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...

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...