As spring training opens, the Nationals are the closest team to having a perfect roster. Over the winter, the Nationals added Doug Fister to the rotation, lefty Jerry Blevins to the bullpen and Nate McLouth to the bench. Today, they acquired backup catcher Jose Lobaton from the Rays. Their rotation is deep. Their lineup is set. The bullpen is strong. Even though the Nationals finished 10 games behind the Braves last season, they're going to be the favored team in the National League East this...

As spring training gets started this weekend, the Orioles will be looking for their No. 5 starter, a closer, a left-fielder and a DH. Here is what the Orioles are up against with the four teams in the AL East: * BOSTON - The Red Sox, who beat St. Louis in the World Series last season, will try to be the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees won three consecutively. ... Unless the Red Sox sign Stephen Drew, they will use prospect Xander Bogaerts at...

Don Larsen was a no-name pitcher who became a baseball legend when he pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees in their 2-0 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series in Yankee Stadium. The game is remembered with an iconic picture of Yankees catcher Yogi Berra jumping Larsen's arms after the game's final out. Larsen, 84, and now living in Idaho, is the only pitcher to throw a perfecto in the World Series. But in the days before he was a Yankee, he played for...

The Alex Rodriguez suspension story is raging on, and who knows when it might run off a cliff and be gone forever? The answer is: not any time soon. After getting his PED-related suspension reduced to 162 games - all for the upcoming season - A-Rod is going to federal court in an attempt to get arbitrator Frederic Horowitz's decision overturned. A-Rod is also suing the players union, which is upset for two reasons. One, the union has been trying to help him; and two, A-Rod made critical...

In the aftermath of the Hall of Fame voting, it is fair to say that the system works, but it doesn't hurt to look at alternatives to make the voting better. There is no perfect voting system, and for the most part, the Baseball Writers Association of America got the vote right when they elected Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. All three were on the ballot for the first time. Maddux (who appeared on 97.2 percent of the ballots) and Glavine (91.3 percent) were part of the Atlanta...

Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July. Now, it is up to the Baseball Writers' Association of America to determine if any players will join the three managers at the Cooperstown, N.Y., ceremonies. The most dramatic story this year is pitcher Jack Morris, who is in his final year on the ballot. The most underrated candidates are Tim Raines and Alan Trammell, and it will be interesting to see how the voters evaluate former Orioles...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the winter meetings end, the Nationals were like a well-oiled machine shopping for left-handed relievers. They traded for Jerry Blevins from Oakland and now their offseason checklist is complete: Blevins, Doug Fister and Nate McLouth. That makes the Nationals the most complete team in the division and the favorites to win back their NL East title. Here's a look at how the NL East shapes up as baseball departs Disney: ATLANTA - The Braves are weaker without their...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the Winter Meetings come to a close, and the Orioles continue to look for pitching and a left-handed bat, here's what's going on with the other teams in the Americfan League East: BOSTON: The Red Sox lost center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the Yankees and picked up catcher A.J. Pierzynski to replace Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who signed with Miami. Manager John Farrell says he's confident in prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. in center, especially on defense, but Shane...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Call it the Buster Posey rule. Or the Mike Matheny rule. Major League Baseball decided Wednesday at the Winter Meetings to ban home plate collisions between a hard-charging runner and a sitting duck catcher. The rule change needs to be approved by the players' union. If the union doesn't approve, MLB can implement the rule in 2015. "Ultimately, what we want to do his change the culture of acceptance that these plays are ordinary and routine and an accepted part of...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The latest analysis from Day 2 of the winter meetings at Disney's Dolphin and Swan Resort: * The biggest trade of the winter meetings took place Tuesday with Arizona, the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox pulling the trigger. The Angels get outfielder Mark Trumbo and his 30-plus home run power. The Angels get a young pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, 22, to help build the final three spots in the rotation behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, and the White Sox get rangy...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Let's take a look at the news, notes, analysis and conversations that are going on in the hallways of the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort on the first day of baseball's Winter Meetings: * Nationals owner Mark Lerner is walking the hallways, eager to find out what his general manager Mike Rizzo will do to add a lefty to his bullpen. Lerner says he's confident in Matt Williams' ability to lead the Nationals back into the postseason. Lerner said that Williams aced his...

