staff within the next few days, and it seems more likely that they go outside the organization to fill at least one opening. Having talked to a few people this morning, it appears that Mike Bordick will probably remain in his role as coordinator of offensive fundamentals instead of being hired as a base coach. He would join the team during home games as a seventh coach who wouldn't be in uniform after batting practice. Bordick doesn't have...

Some questions to wonder about as we get a new week started: If Jim Johnson does get moved to the starting rotation in 2012, how many innings will he be able to pitch? Some feel he will be limited there, but C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers went from 73 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2009 to 33 starts and 204 innings as a starter in 2010. Last year he made 34 starts, pitching 223 1/3 innings for the Rangers. Johnson was already at a heavy relief load of 91 innings last year and there is...