How Nats position players are projected to hit in 2019

How Nats position players are projected to hit in 2019
As spring training draws closer and closer, it's reasonable to start wondering what kind of seasons individual players are likely to produce. No, we still don't know every player who will be part of the Nationals' 2019 roster, but we do know the vast majority of them at this point. Projecting stats from year to year is a tricky business, but there are no shortage of analytical formulas out there that attempt to do just this. One of the most popular is FanGraphs.com's Steamer projections,...
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Looking at the Nationals' current depth chart

Looking at the Nationals' current depth chart
We've examined how the Nationals' 25-man roster might look if it was assembled today, a useful exercise during the winter to gauge what, if any, holes still remain. But as you well know, it takes a lot more than 25 players to get through a major league season. The Nationals used 53 players last year, their highest total since 2009 and only four shy of the club record. So it's also useful to look at the organization's depth chart beyond the projected 25-man roster. Who do the Nats have...
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Two more lefty relievers come off the board

Two more lefty relievers come off the board
If the Nationals intend to acquire another left-hander for their bullpen before spring training, they'd better hurry. The ranks of available arms are beginning to thin out. Two more southpaws came off the board Friday when Justin Wilson signed with the Mets and Oliver Pérez re-signed with the Indians. Wilson, owner of a 3.33 ERA and 1.268 WHIP in seven seasons with the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers and Cubs, reportedly agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Mets. The Nationals had shown...
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MASN to broadcast seven Nats exhibition games

MASN to broadcast seven Nats exhibition games
Seven Nationals exhibition games will be broadcast on MASN this spring, the network announced today, including contests against the Yankees, Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals. MASN will televise the club's Grapefruit League opener, Feb. 23 against the Astros, at 6:30 p.m. That marks the first of six home games at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches that will air live. The crew returns to West Palm Beach on March 5 for a 1 p.m. game against the World Series champion Red Sox. A pair of National...
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Nearly three months in, do we really know what's up with Harper?

Nearly three months in, do we really know what's up with Harper?
As "Harper's Bazaar" approaches the three-month milestone - yes, free agency began nearly three months ago! - resolution appears either to be coming much more into focus or has turned as cloudy as it's ever been, depending on your reading of the tea leaves. Did the Dodgers' surprise move to sign A.J. Pollock on Thursday quash any chance of Bryce Harper going to L.A.? Did Joe Maddon's simple but direct answer to a Harper question last week at the Cubs' annual winter fan fest - "Not going...
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Three position players (zero pitchers) make top 100 prospects list

Three position players (zero pitchers) make top 100 prospects list
The Nationals are well-positioned to fill long-term holes in the outfield and infield from within their own farm system. Top pitching prospects? Not so much, at least according to Baseball America. The industry's leading ranker of minor leaguers unveiled its annual top 100 prospects list Wednesday, and three members of the Nationals organization (Victor Robles, Carter Kieboom, Luis Garcia) were included. Robles, the dynamic young outfielder, was deemed the 11th-best prospect in baseball...
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Wednesday morning Q&A

Wednesday morning Q&A
It's late January. The Hall of Fame Class of 2019 has been announced. Pitchers and catchers report in three weeks. Bryce Harper still hasn't signed anywhere. Sigh, it's been a long offseason, to say the least. But the good news is that something has to happen soon, right? Harper is going to be playing for somebody in 2019. Let's take this opportunity to answer your questions. Questions about Bryce. Questions about anything else related to the Nationals. Questions about my Hall of Fame...
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My 2019 Hall of Fame ballot

My 2019 Hall of Fame ballot
The 2019 Hall of Fame class has now been announced, and it's quite a compelling class of inductees, huh? Mariano Rivera became the first player ever to be named on 100 percent of submitted ballots and permanently sealed the career Yankee's legacy as the greatest closer of all-time. Roy Halladay was elected in his first year on the ballot, a bittersweet moment for family and fans of the Blue Jays and Phillies ace, who tragically died in a plane crash a little more than a year ago. Edgar...
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What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night
The hot stove league may be tepid right now, but at least baseball is providing us something us to get excited about later today: the Hall of Fame election announcement. Yes, it's time to find out who's in the class of 2019 in addition to Lee Smith and Harold Baines (who were elected last month by what used to be called the Veterans' Committee but now has a confusing and completely unnecessary longer name). The announcement is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern time on MLB Network, after which...
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A request for MLB to keep extra-innings rules as-is

A request for MLB to keep extra-innings rules as-is
How should a sporting event that's tied at the end of regulation be decided? Just make the two teams keep playing until someone scores? Give both teams an opportunity before it's over? Create a whole new set of rules in an attempt to get a final result sooner? If you watched yesterday's NFL conference championships, surely you found yourself contemplating this very question. Was it fair that the Patriots, by virtue of winning a coin toss, were able to march down the field and score the...
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Host of 2018 Nationals still seeking jobs in tepid market

