Mark Zuckerman

Time for final decision on 2020 season has come

June 20, 2020, 8:56pm

After months of waiting followed by weeks of squabbling, the time has probably come for a final decision on the 2020 season. And barring a last-minute change of heart by the owners and players who have been refusing to budge from their most recent offers, it appears the sport is destined for a short season unilaterally mandated by commissioner Rob Manfred, which will probably be met with a formal grievance filed by the Major League Baseball Players Association. What, you thought this saga was...

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Nationals sign first-round pick Cavalli

June 19, 2020, 12:22pm

Nationals

First-round pick Cade Cavalli signed with the Nationals today, only nine days after the Oklahoma right-hander was drafted 22nd overall in the country. Terms of Cavalli's deal weren't immediately available, but the Nats have room to go above Major League Baseball's designated $3.027 million slot value for the 22nd pick. The club created extra space to spend more on their top three picks by signing fourth- and fifth-round picks Brady Lindsly and Mitchell Parker to bonuses well below their...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

June 18, 2020, 8:19pm

Nationals

Well, it's Friday again. And we still don't know when (or if) the baseball season will begin. I'd claim to be surprised by this development, but at this point, nothing surprises me. Yet I'll admit I'm still optimistic a deal will get done soon. Maybe in the next 48 hours? I know the difference between the 60 games the owners are offering and the 70 games the players are asking for is larger than it appears at first glance. It reportedly works out to a total of $250 million in increased pay...

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Progress in latest round of talks, but no deal quite yet

June 17, 2020, 7:55pm

Nationals

Progress in latest round of talks, but no deal quite yet

Is it possible? Is it possible Rob Manfred and Tony Clark are close to a deal and the 2020 season is nearly upon us at last? Well, yes and no. After a Wednesday that featured a whirlwind of emotions, from brief moments of joy to forceful words of caution, here's where it appears things stand: Manfred and Clark, after meeting in person (and in secret) in Arizona, seem to have made significant headway toward a deal. But not a completed deal, both because they didn't sign any formal papers and...

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Nats have a lot to lose in shortened or canceled season

June 16, 2020, 8:30pm

Nationals

Nats have a lot to lose in shortened or canceled season

It's June 17, and we still don't know when (or if) the Major League Baseball season is going to begin. But at this point, it's pretty safe to say that however long the potential season is, it won't be long. It won't equate to one-half of a normal season. It might not even equate to one-third of a 162-game slate. And that could have some significant ramifications for the Nationals, not necessarily positive ones. I've been thinking about what 2020 is going to mean for the Nats as a whole...

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Time for baseball to do what's in the best interests of baseball

June 15, 2020, 9:49pm

Nationals

Time for baseball to do what's in the best interests of baseball

When baseball owners approached Kenesaw "Mountain" Landis in 1920 and asked him to become the first commissioner in professional sports, the then-U.S. District Court judge insisted he be given a very specific power. Landis insisted he be allowed to make major decisions on his own, without approval of owners or players, for matters he believed were "in the best interests of baseball." Exactly one century later, that phrase remains written into Major League Baseball's constitution, and every...

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Tales from the clubhouse: Bonds and Bacsik

June 14, 2020, 9:53pm

Nationals

Tales from the clubhouse: Bonds and Bacsik

With no news on the state of the 2020 season expected until sometime today, the baseball world was left Sunday with nothing else to do but wax nostalgic and watch a documentary about the breaking of one of the sport's most hallowed records 22 years ago. The Great Home Run Chase of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa was beloved by everyone at the time, cringed at now because of the added layer of context we now have for what took place. Watching it, though, reminded me of the breaking of...

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Chance for deal seems dead after statements by MLB, players

June 13, 2020, 9:14pm

Nationals

Chance for deal seems dead after statements by MLB, players

Whatever sliver of hope remained that Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association might find a way to come together and negotiate a reasonable settlement to their ongoing fight over salary structure appeared to go up in smoke Saturday night after both entities issued nasty statements accusing each other of ruining any chance of a reasonable 2020 season. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark all but gave up further negotiations and essentially demanded that Rob Manfred tell the players...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

June 11, 2020, 6:25pm

Nationals

Another week down, another week without resolution to the seemingly important question of: "When will the 2020 Major League Baseball season begin, and how long will it last?" Despite proposals and counter-proposals, the league and the MLB Players Association don't appear to be close to a deal at this point. We can only continue to hope cooler heads will prevail - and soon. There was baseball news this week, though, in the form of a condensed, five-round draft that began Wednesday night and...

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Nationals Day 2 draft tracker (updated)

June 11, 2020, 12:34pm

Nationals

It's day two of the draft, and the Nationals have much more to consider than they did last night when they waited around for their one and only pick (No. 22), which they used on Oklahoma right-hander Cade Cavalli. Tonight, the Nats will make five selections, one apiece in rounds two through five, plus a compensatory pick after the second round they received for losing Anthony Rendon to free agency. Yep, that's a big one. The whole thing begins at 5 p.m. with the start of the second round. The...

