Mark Zuckerman

Fans' guide to spring training, Part 1: The complex

January 26, 2020, 8:22pm

It's Super Bowl Week, which means a lot to a lot of people but to baseball fans means something particularly meaningful: Spring training is fast approaching. Yes, once the Chiefs or the 49ers hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night, baseball season officially will be right around the corner. Nationals pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12, a mere 16 days from now. And there's a decent chance many of you are making plans to report to West Palm Beach yourselves to enjoy the Nationals'...

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Top prospect lists still lacking Nationals pitchers

January 25, 2020, 8:03pm

Nationals

The Nationals won the World Series last year with the oldest roster in baseball, so it's not surprising they went out this winter and either signed or re-signed a bunch of veterans who will help keep the team's average age near the top of the sport again. Nothing wrong with that philosophy, especially when it worked so well in 2019. But it's worth noting that a Nats farm system that was so instrumental in the franchise's initial ascension from laughingstock to annual contender might be as...

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The ramifications of Zimmerman's new contract

January 24, 2020, 7:37pm

Nationals

The ramifications of Zimmerman's new contract

If you went to bed early last night, the Nationals and Ryan Zimmerman finally worked out a new deal. Zimmerman will return on a one-year contract that guarantees him $2 million plus the potential to earn another $3 million in incentives, according to two sources familiar with the terms. The deal will become official once he passes a physical. There are plenty of ramifications and follow-ups to this news, so let's run through some of them this morning ... * This deal is a bargain for the Nats....

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Sources: Zimmerman agrees to return on one-year deal

January 24, 2020, 5:44pm

Nationals

Sources: Zimmerman agrees to return on one-year deal

The only person to play in at least one game for each of the Nationals' 15 years of existence is coming back for a 16th year. Ryan Zimmerman and the Nats have agreed to terms on a new one-year contract that will pay the veteran first baseman a guaranteed $2 million plus incentives that could push the total value up to $5 million, according to two sources familiar with the move. The deal, which is pending a physical and includes a full no-trade clause, gives Zimmerman the ability to increase...

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Nats sign veteran catcher Castillo to minor league deal

January 24, 2020, 11:43am

Nationals

Nats sign veteran catcher Castillo to minor league deal

The Nationals have signed catcher Welington Castillo to a minor league deal, giving themselves another veteran behind the plate, where their depth was a bit thin. Castillo, whose signing was confirmed by a source familiar with the deal, has been a big league regular since 2013 with the Cubs, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Orioles and White Sox. The 32-year-old is a career .254 hitter with 98 homers, 339 RBIs, a .313 on-base percentage and .738 OPS in 726 games. Castillo struggled last season with the...

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Better, worse or the same in 2020: Pitchers

January 23, 2020, 5:37pm

Nationals

Better, worse or the same in 2020: Pitchers

Yesterday we looked at Nationals position players and tried to project whether the club will be better, worse or the same at each position. Today we'll attempt the same exercise for their pitching staff. Keep in mind, this is broken down into roles on the pitching staff (i.e. No. 1 starter, setup men). In some cases where there hasn't been a change, it's essentially a projection of how one pitcher is going to compare to last season. But in other cases where there have been changes, it's a...

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Better, worse or the same in 2020: position players

January 22, 2020, 7:42pm

Nationals

Better, worse or the same in 2020: position players

Though there are still a handful of moves that could be made - Hello, Ryan Zimmerman? Hello? Anybody there? - the Nationals have a pretty good idea at this point what their roster will look like when pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach in a mere 20 days. And that roster, for the most part, looks a lot like the roster that won the World Series just a few short months ago. The question, though, is whether that roster ultimately will outperform the 2019 version, underperform it or...

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Wednesday morning Nats and Hall of Fame Q&A

January 21, 2020, 5:35pm

Nationals

Wednesday morning Nats and Hall of Fame Q&A

Hey, did you know pitchers and catchers report for spring training three weeks from today? Wow, time flies when you're having fun (and when your previous season doesn't end until the day before Halloween). The Nationals have made plenty of news this winter, whether re-signing free agents off their World Series roster, adding a few strategically placed newcomers or losing one of the best players in club history. At this point, we've got a pretty clear picture what things will look like when...

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My 2020 Hall of Fame ballot

January 21, 2020, 10:08am

Nationals

After a string of 20 new electees in the last six years, the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 was always destined to be small. But not so small that there wasn't room for two electees. Derek Jeter, the obvious choice in his first year of eligibility, will be joined on the stage in Cooperstown this summer by Larry Walker, who narrowly earned election in his 10th and final year of eligibility. Jeter was named on 396 of 397 ballots submitted by members of the Baseball Writers' Association...

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Previewing tonight's Hall of Fame election reveal

January 20, 2020, 6:21pm

Nationals

Previewing tonight's Hall of Fame election reveal

It's been a rough week for baseball, unless you're of the opinion that bad publicity is better than no publicity. Regardless, the Astros' sign-stealing scandal - and the still-falling domino effects of it - has shown us some of the worst baseball has to offer. Which makes today a good day, because we're going to get to experience some of the very best baseball has to offer. (Plus some controversy, because this sport simply isn't allowed to just celebrate the good things without having a...

