The Nationals claimed right-hander A.J. Alexy off waivers from the Rangers, dropping infielder Lucius Fox from their 40-man roster in the process. Alexy, 24, was designated for assignment last week by the Rangers. He pitched in nine big league games for them (four of those starts) over the last two seasons, producing a 6.30 ERA and 1.633 WHIP. Alex

There is a segment of Birdland that seems to get uncomfortable when the conversation turns to the possibility of the Orioles trading some of their prospects. No doubt there are good reasons for those feelings some fans may have on this topic. For one they get attached to players, even players on the farm they have heard about even if they have yet

On the heels of what he termed a “unique year” with the Mets, Trevor Williams knew different teams would look at him in different ways this winter. Having had success as a swingman in New York, bouncing back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen for a club that made the postseason, the 30-year-old right-hander might appeal to other organizatio

Exactly one week ago, the Winter Meetings reached their busiest scheduled day with a Baseball Writers’ Association of America meeting, followed by Commissioner Rob Manfred’s media session, agent Scott Boras’ traditional lobby scrum, manager Brandon Hyde’s media gathering, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias’ daily session in his sui

The Orioles have added some left-handed batters on minor league deals in recent days. But the search for a quality lefty bat to place somewhere in the lineup may well still be ongoing. But is a potent lefty bat already on the roster looking for more playing time? And is Kyle Stowers that bat? Yes, to the first question and I think yes to the second

We don’t really know yet what effect Major League Baseball’s ban on the infield shift will have on hitters next season, but teams are taking the change into consideration as they make roster decisions this winter. That includes the Nationals, whose first offensive addition of the offseason could be among those who benefit from the lack of a shift.

A new week begins with the Orioles trying to land another veteran starting pitcher while choices are narrowed by a market that’s paying inflated salaries. Left-handed bats for the corner outfield and first base also remain winter priorities, part of the vision to rotate players in the designated hitter spot. A backup catcher on a major league deal

In this space in the last week we took a look at what the winter might look like for an Orioles area scout. There are few, if any, games to scout this time of year and individual players are mostly focusing on their individual workouts. So this is a time of year, Orioles director of draft operations Brad Ciolek told me, that his scouts do a lot of

The signing of Trevor Williams – which became official Saturday night – wasn’t anything that was going to send shock waves through Nationals Park or the baseball world. A two-year, $13 million deal for a 30-year-old right-hander with a career 4.27 ERA is hardly the kind of move that shapes a team’s fortunes to any great extent. What the Williams si

Coby Mayo celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday, which was a nice reminder that another Orioles prospect played at the Double-A level this summer before his legal drinking age. Also a necessary reminder when evaluating Mayo’s season. Back spasms forced Mayo onto the injured list and cost him about a month after he appeared in only three games with