The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent left-hander Johan Santana to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Santana, 34, is a two-time Cy Young Award winner (2004 and '06), a four-time All-Star (2005-07 and '09) and a Gold Glove winner (2007).
Santana is 139-78 with a 3.20 ERA (2025.2IP, 721ER) in 360 career games (284 starts) with the Twins and Mets since making his debut in 2000. In a seven-season span from 2004-'10, he made at least 25 starts...
Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos issued the following statement regarding the passing of Orioles Public Relations Director Monica Barlow.
"It was with deep sadness that I learned of Monica's passing this morning. In her 14 years with the club, she was a beloved member of the Orioles family, starting as an intern and becoming Director of Public Relations. Over the past four and a half years, the work Monica did to raise awareness and funds for cancer research was a testament to her...
Well, the Orioles haven't slowed down.
After signing both Suk-min Yoon and Ubaldo Jimenez last week, the O's kept going by signing free agent slugger Nelson Cruz this week.
Although Cruz was the subject of controversy after serving a suspension for his role in the Biogenesis scandal last season, many Orioles, including Chris Davis and Nick Markakis, said that they will welcome Cruz. In addition, a group of Orioles, including Markakis, Davis, Adam Jones, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Matt...
Spring training games start today!
The lineup was already posted Wednesday, with Taylor Jordan penciled in to start. On Sunday, the Nationals will play their first televised game, so be sure to tune in to MASN HD! You can see the full spring training broadcast schedule here.
While we were waiting around for actual games, there was a lot of news coming out of Nats camp in Viera, Fla.
Many pitchers threw successful bullpen sessions this week, including Sammy Solis, Tyler Clippard and Drew...
The Orioles have announced plans for the first game of their 2014 spring training season and their fifth season in Sarasota. The team will face the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium this Saturday, March 1, at 1:05 p.m. and host Military Appreciation Day. Pre-game ceremonies will air live on television in the Sarasota area on SNN6 beginning at 12:30 p.m.
All fans in attendance will receive a 2014 spring training schedule magnet, courtesy of Visit Sarasota County. The first 1,000 female fans...
Entering the 2014 season, the Nationals have one of the best rotations in baseball.
Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann are returning for their third season together at the top of the Nats rotation. Mike Rizzo acquired Doug Fister in the offseason to add even more strength behind the strong 1-2-3 punch. And finally, behind all of that talent, the competition to be the fifth starter has been heating up in spring training.
It's difficult to emerge as the ace in such a...
Last season, the O's led the majors with 212 home runs. Only 36 of those blasts came off the bats of players no longer in the Orioles organization, leaving them with plenty of power returning to the lineup for 2014.
In fact, with the addition of Nelson Cruz, the Orioles arguably have a more power-packed lineup than last season. Cruz is coming off of a 27-homer season (in 109 games played) for the Rangers.
This week, I'm throwin' it back to an Orioles' four-homer game against the Red...
The Orioles silenced their critics this past week by signing not one or two free agents, but three. A quiet offseason suddenly became very busy in the last 10 days with the additions of Ubaldo Jimenez, Suk-min Yoon and Nelson Cruz.
But that's not the only thing that happened in baseball.
Read more for what those in the national media are saying about the Orioles.
* The new catcher collision rule will go into effect this season. Many have dubbed the rule "The Buster Posey Rule" after...
Spring is (almost) in the air. That tease of warm weather we had last week was cruel and unusual punishment, Mother Nature. It got me in the mood to go to a baseball game, but instead we're dealing with frigid temperatures. How many more days until opening day?
With the Nationals officially in the second week of spring training, several national outlets made a trip to Viera. Read all the latest stories on the Nats below.
* USA TODAY's Paul White stopped by Nationals camp a few days ago and...
New and renewing Season Plan Holders are automatically entered into 30 days of drawings for 30 once-in-a-lifetime prizes and experiences throughout the month of March.
Fans can sign up for new Season Plans now at www.nationals.com/MarchToBaseball
With Opening Day in the nation's capital just around the corner, the Washington Nationals are proud to unveil the March to Baseball campaign, an exciting promotion that gives the team's most loyal fans the opportunity to win daily prizes while...
