The Winter Meetings begin Sunday evening in Orlando, and that means a whole lot of news and rumors and major transactions to kick off the meat of the offseason. Sometimes. But not most of the time. Though the Winter Meetings do usually include a healthy dose of news, the event is never guaranteed to deliver the kind of blockbusters most fans and re

Though there isn’t necessarily any intent, the Orioles are trending toward hiring full-time managers with catching backgrounds. That’s two in a row. Brandon Hyde was a catcher at Long Beach State and in the White Sox’s system. Craig Albernaz developed a reputation as a plus defender with a cannon arm behind the plate at Eckerd College and in nine m

Whether you agreed with the decision to trade Juan Soto way back in 2022 or not, you understood the selling point of the move from the Nationals’ perspective. Yes, they had just dealt away a generational, homegrown, championship-winning player at 23. But in return they got five of the Padres’ top prospects, perhaps the most impressive trade haul in

Craig Albernaz is almost done reaching out to his players, one of the important tasks for any new manager. He’s going through the phone numbers, introducing himself and starting the bonding process that will carry over to spring training in a few months. He doesn't want to be a total stranger to them on the report dates.  “I’m almost at the finish

There are tangible items on Paul Toboni’s offseason shopping list, specific pieces the Nationals’ new president of baseball operations needs to acquire before his roster is ready to take the field in 2026. First baseman. Starting pitcher. Multiple relievers. Perhaps another catcher. There’s also an intangible item that should be high on Toboni’s li

The media’s fascination with baseball closers and the mentality required to succeed at the job runs at such a high level that Ryan Helsley was asked about it twice yesterday during his introductory video call. Helsley has looked at pitching life from many sides, working as a starter at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and in the minors, be

The Orioles were aggressive in their pursuit of free-agent closer Ryan Helsley, and he used the same approach to decide whether they were the right team for him. Helsley met with club officials, reached out to former teammates with the Cardinals who also played for the Orioles, spoke with a friend who knows new manager Craig Albernaz. Helsley did h

Any discussion of the Nationals’ top offseason needs has to begin with proven hitter to anchor the heart of the lineup (preferably a power-hitting first baseman) and a proven starting pitcher to take some pressure off the club’s promising young arms. Don’t overlook the need for more bullpen help, though, because this team could certainly use it. Th

There isn’t a Grayson Rodriguez or a DL Hall in the Orioles’ minor league system. That’s now true for the major leagues, too.  For years, Rodriguez and Hall were touted as the future of Baltimore’s rotation. Both were among the 100 best prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, with Rodriguez even entering the 2022 season as the highest-ran

New closer Ryan Helsley passed his physical with the Orioles, signed his two-year, $28 million contract and awaits the opportunity to field questions from the media. Half the league reportedly had expressed some level of interest in Helsley. What made him decide on the Orioles? How much did the opt-out clause sway him? I wouldn’t expect him to go i