Reports have surfaced that the Tigers are close to inking catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to a four-year, $50 million deal. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets - ugh - his confirmation right here. The Orioles, according to Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional, offered Martinez $48 million over four years. I just got confirmation on it from an industry source, but not someone within the organization. Assuming it's true, that's not bad for November. It also demonstrates how badly president of...

The Orioles today announced that RHP Armando Gabino and INF Rhyne Hughes have cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Gabino, 27, appeared in five games for the Orioles in 2010, allowing seven earned runs in 4.2 innings of work. Gabino appeared in 30 games (eight starts) for Norfolk, and was 7-0 with two saves and a 2.37 ERA (83.2IP, 22ER). Hughes, 27, made his Major League debut for the Orioles on April 24 and appeared in 14 games, batting .213 (10-47) with four RBI. Hughes...

So, does anyone else think that Brian Billick is the obvious choice to replace Brad Childress in Minnesota? He was the Vikings' offensive coordinator from 1992 to 1998. They set the NFL record for most points scored in one season in '98. He's got a history there. Billick isn't good at developing quarterbacks, but that's fine. The Vikings don't have one. I won 10 games picking against the spread, including last night's Chargers-Broncos tilt. Finally, a decent showing. I also bet that...

Last season, O's minor league player of the year Joe Mahoney, a first baseman, did start a few games in left field for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Next year, Mahoney will be back at first base, but the number of games he plays as an outfielder should increase also. "I didn't mind it and they said they may put me out there once or twice a week (next season). The more versatile you can be, the more valuable you are," Mahoney said. There are a few good reasons for Mahoney to try his hand in...

For the second year in a row, Nationals pitcher Craig Stammen took time to serve the Washington D.C. community before packing up to visit his family in Ohio for the Thanksgiving holiday. On Monday, Stammen and Nationals front office staff volunteered at Food and Friends, a nonprofit organization in NE Washington D.C. to prepare holiday meals for people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses. Together as a team, they packaged pre-cooked turkeys and yams for Thanksgiving...

RHP Juan Jaime claimed off outright waivers by Diamondbacks The Washington Nationals today selected the contracts of right-handed pitchers Adam Carr and Cole Kimball and first baseman Chris Marrero. Additionally, right-handed pitcher Juan Jaime was claimed off outright waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nationals Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Carr went 6-2 with 14 saves and a 2.75 ERA in 52 relief appearances last season with Harrisburg of...

The Orioles today announced that they have added left-handed pitcher Zach Britton, infielder Joe Mahoney and outfielder Matt Angle to their 40-man Major League roster. Britton, 22, was named the 2010 Jim Palmer Award winner as the Orioles' top minor league pitcher after going 10-7 with a 2.70 ERA in 26 starts between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. He allowed 139 hits in 153.1 innings pitched, while striking out 124 and walking 51. Britton, the Orioles' 3rd round pick in the 2006 draft,...

Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff, who didn't have a lot of suitors when he filed for free agency last year, placed seventh in the voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player. Reds first baseman Joey Votto received 31 of a possible 32 first-place votes to easily win the award. One writer gave Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols the other first-place vote and chose Votto second. Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, a first-round draft pick by the Orioles in 1997, finished...

The Scottsdale Scorpions rolled to their first ever Arizona fall league title Saturday 3-2 over the Peoria Javelinas with a complete baseball team anchored by a strong pitching staff. Nats prospect Sammy Solis and five others held the Javelinas to one earned run over nine innings and the defense, despite some early errors, came up with some huge plays in the end to save the game. Another Nats prospect, pitcher Cole Kimball, notched the save with a dominating ninth frame. "Just playing in...

I'm not expecting much to happen this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Not that our heads have been spinning from all the activity up to this point. We might get an announcement on the coaching staff, but how many times can I pull back the football and watch you flip in the air and land on your back before I start to feel the pangs of guilt? The Pirates reportedly will hire Ray Searage as their pitching coach, so the Orioles won't lose Rick Adair to them. The Mets named Terry...