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In strange draft year, Nats confident early scouting will pay off

June 10, 2020, 8:37pm

Nationals

In strange draft year, Nats confident early scouting will pay off

When they gathered Wednesday night - each individual secluded in his own home - for the first night of this year's draft, Mike Rizzo, Kris Kline and the Nationals scouting department would have been excused if they felt less prepared than they had any previous year they gathered for the first night of the draft. Nobody had been able to scout anybody in person in three months, which under normal circumstances would be a ludicrous way to try to create a draft board. Instead, these men insist,...

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Nats need to find more success with late first-round picks

June 09, 2020, 9:02pm

Nationals

Nats need to find more success with late first-round picks

The Nationals built a contender - and ultimately, a World Series champion - on the strength of an impressive run of first-round draft picks who developed into superstars. Ryan Zimmerman. Stephen Strasburg. Anthony Rendon. Bryce Harper and Drew Storen (aside from the champion part). All were top-10 selections during the Nats' first seven drafts. All had a hand in the franchise's ascension. The first three had a major hand in the franchise's title run. But if they want to continue this run of...

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Players, owners can't try to fight 2021 battle in 2020

June 08, 2020, 8:18pm

Nationals

Players, owners can't try to fight 2021 battle in 2020

There are problems with Major League Baseball's economics system. Big problems. Yes, the sport brings in as much as $11 billion a year, but that doesn't mean the economic state of the sport is healthy. Players have been making this argument for two years now. How can owners be making so much money while free agency remains stagnant? How can so many teams be profitable while still claiming they need to cut payroll as part of a long-term rebuilding plan? And how can the best players in this...

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10 years later, Strasburg's debut still leaves us in awe

June 07, 2020, 9:28pm

Nationals

10 years later, Strasburg's debut still leaves us in awe

It's almost impossible to refer to any game or any player in baseball history as unique. Over the last century and a half, this great sport has seen pretty much everything that can happen, happen. Yes, there have been countless remarkable, memorable, even historic moments and players. But in nearly every case, they can be compared to something or someone else. Rarely do we get to witness something and say with 100 percent conviction: "Wow, we've never seen anything like that before!" If you...

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Wondering how the Nats' season might have been playing out

June 06, 2020, 9:21pm

Nationals

Wondering how the Nats' season might have been playing out

The Nationals are wrapping up a homestand this afternoon, with the fourth and final game of their series against the Mets on tap, a marquee pitching matchup between Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom set for this warm afternoon on South Capitol Street. This is an important stretch of the season to date for the Nats, who through 64 games find themselves in the driver's seat of a competitive race in the National League East. They're in first place at 39-25, with the Braves trying to catch them at...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

June 04, 2020, 7:46pm

Nationals

And so the end of another week is upon us, the 12th such week since we last had baseball players doing baseball things on a baseball field. It's hard to believe that much time has passed, and it's hard to believe there is still no agreed-upon plan for bringing the sport back. Obviously, there are more important issues in the world right now than baseball, and our heads and our hearts need to remain focused on those issues. But it's also OK to care about baseball right now. It's what...

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Set a deadline, and you might actually get a deal at last

June 03, 2020, 8:42pm

Nationals

Set a deadline, and you might actually get a deal at last

Precisely 12 weeks have passed since Major League Baseball shut down spring training and delayed the start of the regular season, the novel coronavirus having forced the entire nation to shut down like never before. Nobody knew at that moment how much time would pass before baseball could be played again, but slowly it became clear the target date for starting a condensed 2020 season would fall right around July 4. Which meant teams would need to be able to start holding workouts for a second...

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Nationals call for "unity and solidarity" in statement

June 02, 2020, 8:00pm

Nationals

Following the trend initiated by a few Major League Baseball clubs over the weekend and echoed by many more franchises throughout the day, the Nationals issued a statement late Tuesday in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the charging of police officer Derek Chauvin with third-degree murder and manslaughter, and the protests that have taken place across the country in the aftermath. The statement was attributed to the Nationals' Founding Partners Group, which consists of...

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MLB, union seem far apart, but middle ground awaits them

June 01, 2020, 9:25pm

Nationals

MLB, union seem far apart, but middle ground awaits them

It's hard to look at the competing proposals for the 2020 season offered up by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association and come to the conclusion that the two sides are anywhere close to striking a deal. But here's a key point that must be taken into consideration when trying to gauge the state of negotiations: Both sides are purposely making proposals that fall at the extreme ends of their acceptable spectrums. Not because anyone believes the opposing side is going to accept...

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Nationals change course, will keep paying minor leaguers in full

June 01, 2020, 10:04am

Nationals

One day after learning their own major league players had pledged to cover the pay cuts the organization was imposing on minor leaguers, Nationals ownership reversed course and elected to continue making full weekly stipend payments to their players, a source familiar with the decision confirmed. The Nationals' intention to reduce the stipends given to minor leaguers from $400 per week to $300 per week throughout June was immediately met with a harsh reaction from the franchise's own big...