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If ever there was a day to turn a $600-plus million baseball stadium into an indoor carnival, Sunday's FanFest at Nationals Park would have been it. Sections of the ballpark usually cordoned off to all but the most affluent fans, instead, housed face painting, caricatures, raffles, skee ball and pitching simulations. The concession stands were open, and while I didn't see a guy selling sno
The Nationals held their annual Hot Stove Luncheon for season ticket-holders today, and while such events aren't known for their newsmaking value, this one actually delivered some: Adam Dunn and the Nationals have begun preliminary talks on a contract extension. The subject was first broached by a fan's question, after which Dunn stood, began leading his own round of applause and did a deadpan staredown
The Nationals announced this morning they signed 38-year-old right-hander Miguel Batista to a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to big-league spring training. It's yet another attempt by general manager Mike Rizzo to stockpile affordable pitching options in case some of the team's young starters aren't ready to be in the rotation, though Batista could end up in the bullpen, as well. Batista made 56
Just a bit of housekeeping: With the signing of Tyler Walker to a one-year, $650,000 deal now official, the Nationals took reliever Marco Estrada off the 40-man roster today. Estrada had seen stints of time in the major leagues the last two years, but hadn't really panned out as a starter or reliever. He became the logical choice to be bumped once the Nationals added
With the Nationals at Ben's Chili Bowl this afternoon as part of their Winter Caravan, I sauntered down to the U Street landmark in hopes of catching up with general manager Mike Rizzo for a couple of minutes - and in hopes of getting out of there without sucuumbing to the desire for a half smoke. Successful on both counts. But you probably care more
For those of you who are like me and don't have satellite radio, Federal Baseball posted a partial transcript of Nationals GM Mike Rizzo's interview on Sirius XM Radio this morning with, well, his former boss - former Nationals GM-turned-radio host Jim Bowden. Nothing terribly grabby in here, at least in the first part of it, but Rizzo does mention the need to improve up
It's reasonably safe to assume the Nationals' bullpen makeover is done at this point -- I'm making that bold claim based on nothing more than the fact that I have a hard time seeing who else they can add -- so let's look at what they'll likely be heading into the season with, compared to what they had last year. Last year, you'll remember, was
Still looking for upgrades to their bullpen and veteran arms to compete for rotation spots in spring training, the Nationals accomplished both goals on Monday, signing former Phillies reliever Tyler Walker to a major-league deal and ex-Braves starter Chuck James to a minor-league deal, according to a team source. The team has also signed outfielder Chris Duncan. Walker had a 3.06 ERA in 32 appearances
Good morning, Nats fans--and what a great morning it is. Why, you ask? Something related to this. (Full disclosure: I am from Minnesota. But my whole family is from Wisconsin. I am a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan because, well, my great-grandfather was a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan, and as those of us in Packer Nation will tell you, you often don't get a
Hey everybody, Just a public service announcement to let you know my corner of the blog will be going dark until Monday morning--I'm flying out to Utah to do some skiing with my dad. I can hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth already; I planned this trip while I was still at the Times, and my bosses at MASN were gracious enough to let
On the day teams and players exchange figures in advance of salary arbitration, the Nationals all but rendered the process inconsequential, agreeing to terms with four of their six arbitration-eligible players -- reliever Jason Bergmann, catchers Jesus Flores and Wil Nieves and outfielder Josh Willingham. Only relievers Brian Bruney and Sean Burnett remain without contracts, though the Nationals can still settle with those two players
Nothing major to report yet today on the Nats front--though the deadline for submitting arbitration figures is in a half-hour--but here are a few things to keep an eye on today: --ESPN's Buster Olney discusses presumptive No. 1 pick Bryce Harper in a blog post over at ESPN.com. You have to be an Insider subscriber to read the whole thing, but Olney quotes a few
Good morning, Nats fans. Hope you're enjoying your holiday. I caught up with Nationals manager Jim Riggleman a few minutes ago to discuss a number of the topics you've been asking about in the last few days. Here's a transcript of my interview with him, interrupted only by his coffee-and-breakfast order at a fast-food place: Q: You guys have had a chance to add a
It's that time of year again -- the annual point in the offseason that begins what I think is one of the strangest procedures in professional sports. Imagine you went into your boss' office to ask for a raise (OK, OK, imagine it's a better time when your boss wouldn't laugh hysterically or trail off muttering some line about "economic challenges" or "a difficult climate").
Good morning, Nats fans--hate to burst your bubble by already bringing up the topic of Stephen Strasburg's next contract, but after the Marlins signed Josh Johnson to a four-year, $39 million deal yesterday, it's worth discussing what kind of precedent the Nats will be working from if Strasburg turns out to be anywhere near the pitcher he's predicted (or hyped?) to be. (And this will
There was an interesting wrinkle introduced to baseball's economic structure yesterday: MLB, the players' association and the Florida Marlins reached an agreement that will require the Marlins--one of the biggest beneficiaries of baseball's revenue sharing program--to increase their payroll until their new ballpark opens in 2012. Owners of big-market clubs have become increasingly critical of teams like the Marlins, who receive big payouts from the
FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi wrote this afternoon that the Nationals are interested enough in second baseman Orlando Hudson to possibly make him a two-year offer. It wouldn't shock me if this gets done; the Nationals were interested in Hudson last year, and he would give them the defensive upgrade they so desperately need in the middle infield. Plus, they signed another Greg Genske client--Adam Dunn--to
I know you're probably bummed that the Nats didn't get this done, and there's been some criticism of the "Hey, we were close" approach, which I think is valid. The more pertinent development, to me, is what this reveals about the team's philosophy going forward. It no longer seems like they are afraid to spend on pieces that could carry some risk. And let's be
Greetings, Nats fans. After 10 days off, a chance to learn a new publishing system, a few meetings and the requisite paperwork, I'm happy to inform you I'm back on the Nationals beat. I'll be covering the Nationals this season for MASN, blogging here and appearing as a guest contributor to pre- and post-game shows once the season rolls around. We're still working on a
