Newcomer Lowe adapts to life as Nats' well-paid veteran
Mark Zuckerman
Masn
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Nathaniel Lowe looked around the Nationals clubhouse Sunday morning and tried to get used to a few ideas previously foreign to him. He’s not only the new guy in camp, having spent the last four seasons with the Rangers. He’s also now a veteran among a sea of promising young players, even though he’s only 29 himself and still
Praise keeps coming to Basallo, González an overnight sensation at 33, Vavra's very happy returns
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
SARASOTA, Fla. – Samuel Basallo won’t make the club out of spring training. He never stood a chance. He didn’t report thinking that it could happen. That isn’t why he’s here again. The Orioles want Basallo to experience a full slate of workouts after he reported last February with a stress fracture in his elbow. They want to keep him near Adley Rut
Familiar and new pitchers draw attention in first live BP session
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Position players don’t officially report to Nationals camp until Monday, with the first official full-squad workout Tuesday, but so many of them were already on hand early that the team decided to get started now with a time-honored, spring training workout: live batting practice. Nine pitchers took turns facing groups of th
More notes from Day 4 of Orioles spring training
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
SARASOTA, Fla. – Tommy Joseph noticed it right away. After spending the 2024 season as assistant hitting coach in Seattle, Joseph accepted the same job with the Orioles and immediately was struck by the positive atmosphere and tight bonds formed among players who genuinely care about each other. They’re teammates but also friends. They have the sam
Buck Britton finally gets major league call, McDermott confident in quick return from lat injury
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
SARASOTA, Fla. – Zack Britton reports to Orioles spring training in two days to serve as a guest instructor. His older brother is excited to see him again. They have lots to talk about beyond their families. Buck Britton spent the last three seasons as Triple-A Norfolk manager before the Orioles promoted him this winter to major league coach. He be
Nationals agree to terms with Paul DeJong
MASN Staff
Masn
The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with infielder Paul DeJong (de-Young) on a one-year contract and transferred Josiah Gray to the 60-day Injured List on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. DeJong, 31, joins the Nationals after he hit .227 with 17 doubles, 24 home runs, 56 R
Nats sign veteran infielder DeJong for $1 million (updated)
Mark Zuckerman
Masn
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals’ search for more power has landed on a former All-Star shortstop who will now be asked to play third base in D.C. The Nats signed Paul DeJong to a one-year, $1 million contract this morning, adding the veteran infielder to a roster lacking in experience and proven home run power. The 31-year-old passed his phys
Perfectionist Gore ready to reach new heights
Mark Zuckerman
Masn
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – In a sport full of perfectionists, MacKenzie Gore rises above the fray. The Nationals left-hander expects the absolute best from himself, beats himself up when he doesn’t live up to that standard and always seeks improvement no matter how well his last start went. This isn’t a recently learned trait for Gore. He didn’t just
Kjerstad's big chance, O'Neill's modified workouts, Eflin and Sugano control artists, more from Chirinos
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
SARASOTA, Fla. – Heston Kjerstad sat quietly at his locker yesterday morning, staring at his phone with legs stretched out and empty chairs on both sides of him. An isolated figure. Pretty much how he likes it. Kjerstad isn’t anti-social. He just doesn’t command a lot of attention in a clubhouse with some extremely high-profile young players. The b
Nats running PFP drills at game speed, preaching better results
Mark Zuckerman
Masn
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The early days of spring training are defined by two time-honored morning drills: Bullpen sessions and pitchers’ fielding practice. The former draws most of the attention, because it’s an opportunity to see pitchers work on their primary craft. But the latter, while mundane, matters quite a bit. And that’s especially true fo