Right-hander Mac Sceroler has got a decent four-pitch mix and an uncle who has helped shape his career and is well known to Orioles fans. He had a strong 2019 season, but when spring training begins, the 25-year-old will be trying to make the jump from the high Single-A Florida State League to the American League. One of the O's two Rule 5 picks, along with right-hander Tyler Wells, Sceroler was the No. 5 pick of the 18 major league-phase players taken. The Orioles selected him from the...

Conducting the usual search for veteran relievers during the offseason, the Orioles are on the verge of signing left-hander Fernando Abad to a minor league contract per multiple sources. Final details are being worked out, but the sides are in agreement. Abad will receive an invitation to spring training, which for the Orioles is supposed to begin with pitchers and catchers reporting to the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Feb. 16. The Orioles also held interest in Abad last winter and made an offer...

Manager Davey Martinez made a point heading into this offseason to get better in outfield defense as the Nationals look to return to the top of the National League East after a fourth-place finish in 2020. In 2019, center fielder Victor Robles led the major leagues with 23 Outs Above Average (OAA) over 155 games. In 2020, in just 52 games, Robles reached only 2 OAA. Adam Eaton had a minus-1 OAA and Juan Soto a minus-2 OAA. Outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Andrew Stevenson did not register an...

Mike Rizzo notoriously doesn't tip his hand when it comes to offseason targets, but if you're willing to take him at his word, it appears the Nationals general manager intends to go into the 2021 season with Yan Gomes catching more than 50 percent of his team's games and a still-to-be-acquired veteran backing him up. During Tuesday's Zoom session with reporters, his first since late September, Rizzo indicated the Nationals are prepared to have Gomes start a majority of games begin the...

Tyler Wells won't be able to truly demonstrate what he offers the Orioles as a pitcher until reporting to spring training and getting on a mound. Until he faces hitters in live batting practice sessions and in exhibition games. What he's done so far is prove that he's going to be one of the more thoughtful, open and articulate members of the organization. Wells was credited with a quality Zoom yesterday afternoon in his first media session after the Orioles chose him in Thursday's Rule 5...

Ryan Mountcastle was one of the club's better hitters during the shortened 2020 season. He arrived in the majors with an Aug. 21 call-up and sure did not disappoint with his play and production after that. Mountcastle has been moving onward and upward at a steady pace since the Orioles selected him in the First-Year Player Draft. 2015: O's select him No. 36 overall out of Hagerty (Fla.) High School.2016: He spends his entire first full year at Single-A Delmarva, batting .281/.319/.426.2017:...

The Nationals have a clear No. 1 priority this winter: Acquire a big bat to complement Trea Turner and Juan Soto in the heart of their lineup. And Mike Rizzo says ownership has assured him he'll have the resources to acquire that kind of big-ticket item. "It's no secret we're a pitching-oriented team," the Nats general manager said during a Zoom session with reporters today, his first since late September. "We've got three great strong starting pitchers coming back. We've got a bullpen...

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg has recovered well from right hand surgery and is expected to be at full health when spring training begins, hopefully in mid-February 2021. Strasburg pitched in only two games in the abbreviated 2020 campaign, severely hampering a rotation that has been the strength of the Nats success for many seasons. "He was just re-examined on Dec. 4," general manager Mike Rizzo during today's Zoom video call with reporters. "He's coming along great. He should be...

Sometimes you get leftovers for breakfast, sometimes you get the crumbs at the bottom of the toaster. It's a good way to manage your carbs. The Brandon Hyde virtual Winter Meetings video conference call last Monday morning - or "Zoom" to save keystrokes - covered a wide range of topics. A few of them also interested the national media that joined in, including how the Orioles handled COVID-19 conditions and whether Hyde is confident in the implementation of a full spring training and season...

If Major League Baseball reverses course and puts an end to the three-batter-minimum rule it instituted for pitchers this season, Luis Avilan might prove to be a savvy addition for the Nationals in 2021. There's been no indication MLB intends to do that, however, so the challenge for Avilan to be a successful reliever for the Nats will be immense. The Nationals signed the 31-year-old left-hander to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training Monday night, a source familiar...