With the start of the season fast approaching, the Orioles will host the return of Tag Day on Saturday, March 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Tag Day gives fans interested in purchasing either a full or partial Season Plan for the 2014 season the opportunity to "try out" their seats before they buy. Available seats will be tagged with pennants, and Orioles sales representatives will be stationed in each section to discuss season plan options and answer...
The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent outfielder Nelson Cruz to a one-year contract. Cruz, 33, was an American League All-Star for the second time in 2013, batting .266/.327/.506 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in 109 games for Texas.
Since becoming a regular in 2009, Cruz has hit at least 22 home runs in each of the last five seasons, and he is one of 13 hitters with 20 or more long balls in each of those seasons. Among players appearing in at least 100 games, Cruz is...
Beginning today, Washington Nationals fans will have the opportunity to help select the sixth uniformed bobblehead of the upcoming season, presented by PNC Bank. The Fan Choice Bobblehead Vote will run all week long, allowing fans to choose between pitcher Tyler Clippard, first baseman Adam LaRoche or manager Matt Williams for the final bobblehead of the 2014 promotional schedule.
Nationals fans can vote for their favorite team member three different ways:
* Text 9 for Williams, 25 for...
Less than two weeks ago, everyone was buzzing when Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon tweeted a selfie of himself in an Orioles hat.
That late night photo feels like it happened ages ago. Let's recap how we got here, shall we?
At the time, the Orioles still had not made a big offseason move, leaving the Baltimore fan base frustrated as the O's began spring training. A few days later, the Orioles officially announced a three-year, $5.575 million deal with Yoon, but national writers were already...
The Baltimore Orioles announced that Grammy Award-winning band "America" will headline the All-American Family Day & Concert festivities on Sunday, April 6 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Part of the Orioles' "Arts in the Ballpark" event series and the Legacy of Valor campaign, the day of free, family-oriented activities will include a ceremony to honor veterans, a celebrity softball game, hands-on activities, and will be capped off with a special performance by "America."
"We are...
Following the lead of pitchers, all position players reported to Viera, Fla, this week, giving the Nationals a full camp.
It's been a long winter, and nothing helps me get over the winter blues like baseball. Workouts are under way, meaning that there is a lot of news for Dan Kolko to report from sunny Florida.
New manager Matt Williams has gotten his first look at the Nationals, including offseason acquisitions like Doug Fister and Jose Lobaton. He also got a look at reliever Jerry Blevins,...
What a week.
After the media and fans spent most of the offseason speculating about how inactive the Orioles were, they had so much to talk about with the addition of two new pitchers this week.
Suk-min Yoon was introduced to the media Tuesday. While Yoon was a likely starter for the Orioles, news broke just a few hours after Yoon was announced that has potential to send him to the bullpen.
Proven starter Ubaldo Jimenez signed with the Orioles, giving the O's a top-of-the-rotation guy and...
The Orioles today announced that they have signed right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez to a four-year contract. Jimenez, 30, is 82-75 with a 3.92 ERA (1275.2IP, 556ER) in 212 career games (211 starts) with Colorado and Cleveland.
Among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched since 2008, Jimenez ranks 6th in all of baseball with 0.7 HR/9.0 IP, tied for 7th with 195 starts, and 8th with a 1.57 GB/FB ratio, 61.1 ground ball percentage, and 8.35 K/9.0 IP. In that time, Jimenez is one of 10 pitchers...
Head to Camden Yards for a packed night game, and you'll see the stands flooded with a sea of orange and know that you are are surrounded by thousands of Orioles fans.
Nancy Cook, creator of Wear Orange Wednesdays, wants to create that sense of community and Orioles pride away from the stadium. She started the grassroots campaign toward the beginning of the 2012 season. Cook said that she selected Wednesday for a specific reason.
"I came up with the idea. Well, we know that Purple Fridays...
Ah, springtime has arrived.
Well, not here in the D.C. area, but in Viera, Fla. The Nationals began spring training last week, giving us baseball in our lives once again.
Several publications have written about the Nationals over the last week. Read below for a national roundup.
* The Nationals' search for a new spring training home as taken another turn. The Nats have asked former congressman Mark Foley of Florida to serve as a lobbyist for the Nationals. The team is said to be interested...