The Nationals have added pitcher Doug Fister as the No. 4 starter to their rotation. And while the debate about whether or not they have the best rotation in the National League, there's one question that remains: How did they get one of the American League's top pitchers for a utility infielder (Steve Lombardozzi), a lefty reliever (Ian Krol) and a low-level prospect (Robbie Ray)? The answer is that the Tigers are in a cost-cutting mode. And even though they have one of the most generous...

Detroit's Miguel Cabrera won the American League's MVP vote with a 23 first-place votes. But for me, the vote was much closer than that. As a voting member of the Baseball Writers' Association, September was an interesting month of debate and discussion about this award. At one point, I thought I was going to vote for the Orioles' Chris Davis. On the final day of the season, when ballots were due, I figured my vote was going to go to Oakland's Josh Donaldson. And I gave serious...

Matt Williams, former third base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was introduced Friday as the fifth manager in Nationals history, taking over for the retired Davey Johnson. Williams played 17 seasons as a third baseman with the Giants, Indians and Diamondbacks, playing in a World Series with each team. His only ring came in 2001 with the Diamondbacks. He is the only player in history to hit at least one home run in the World Series for three different teams. Other nuggets about Williams'...

For the first time since 1999, the year the Yankees swept the Braves, the teams with the best records will play in the World Series. This is the fourth World Series played by the Cardinals and Red Sox. The Cardinals beat the Red Sox in 1946 and 1967. Both went seven games. The Red Sox swept St. Louis in 2004 to end the famous "Curse of the Bambino,'' giving them that gave them a title for the first time since Babe Ruth played for them in 1918. The series opens in Boston. The last time the...

The season is done. The ballots are in. The Orioles' Chris Davis and Adam Jones are going to appear on American League MVP ballots. The Nationals' Jordan Zimmermann should make some National League Cy Young Award ballots and maybe his teammate, Jayson Werth, will get NL MVP votes as well. The Baseball Writers' Association of America will announce their awards in November, but here's one perspective: * NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers is the winner. How could anyone argue with...

If the Nationals somehow find a way to make October's postseason, they could be the favorite to go to the World Series. They are the hottest team in the National League. The question is whether they will have enough time to complete their comeback. The best-case scenario is that the Nationals win their final 11 games and finish with 92 victories. Pittsburgh has 87 wins and the Reds 86. The Nationals winning their final 11 games isn't out of the question, but 9-2 is more realistic, especially...

Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth should be a factor in the National League's MVP voting. But if the team pulls off a miracle and becomes a wild card team, Werth's case gets stronger. He missed May with an injury, but there's no arguing that his average, on-base percentage and power in the second half have carried the Nationals' reawakened offense. He might win the NL batting title, and, in addition, he has all the leadership intangibles. The competition: * Freddie Freeman and Chris...

Here are the answers to the most often asked questions about September: * Why do teams play with 25-man rosters through August and then are allowed to expand to up to 40 for September? It's a rule that has always been, but it's driving managers crazy, and they are becoming more vocal about it. General managers have the power to change the rule, and they will likely take a look at it this winter. The simple solution is to allow roster expansion but designate a certain number of additional...

Let's take a look at what's going on in the divisional races: * If the season ended today, the Red Sox would be considered the favorite to represent the American League in the World Series, but watch out for Texas. The Rangers might be having trouble beating Oakland in the AL West, but it is hard to argue with the Rangers' deep bullpen and a rotation led by Yu Darvish, Matt Garza and Derek Holland. And prospect Martin Perez has come out of nowhere to be a consistent winner. Biggest surprise...