The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with free-agent right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang on a one-year contract for the 2012 season. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Wang went 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts with the Nationals in 2011, returning to the big leagues after missing more than two seasons with a right shoulder injury. The 31-year-old went 4-1 with a 3.71 ERA in his final nine starts last...

The Twins have denied the Orioles permission to interview Mike Radcliff for the position of president of baseball operations, according to an industry source. According to the same source, the Twins denied permission because of internal reorganization and promotions that could be in the works. Radcliff currently serves as vice president for player personnel for the Twins, but his title may now change. The Orioles will interview former Expos and Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette later...

For those of you keeping score at home, the Orioles will interview former Expos and Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette today, making him the sixth candidate to meet with the search committee. As long as you're keeping score, Duquette is only the third candidate who's still in play, joining John Stockstill and Scott Proefrock. You've seen a variety of names float past your computer screens. There's no exact list of remaining candidates. The Orioles are expected to interview Red Sox...

This just in: The Orioles are getting crushed by the national columnists right now. ESPN's Buster Olney published a column yesterday that was titled: "Orioles stalled by a perception problem." Here is part of what he wrote: "The Orioles have a significant perception problem now, slowing down a team already viewed within the industry as one that is all horse-and-buggy in a wireless world. Think about what we just saw in the last week: The Orioles - a team with a rich history, a landmark...

So much for a slow start. That is ancient history, again, for Bryce Harper. The Scottsdale outfielder slammed a home run in the third inning, his fifth round tripper in the past six games, leading the Scorpions to a 10-6 win over Surprise in Arizona Fall League play. He went 3-for-3 with two runs, a homer, two walks and three RBIs in the victory. Harper is now hitting .323 with three doubles, one triple, six homers and 23 RBIs in 17 games. He has now hit six homers in AFL play, and has 17...

The Orioles have arranged for former Expos and Red Sox executive Dan Duquette to fly into Baltimore and interview tomorrow morning for the position of president of baseball operations. Duquette, who twice traded for pitcher Pedro Martinez, will be the sixth candidate interviewed by the search committee. Duquette, the cousin of former Orioles vice president of baseball operations Jim Duquette, began his baseball career in 1980 as a scouting assistant with the Braves. While he was the Expos'...

Scottsdale Scorpions left-hander Sammy Solis has the stuff: a lethal, high-velocity fastball and mesmerizing changeup. Since high school, he has featured a rarely seen knuckle-curve taught to him by his father Bob, who was a southpaw at Notre Dame. But as the competition got better and he had trouble throwing the knuckle-curve for strikes, Solis, pitching for the Nationals in the Arizona Fall League, realized he would have to make a change to be successful at the next level. "It has always...

The Orioles will interview their fifth candidate today for the job of president of baseball operations. One of them took another job. Another one kept his old job. Two of them remain in contention. Where it stops, nobody knows. I told you last night that the Orioles have sought permission to interview Tampa Bay Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Minnesota Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff and Chicago White Sox vice president/assistant...

I can make one promise: The Orioles won't introduce their new president of baseball operations tomorrow. They will, however, interview former team executive Scott Proefrock, 51, an assistant general manager with the Philadelphia Phillies. Proefrock served as the Orioles' director of baseball administration from 2006 until 2008, handling a lot of the contract responsibilities. The Orioles also have asked permission to interview Tampa Bay executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew...

The Orioles' international signings in recent years have been rated poor by many of the so-called experts, but there were some indications this year that the Orioles may have made one or two gains on the international front in 2011. While I put almost no stock in a minor league team's record as it relates to their quality of prospects, the Orioles' Dominican Summer League team this year did finish in first place in its division and made the playoffs with a 46-24 record. Jonathan Schoop...