Host of 2018 Nationals still seeking jobs in tepid market
For all the attention lavished upon Bryce Harper and Manny Machado and their long, slow quest to sign with somebody before the start of spring training, there are a ton of other free agents still unemployed as we reach late January. And that includes a whole bunch of guys who played for the Nationals in 2018. Let's look at those still-unsigned free agents and figure out what it might take to get them in a uniform before pitchers and catchers report ... MATT WIETERS Wieters had to know he was...
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News on a couple of former Nationals pitchers

News on a couple of former Nationals pitchers
Joel Hanrahan and Micah Bowie were teammates on the 2007 Nationals pitching staff, after which their respective careers took very different paths. Hanrahan, after crashing and burning when the Nats tried to make him their closer in 2009, wound up a two-time All-Star with the Pirates. Bowie, the consummate journeyman left-hander, appeared in only 10 big league games after leaving the Nats following that 2007 season. Both wound up in the news on Friday, for very different reasons. Hanrahan was...
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Nats add lefty reliever Nuño on minor league deal

Nats add lefty reliever Nuño on minor league deal
Seeking for some more experienced left-handed options in their bullpen, the Nationals have signed veteran Vidal Nuño to a minor-league contract with an invitation to compete for a job in big-league camp this spring. The deal, confirmed by a club source, will pay Nuño $1.3 million if he makes the major league roster, according to Fancred's Jon Heyman. It includes an opt-out clause if Nuño doesn't make the team. Nuño, 31, posted a 1.64 ERA and 1.030 WHIP in 17 appearances for the...
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Better, worse or the same in 2019: Pitchers

Better, worse or the same in 2019: Pitchers
Yesterday we looked at each of the Nationals' position players and asked if they are likely to be better, worse or the same in 2019. Today we'll do the same exercise with the club's pitching staff. In some cases, this is simply about one player and examining his chances for improvement or regression from last year. But in some cases, this is about a specific role on the staff and whether or not the club has adequately improved the position so far this winter. Again, there's still time for...
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Better, worse or the same in 2019: Position players

Better, worse or the same in 2019: Position players
At this point, we have a pretty good idea what the 2019 Nationals are going to look like (with one obvious unknown still lingering out there). We can't wait forever for Bryce Harper to make his decision, though, so we're going to have to proceed around here as though the big guy isn't coming back to Washington. (If he does, well, we'll deal with that when it happens.) So the real question that must be asked is this: Are the 2019 Nationals going to be better than the 2018 Nationals? There...
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Success of Nats' winter still depends on rivals' remaining moves

Success of Nats' winter still depends on rivals' remaining moves
Have the Nationals had a good offseason? It's easy to look at the eight major leaguers they've acquired since the 2018 season ended and declare they've enjoyed a successful winter. Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez filled obvious needs. Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki provide a clear upgrade at catcher. Brian Dozier is a solid pickup at second base. Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough have the potential to reshape an ever-changing bullpen. Matt Adams was an important re-sign. The Nationals...
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Healthy and motivated, Dozier picked Nats over better offers

Healthy and motivated, Dozier picked Nats over better offers
Even on the heels of a subpar 2018 season in which he played through a knee injury and saw his production decrease, Brian Dozier said he had multi-year offers from other clubs this winter. How, then, did it come to be that the veteran second baseman found himself on a conference call with Washington reporters this afternoon, discussing the one-year, $9 million contract he just signed with the Nationals? "Basically, what it came down to was just where my wife and I wanted to be," he said....
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What would a 25-man roster look like today?

What would a 25-man roster look like today?
There are still four weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report, 10 weeks to go until opening day against the Mets. There's plenty of time for things to change, and they probably will. Yet if the Nationals needed to assemble a 25-man roster today, they could easily do it. And there's a decent chance that roster would look the exact same for Game 1 on March 28. Such is the case when your front office has been among the most aggressive in the majors through the first three months of the...
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Monday morning thoughts on Dozier, Reynolds and Harper

Monday morning thoughts on Dozier, Reynolds and Harper
A few thoughts as everyone wakes up this Monday morning and digs out from the weekend snowstorm ... * We should be hearing from Brian Dozier soon, perhaps as soon as today, now that the veteran second baseman's one-year, $9 million contract with the Nationals has officially been announced. Dozier, who agreed to terms of the deal Thursday, passed his physical Sunday to finalize the process. There will be plenty of topics to discuss with Dozier, but perhaps most interesting will be his...
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Will Taylor and Barraclough actually get to arbitration?

Will Taylor and Barraclough actually get to arbitration?
Will the Nationals really go to arbitration with Michael A. Taylor and Kyle Barraclough over a combined $525,000? For now, yes, but the chances of the club and the two players settling salary figures on their own before engaging in a hearing next month would seem to be pretty strong, given the lack of difference in their dueling offers. Cases that go to arbitration typically involve a sizeable disparity between sides, almost always at least $1 million. The Nationals, Taylor and Barraclough...
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