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The Nationals non-tendered three of the 10 players they have eligible for arbitration, deciding not to offer contracts to pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, reliever Joel Peralta and catcher Wil Nieves.
Of those three, Peralta is the only one I'm surprised about. He pitched well for the Nationals this year, becoming a key member of the team's late-inning relief group late in the season. The only reason I can think of as to why they wouldn't offer him a contract is because they were worried he'd get a decent-sized raise in arbitration, based on his performance, and figured they could find cheaper options for their bullpen. Cole Kimball and Adam Carr both pitched well in the Arizona Fall League, and the Nationals could replace Peralta with one of those two pitchers.
The team was trying to work out a deal with Wang, who didn't pitch in the majors after signing a one-year, $2 million deal in February and spending the entire season rehabbing, and they could still try to bring him back. But if they make a push for Brandon Webb, it's hard to envision them taking a chance on two injury risks next season.
The team also agreed to contracts with infielder Alberto Gonzalez and catcher Jesus Flores, avoiding arbitration with the two Scott Boras clients. And though the team hasn't officially announced it yet, this should mean they'll be tendering contracts to outfielders Josh Willingham and Michael Morse, starter John Lannan and relievers Sean Burnett and Doug Slaten.
