Wondering about Rizzo's next moves at Winter Meetings

Wondering about Rizzo's next moves at Winter Meetings
LAS VEGAS - Now that he's made the big splashes, let's see if Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo can excel at the small moves that pay sizable dividends. The whirlwind of activity that preceded the Nats' arrival at the Winter Meetings at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino filled most of the team's glaring weaknesses. Signing Kurt Suzuki as a free agent and trading for Yan Gomes reworked the catching corps. Newcomers Kyle Barraclough and Trevor Rosenthal will take over setup duties in the...
Continue reading
    

Nationals agree to terms with Patrick Corbin

Nationals agree to terms with Patrick Corbin
The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a six-year contract with All-Star left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Corbin, 29, joins the Nationals after going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA and 246 strikeouts in 33 starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018. He set career marks in nearly every category in his sixth professional season, including ERA, strikeouts, games started, innings pitched...
Continue reading
    

Orioles to host 40th annual OriolesREACH holiday party

Orioles to host 40th annual OriolesREACH holiday party
The Orioles and OriolesREACH will host 80 third, fourth, and fifth grade students from The Commodore John Rodgers School for the 40th annual OriolesREACH Holiday Party at Dave & Busters in the Arundel Mills Mall on Tuesday, December 11, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. Located in Southeast Baltimore, the school was formerly identified as a 'Turnaround School' based on struggling climate, declining enrollment, poor parent satisfaction, and low achievement. Commodore has worked to change...
Continue reading
    

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A little bit of something for everyone

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A little bit of something for everyone
One of the great things about being a baseball fan is the fact that the game offers something for every fan, no matter your rooting interest, whether you prefer to see offense or pitching or how invested you are in the game. That's the overriding theme for this week's array of "Nationals Classics" on MASN: We've got something for everyone. You like late heroics? We've got shining examples of how bats and gloves can make the difference between winning and losing. You prefer pitching...
Continue reading
    

Lilliquist on Scherzer's homers, Strasburg's velocity dip and more

Lilliquist on Scherzer's homers, Strasburg's velocity dip and more
Each winter, Max Scherzer vows he can be better. Well, Nationals pitching coach Derek Lilliquist has something he thinks the three-time Cy Young Award winner can do to improve. "He can keep the ball in the ballpark a little better," Lilliquist said yesterday at Nationals Winterfest. "He got hurt with a lot of bad breaking balls in kill counts last year. So that's going to be an area we're going to really put a thumb on in spring training. We've got to execute (with two strikes). Scherzer...
Continue reading
    

Hardworking Soto gets head start on offseason improvements

Hardworking Soto gets head start on offseason improvements
What does Juan Soto do for an encore after a rookie season that obliterated records for offensive production by a teenager? The now 20-year-old has a simple plan for making sure he isn't bitten by a sophomore slump: Keep working hard and try not to change what brought him such instant success in the major leagues. "I think, do my routine, and no change," Soto said Saturday at Nationals Winterfest. "If that worked, I got to keep going until I (retire)." Soto tied teammate Bryce Harper for...
Continue reading
    

Robles banking on return of his power stroke

Robles banking on return of his power stroke
There's a good chance Victor Robles will be patrolling center field for the Nationals in 2019, and if that happens, Robles expects that the powerful stroke that was sapped by an early-season hyperextended left elbow will return. Manager Davey Martinez has hinted at that and hitting coach Kevin Long expects that offensive surge to occur, too. But hearing Robles talk at Nationals Winterfest about the return of his power stroke makes the possibility of losing Bryce Harper to free agency a little...
Continue reading
    

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Family ties, a momentous homer and walk-off blasts

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Family ties, a momentous homer and walk-off blasts
OK, we've gotten through Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. But "Orioles Classics" are the gift that keeps on giving - all through the offseason, brightening your dreary, cold days with warm thoughts of baseball. This week's smorgasbord of "Classics" has some of the most revered names in O's history and a smattering of home runs. Hey, chicks aren't the only ones who dig the longball! A couple of games from the 1980s bookend some "Classics" of a more recent vintage. So...
Continue reading
    

What to make of radio silence in the Harper talks

What to make of radio silence in the Harper talks
Earlier this month, during the GM meetings in Carlsbad, Calif., news surfaced that the Nationals had extended an offer worth $300 million over 10 years to free agent-to-be Bryce Harper late in the regular season. The offer reportedly contained no opt-outs for the slugger, and was summarily dismissed by Harper and his agent, Scott Boras. Since then, there's been a ton of chatter about where Harper might wind up when he signs what could be the most expensive free agent contract ever. Daily...
Continue reading
    

Some thoughts on Realmuto, Grandal and Ramos

Some thoughts on Realmuto, Grandal and Ramos
If Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo wants a difference-maker behind the plate, Kurt Suzuki is going to be a backup catcher in 2019. Oh, Suzuki may still get to strap on the gear and catch 50 or 60 games, but banking on a 35-year-old to handle the game's most physically demanding position for 110 or more games is asking for a lot. So buckle up, make sure that your seatbacks and tray tables are in their upright and locked positions, and get ready for some turbulence as the Nationals attempt...
Continue reading
    

