President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail made it to the podium this afternoon, accompanied by manager Buck Showalter and Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers. The topic, of course, was today's trade of third baseman Mark Reynolds to the Orioles for relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio. "We made no secret of the fact that we were looking to augment our offense this off-season," MacPhail said. "We don't think we're necessarily done being able to improve our...

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired 3B Mark Reynolds and a player to be named later or cash from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP David Hernandez and RHP Kam Mickolio. Reynolds, 27, has hit at least 28 home runs, driven in 85 runs and appeared in 145 games in each of the last three seasons, including a career-high 44 home runs and 102 RBI in 2009. Reynolds has homered an average of once every 16.4 at-bats in his four-year major league career, a total of 121 times in...

Nationals prospect Michael Burgess had a solid October-November in the Arizona Fall League with the Scottsdale Scorpions. Burgess won the championship with the Scorpions and played on the Rising Stars team, hitting .246 with three doubles, three triples, two homers and 12 RBI. Scorpions batting coach Alan Zinter liked what he saw from Burgess in Arizona, comparing his power capability to another prospect in the Nationals chain. "His power is right up there with Bryce Harper," Zinter...

New Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds is signed through 2012 with a team option for 2013. What does that mean for Josh Bell? It's a fair question, since the Orioles only sought a one-year deal for a third baseman last winter because they didn't want to block Bell. I haven't spoken to president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who might shed more light on the subject when he meets with reporters later this afternoon. However, the trade doesn't have an immediate impact on...

A few more statistics on Mark Reynolds: Last year, he hit .218 vs. left-handed pitching with an OPS of .913 and .191 vs. right-handers with a .694 OPS. His OPS was .863 last year at home and .643 on the road. He hit 20 of his homers in 2010 before the All-Star break and 12 after. He hit his most homers (10) in the fourth inning. Reynolds batted .276-11-58 last year with runners in scoring position and .276 when he was ahead in the count. While Reynolds led the NL with 211 strikeouts last...

David Hernandez is still waiting to hear from the Diamondbacks, who completed their trade with the Orioles today. He's been busy fielding calls from reporters and friends. "It's kind of a bittersweet reaction, I guess," Hernandez said. "I'll be closer to home. That's for sure. But I'll miss all the friends and teammates I made along the way. That was my first organization coming into pro ball. "I have nothing but good things to say about the Orioles. They treated me well and gave...

So it appears that Mark Reynolds is on his way to Baltimore. He is far from the perfect player, like most of them, but he is a slugger the team has been seeking. Over four years with Arizona, his 162-game averages are .242-35-100 and an OPS of .817. For more of Reynolds' stats, click here. Over the last three years, he has hit 28, 44 and 32 homers. But he has also struck out 204, 223 and 211 times. I have said before, I'll take the 35-homer type player and deal with the strikeouts. That is...

That's the word spreading through the lobby of the Swan and Dolphin Resort here in Lake Buena Vista. The Orioles are close to finalizing a trade that would bring third baseman Mark Reynolds to Baltimore for reliever David Hernandez and one more bullpen arm. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets that Kam Mickolio is a strong possibility. I've talked to officials who question the wisdom of surrendering an arm like Hernandez's, but that's apparently the only way that the Orioles can...

O's president Andy MacPhail said this morning of the Orioles trade talks to acquire Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds, "We are making progress. Don't have anything finalized yet, but making progress." So are the Reynolds talks leading to a conclusion soon? "You never know until it's over," MacPhail added. When asked if the deal would involve the O's sending pitching to Arizona he said, "again, until it's done, you don't know. I'm just talking from experience. Lots of these...

Despite the exciting news yesterday and the optimism that greets us each year at the Winter Meetings, there is a cloud hanging over NatsTown today. This weekend, former Nationals closer Chad Cordero and his wife lost their 3-month-old daughter, Tehya. We are sending condolences to Chad and his family during this very difficult time. Chad was and still is a beloved part of this organization and its history. His loss is heartbreaking. There will be a "Moment of Silence" to support the...