The hot stove season is in full swing, and the Orioles this week signed free agent shortstop José Iglesias to fill the hole left when the club traded Jonathan Villar. That and other offseason happenings certainly hold our interest as fans who are curious about who will be where on opening day 2020. But to quote the Bard, the play's the thing. There's really no substitute for a game, but in the unfortunate absence of live baseball this time of year, MASN happily brings you the next best...

Now that we're into January, we can honestly say - over and over again, if you like - that Nationals pitchers and catchers report to spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla., next month. Warms you up just thinking about palm trees and line drives, doesn't it? To get you in the proper mood for camp, we've got a full plate of "Nationals Classics" this week on MASN, including a dazzling array of walk-off victories and the second career start by newly re-signed right-hander Stephen...

With one really expensive re-signing of one of the staff aces along with several calculated re-signings or additions of role players to fill the holes in their roster, the Nationals have been one of the most active teams across baseball so far this winter. They're not done, of course, because they still seek a replacement for Anthony Rendon at third base, they still need a first baseman (or two) and they could still use at least one more reliable arm to strengthen a bullpen that's better but...

It's been coming for a few years. The Orioles are building some nice outfield depth. Will there be room for everyone? Will this position provide a surplus eventually they may trade from? Let's look at the eight players listed as outfielders on the 40-man roster. Trey Mancini: The Orioles are thrilled he's under team control for three more years. At some point, maybe after 2020, they could look to sign him long-term. He was the 2019 Most Valuable Oriole when he hit .291/.364/.535 with 35...

New Orioles major league coach Fredi González knows rebuilds. They got acquainted while he managed the Marlins and later served as third base coach, and they were reintroduced after he guided the Braves to back-to-back playoff appearances. The front office made it clear to González that drastic changes were coming. The club got off to a 9-28 start in 2016 and he was fired as manager on May 17. An article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution included the following passage: "Although it's...

The Nationals had an usually large number of players become free agents off their championship roster: 12 in total, including those who either opted out of the rest of their contracts or had options declined by the club after the season. To their credit, they've managed to re-signed five of those free agents so far (Stephen Strasburg, Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Javy Guerra) while losing only two (Anthony Rendon, Gerardo Parra). But that still leaves five more players from...

The Orioles' neighbors to the south are one interesting baseball team right now. They lost Bryce Harper to a division rival, failed to win their division, yet won the World Series. They overcame a poor bullpen by using their starters in relief at times in October. They got clutch offense late throughout the month and won it all. This after a terrible start to the season that produced 93 wins eventually - a total that would not have been enough to make the postseason in the American League. A...

General manager Mike Rizzo is moving quickly to shore up the Nationals infield as the team prepares to defend its championship in 2020. Veteran Starlin Castro came to terms with the Nats on Friday, and Rizzo has now returned an important mid-season addition from last year to his potential roster for the upcoming campaign, agreeing to a deal with Asdrúbal Cabrera, according to reports posted via Twitter. The 34-year-old Cabrera hit .323 in 38 games with the Nats, coming over after the Rangers...

Here, 5 1/2 weeks before pitchers and catchers are due to report for spring training, is what the Nationals don't have: a viable replacement for Anthony Rendon. Here, though, is what they do have: a whole lot of versatility and a whole lot of options across the infield. Friday's signing of Starlin Castro to a two-year, $12 million deal (pending physical) created even more options for the Nats as they try to figure out how to align their infield come opening day. If the season began today (and...

In the minor leagues, winning is not everything. In fact, it may rank a few steps down the line. You can develop players while your team wins, but it's not a prerequisite. You can certainly develop players on teams that don't win. It happens often. It's pretty clear that the primary goal on the O's farm again in 2020 is for individual players to get better and to try to get them to the majors. That is job one, and the rest of the tasks are down the board. It stands to reason that on a team...