Orioles name Sig Mejdal Assistant General Manager, Analytics

Orioles name Sig Mejdal Assistant General Manager, Analytics
The Orioles today announced that Sig Mejdalhas been named the club's Assistant General Manager, Analytics, reporting to Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias. Mejdal will oversee all aspects of the club's growing analytics effort while assisting and advising Elias in all manner of Baseball Operations decisions. "Sig Mejdal is one of the most experienced and accomplished analysts working in baseball today," said Elias. "To have him join our Orioles organization is a major...
Continue reading
    

Orioles offer special deals for holiday shoppers

Orioles offer special deals for holiday shoppers
In celebration of the start of the holiday season, the Orioles are offering several deals for holiday shoppers. On Friday, all fans will receive a 50% discount on all purchases at the Orioles Official Team Store at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for 'Orange & Black Friday' from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. This discount cannot be combined with any other offer. Additionally, from Friday through midnight on Cyber Monday - Monday, November 26 - shoppers can purchase Orioles gift certificates and...
Continue reading
    

Looking at Nationals' non-tender candidates

Looking at Nationals' non-tender candidates
Having passed Tuesday's deadline for adding players to the 40-man roster to protect them from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas next month, it's now time to take a look a possible non-tender candidates. For the uninitiated, major league clubs can choose to not offer a contract to an arbitration-eligible player - non-tender him - if they would rather risk losing the player to another club than paying him what he might earn through the arbitration process....
Continue reading
    

Nationals select contract of James Bourque

Nationals select contract of James Bourque
The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher James Bourque on Monday, adding him to the team's 40-man roster. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Bourque, 25, went 4-2 with six saves and a 1.70 ERA (10 ER/53.0 IP) in 41 games between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018. He led all Nationals Minor Leaguers (min. 50.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.91) and hits allowed per 9.0 innings...
Continue reading
    

Nationals add righty reliever James Bourque to 40-man roster

Nationals add righty reliever James Bourque to 40-man roster
The Nationals this afternoon selected the contract of right-hander James Borque, adding the reliever to the 40-man roster to protect him from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft at next month's Winter Meetings. Bourque, 25, was 4-2 with six saves and a 1.70 ERA in 41 games between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018. He led all Nationals minor leaguers (with a minimum of 50 innings) with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 5.09 hits allowed per nine innings. He was third in the...
Continue reading
    

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Clinchers, homers and a most unlikely theft

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Clinchers, homers and a most unlikely theft
Man, I'm stuffed. How about you. That buffet dinner was no match for my Thanksgiving appetite and I'm now fueled for an evening of pre-Black Friday shopping.Oh, wait, another piece of pumpkin pie? Well, if you insist. Don't mind if I do. The bargains will still be there when I pull into the Hagerstown Prime Outlets this evening. Hmmm, I wonder if I can get a turkey sandwich in the food court? If you're planning on spending this evening in a food coma - and need to rest your fingers for...
Continue reading
    

At a career crossroads, does Taylor have a future with Nats?

At a career crossroads, does Taylor have a future with Nats?
Hindsight being 50/50, the time for the Nationals to have dealt outfielder Michael A. Taylor was probably last winter, when he was coming off his breakthrough 2017 campaign in the major leagues. Taylor slashed .271/.320/.486 with 19 homers, 43 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He posted a .333/.444/.733 line in the National League Division Series against the Cubs and was a finalist for a Gold Glove in center field. But 2018 was a lost season for the 27-year-old Taylor, who backslid in almost every...
Continue reading
    

Orioles name Mike Elias Executive Vice President and General Manager

Orioles name Mike Elias Executive Vice President and General Manager
The Orioles today announced that Mike Elias has been named the club's next Executive Vice President and General Manager. Elias will oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff and make decisions on all baseball matters that he believes will make the Orioles successful on the field, entertaining to fans, and impactful in the community. Elias just completed his 12th season in Major League Baseball, most recently serving as Assistant General Manager,...
Continue reading
    

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: An unexpected call to arms and a parade of homers

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: An unexpected call to arms and a parade of homers
It won't be long now. Pretty soon, the house will be filled with the aroma of roasting turkey. Folks will cram around the table to give thanks for life's many blessings. They'll also debate which type of cranberry sauce is better, the jiggly gel that slides out of the can or the kind boasting actual berries. But before Turkey Day, you can give thanks for some pretty special memories by watching this week's slate of "Orioles Classics" on MASN. If you prefer your baseball to feature...
Continue reading
    

Ex-Nats manager Johnson on Today's Game Era ballot for Baseball Hall of Fame

Ex-Nats manager Johnson on Today's Game Era ballot for Baseball Hall of Fame
When the Winter Meetings convene next month in Las Vegas, a committee of baseball writers and historians will vote on a slate of candidates that could land a second former National in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Nationals manager Davey Johnson is one of 10 names appearing on the Today's Game Era ballot that will be considered and voted upon on Dec. 9. Any candidate receiving votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Today's Game Era Committee will earn election into the...
Continue reading