Orioles escalate regional rivalry after stealing highly regarded scouting exec

One of the Baltimore Orioles' biggest rivalries actually has very little to do with head-to-head competition. The Nationals don't play in the AL East or even in the American League, but these two teams have a regional battle for fans that goes back to when the Nationals returned, starting with the 2005 season. The two teams were even embroiled in a lengthy legal battle over local TV rights fees that only recently seems to be mostly settled (for now).

While there doesn't seem to be any hard feelings over the lawsuits, there is no denying that Baltimore and Washington are fighting over the same group of baseball fans, and that is going to create a rivalry. That rivalry just got a boost with the word that the Orioles just hired scouting exec Danny Haas away from the Nationals to bolster their front office.

Orioles turn to former division rival scouting director Danny Haas to bolster their talent development pipeline

It would be fun to say that Baltimore conducted some covert operation to steal the Nationals' scouting director away, but the truth is more mundane. This is actually a reunion, as Haas worked for the Orioles for seven years as a scout and special assistant before moving on to Washington.

However, it is noteworthy that Haas oversaw multiple high draft picks with the Nationals, including the first overall pick in this year's draft, Eli Willits. Given how highly Mike Elias values having a steady pipeline of talent via the draft and some young players falling short of expectations lately, adding Haas now does signal that Baltimore wants some real changes implemented to their scouting operation before preparation for next year's draft gets too far along.

As for the Nationals, they find themselves in a bit of a pickle these days. They just went through a period where the team was on the market to be sold, only to be pulled off the market by the Lerner family. They just got rid of their manager AND general manager, and their scouting director just moved down the road to Baltimore. Their loss is the Orioles' gain, but one wonders how the dynamic between the two teams will play out going forward.

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