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Returning coaches embrace change of roles

January 19, 2020, 8:25pm

Nationals

Returning coaches embrace change of roles

The Nationals return all but one of the members of their World Series-winning coaching staff this season, with only assistant hitting coach Joe Dillon (who got the lead hitting coach's position in Philadelphia) departing. But there are some significant changes to the roles some of the returning coaches will hold in 2020. Manager Davey Martinez decided to rotate three key members of his staff - Chip Hale, Tim Bogar and Bob Henley - around the diamond and dugout, in an attempt to keep everyone...

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Martinez on his No. 3 hitter, Zimmerman, Doolittle and the Astros

January 18, 2020, 7:40pm

Nationals

Martinez on his No. 3 hitter, Zimmerman, Doolittle and the Astros

The most newsworthy thing Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Friday following his taping of an hour-long special with "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd at SiriusXM's local headquarters was that Carter Kieboom will have an opportunity to win the starting third baseman's job this spring. But it wasn't the only newsworthy thing Martinez said while talking to reporters for the first time since the Winter Meetings in early December. Here are some more highlights from the session ... *...

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Martinez: Kieboom will get chance to win third base job

January 17, 2020, 8:26pm

Nationals

Martinez: Kieboom will get chance to win third base job

Who's going to replace Anthony Rendon at third base for the Nationals? Davey Martinez intends to give top prospect Carter Kieboom every opportunity to seize that all-important job this spring. Martinez, in his first public comments since Rendon signed a $245 million contract with the Angels on the final evening of last month's Winter Meetings, said Friday that Kieboom will come to camp as the club's preferred starting third baseman but will have to earn it. "He deserves a shot to make the...

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Nats' primary goal needs to be a return to top of NL East

January 16, 2020, 7:50pm

Nationals

Nats' primary goal needs to be a return to top of NL East

The Nationals' primary goal for the better part of a decade now has been simple: Win the division. They've done that four times in the last eight years, though of course they immediately were eliminated in the National League Division Series each time. And of course the one time they reached the postseason via the wild card, they went on to win the World Series. So it might be easy for some right now to think it doesn't matter whether the Nats finish first or second in the National League...

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After day on ice, time for Zimmerman to get back in Nats uniform

January 15, 2020, 7:34pm

Nationals

After day on ice, time for Zimmerman to get back in Nats uniform

Ryan Zimmerman worked out Wednesday with a professional sports team. He put on a uniform, emerged from a locker room and went through drills with fellow elite athletes, then answered questions from reporters after he was done. All of this took place, of course, at a hockey rink. Zimmerman, making good on a long-ago promise to Nicklas Backstrom, laced up his skates and donned a full set of equipment as a special guest goalie at Capitals practice Wednesday afternoon. At times looking quite spry...

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Nats don't get Donaldson, but neither do Braves

January 14, 2020, 8:15pm

Nationals

Nats don't get Donaldson, but neither do Braves

As soon as Anthony Rendon signed with the Angels, the Nationals immediately shifted their attention to the only other free agent third baseman on the market who could come anywhere close to matching Rendon's production: Josh Donaldson. The Nats then spent the next month waiting for Donaldson to make up his mind, which he finally did Tuesday night. And where did the slugger choose to go? Was he joining the World Series champions in Washington? Would he stay in Atlanta and try to help get the...

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Astros scandal is more reason to be grateful Nats won title

January 13, 2020, 6:37pm

Nationals

Astros scandal is more reason to be grateful Nats won title

What if Howie Kendrick's hit landed just foul? What if the Nationals still trailed in the eighth and ninth innings of Game 7 of the World Series and sat and watched the Astros mob each other in the center of the diamond as the sellout crowd in Houston roared? How would everyone around here have felt about Monday's announcement by Commissioner Rob Manfred that general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch had been suspended for the 2020 season (and then later fired by owner Jim Crane) and...

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Pitching prospect Fausto Segura dies in motorcycle accident

January 13, 2020, 8:11am

Nationals

Pitching prospect Fausto Segura dies in motorcycle accident

Nationals minor league reliever Fausto Segura died Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, the club announced today. Segura, 23, was riding a motorcycle near Maria Montez International Airport in his hometown of Barahona when he was hit by a van, ESPN Deportes reported. "He was beloved by his teammates, coaches, coordinators and everyone he came in contact with throughout our organization," the Nationals said in a statement announcing Segura's death. "We extend our deepest sympathies...

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After shaky debut in 2019, Kieboom ready for another shot

January 12, 2020, 6:58pm

Nationals

After shaky debut in 2019, Kieboom ready for another shot

The promotion lasted all of 11 days, during which time Carter Kieboom experienced the full gamut of emotions. He homered in his major league debut April 26 to earn a curtain call but struck out with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth later that night. He homered again two days later, then got just two hits in his next 27 at-bats. And he had all kinds of misadventures in the field, charged with four errors in only 10 games while misplaying a couple more balls. And then it...

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Scherzer confident he's fully healthy after back and neck issues

January 11, 2020, 8:11pm

Nationals

Scherzer confident he's fully healthy after back and neck issues

Max Scherzer understands why everyone was concerned, from club officials to doctors to media members to Nationals fans who watched the staff ace deal with strange and seemingly significant back and neck injuries last season, right up into the World Series. Yes, he got through it all and even pitched well in Game 7 to help put the Nats in position to win their first championship. But surely there would be lingering effects that required offseason attention or changes in preparation for next...