tim lincecum

Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman has won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's outstanding college baseball player.

The Orioles could have gone two ways with the first pick in the First Year Player Draft and either one would have been fine, but anything else would not.

The chances of getting "The Freak" to Baltimore are slim.

The Orioles' series opener against the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards on Friday was postponed by rain and will be made up as part of a split-admission doubleheader on Saturday.

After selecting right-hander Jason Garcia in the Rule 5 draft before last season, the Orioles had to figure out a way to carry a player who hadn¿t previously pitched above Single-A. Now, the team has the freedom to send Garcia to the minors instead of forcing him to develop at the major league level.

The Orioles are still looking to upgrade their starting rotation, and are ¿one of several teams¿ that have expressed interest in free-agent right-hander Tim Lincecum, according to an industry source.

In two weeks and two days, Orioles pitchers and catchers will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota for the beginning of spring training.

Signing Chris Davis to the largest deal in club history won't complete the Orioles' offseason to-do list. They are still seeking to upgrade their rotation and solidify their corner-outfield situation, despite rapidly dissolving markets in both areas.

That line of thinking, albeit premature in this instance, brings us to the spring and summer of 2015, to the University of Maryland, and to two high-profile players heading into their respective drafts: wide receiver Stefon Diggs and outfielder LaMonte Wade.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said he's not yet had serious talks about some of the Orioles' pending free agents.

After six rocky years, which included a multi-million-dollar signing bonus, several position changes and a drug suspension, the Orioles will be cutting ties with former first-round pick Billy Rowell.

The odyssey of Billy Rowell took another strange turn Monday when Major League Baseball announced that the Orioles' first-round pick in 2006 has been suspended for 50 games for his second violation of the minor league¿s drug testing and prevention program.

Former Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie suffered from chronic non-support when he was in Baltmore and led the major leagues in losses two of the past three seasons, but Jeremy showed again on Wednesday night at Coors Field why he sometimes was his own worst enemy.

There are a number of dark horses this year, including the Tampa Bay Rays' surprising Kyle Farnsworth

Brian Matusz returned to the mound Wednesday and Adam Jones hit the game-winning homer to help the Orioles snap their five-game losing skid. ... Jones put his modesty aside when discussing his leaping catch in the fourth inning of the 2-1 win over the Mariners. ... Nick Markakis played his first career game at first base. ... To make room for Matusz, the Orioles designated Jake Fox for assignment. ... Navy has indicated interest in talking to Maryland men's lacrosse coach John Tillman about its coaching vacancy. ... Three-sport standouts Darius Jennings from Gilman and Taylor Cummings from McDonogh were named our Athletes of the Year.