Some Monday morning notes

Some Monday morning notes
For anyone who watched the Redskins game yesterday, I'm sorry. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I flipped the game on for about 45 seconds, watched the Redskins offense turn a first-and-goal into a missed 47-yard field goal and that was about all I needed to see. This was the team's effort coming out of a bye against a previously one-win Buccaneers squad. In their last 10 seasons, the Skins have had six sub-.500 campaigns and have gone 63-91. Let's compare that to what the Nationals have...
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Turning our attention back to the bench

Turning our attention back to the bench
As it stands right now, the Nationals appear to have at least three, and possibly four, of their bench spots for 2015 accounted for. Kevin Frandsen avoided arbitration the other day, signing a $1 million contract for next season, with another $300,000 in incentives possible. He'll be back as the team's versatile, do-everything right-handed bat. Frandsen can play first, second, third or left field, and is always eager to put on the catching gear and catch a bullpen session when needed. Jose...
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More roster moves coming

More roster moves coming
Yesterday's decision by the Nationals to release oft-injured left-hander Matt Purke took some fans by surprise. Purke was a third-round pick out of TCU in 2011. He was given a big league deal out of college. He was handed a $4.2 million contract. I get it; it's news when a player like that is released. The Nationals took a chance on Purke in the draft, selecting a player who had battled a shoulder injury while in college, and it didn't pan out. This is a team that has made similar draft...
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Frandsen re-signs with Nationals (updated)

Frandsen re-signs with Nationals (updated)
The Nationals have re-signed one of their top bench performers from 2014, re-upping with Kevin Frandsen on a one-year, $1 million deal for 2015, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Per Crasnick, the deal also contains incentives that could pay Frandsen an additional $300,000. Frandsen hit .259/.299/.309 with the Nats in 2014, hitting one home run and driving in 17. Frandsen was the Nats' top pinch-hitter this season, delivering 11 pinch-hits, which tied for 10th-most in the National League...
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Rendon comes in fifth in NL MVP voting

Rendon comes in fifth in NL MVP voting
Anthony Rendon's stellar 2014 campaign got noticed across the baseball landscape. The Nationals third baseman finished fifth in the National League Most Valuable Player voting tonight, this in just his first full big league season. This is the highest a Nationals player has ever landed on the NL MVP ballot. Rendon got a total of 155 points in the balloting, and received one third-place vote. He was listed on 29 of the 30 ballots. The 24-year-old finished behind Clayton Kershaw (who won...
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Nats well-represented on Cy Young ballot

Nats well-represented on Cy Young ballot
We all knew Clayton Kershaw was going to win the National League Cy Young Award last night. He did. We all figured it was going to be a unanimous vote, after Kershaw went a ridiculous 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA in 198 1/3 innings this season. It was. Kershaw became just the 14th pitcher to win the NL Cy Young by a unanimous vote, joining Sandy Koufax (three times), Greg Maddux (twice), Randy Johnson, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Rick Sutcliffe, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Jake Peavy and Roy...
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Nationals will retain entire coaching staff for 2015

Nationals will retain entire coaching staff for 2015
A day after Matt Williams won National League Manager of the Year honors, the Nationals announced that they will welcome back his entire coaching staff from the 2014 season. All seven members of the Nats coaching staff - bench coach Randy Knorr, pitching coach Steve McCatty, hitting coach Rick Schu, third base coach Bobby Henley, first base coach Tony Tarasco, bullpen coach Matt LeCroy and defensive coordinator/advance coach Mark Weidemaier - will be back in 2015. This marks the first time...
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On the Jordan Zimmermann trade rumor and what it all means

On the Jordan Zimmermann trade rumor and what it all means
You know the offseason is truly under way when we have a report of a monster trade coming from one outlet, and multiple other outlets quickly shooting that report down. Last night, said report involved the Nationals and the starting pitcher who many people would consider to be the team's ace. The Chicago Sun-Times reported last night that the Cubs are actively involved in talks to acquire Jordan Zimmermann from the Nationals, with one of Chicago's many talented middle infield prospects coming...
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Williams on NL Manager of the Year award: "I'm proud of that and humbled by it"

Williams on NL Manager of the Year award: "I'm proud of that and humbled by it"
Shortly after winning the National League Manager of the Year award, Nationals skipper Matt Williams took part in a conference call with reporters, discussing an honor that he said he considers an "organizational award." The trophy will have his name inscribed on it. And Williams will forever have 2014 NL Manager of the Year on his resume. But not surprisingly, Williams was quick to deflect praise and spread the compliments around to his players, coaches and members of the front office for...
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Matt Williams wins NL Manager of the Year award

Matt Williams wins NL Manager of the Year award
In his first year as a major league skipper, Matt Williams has earned the top award in his profession. Williams has been named National League Manager of the Year for the 2014 season, as voted on at the end of the regular season by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Williams received a total of 109 votes, including 18 of the 30 first-place votes. The Nationals manager also received six second-place votes and was written in as the third-place finisher on one ballot. Pirates...
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News and notes from around the NL East

News and notes from around the NL East
Are there any other players out there named Manny that the Nationals can sign this week? They inked Manny Delcarmen and Emmanuel "Manny" Burriss to minor league deals yesterday, bringing back two players who spent 2014 at Triple-A Syracuse and giving both invitations to big league spring training. Manny Ramirez is still out there. Anyone interested? Starting tonight at 6 p.m. on MLB Network, the results of the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting on the Manager of the Year awards...
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Burriss, Delcarmen get minor league deals, spring training invites

Burriss, Delcarmen get minor league deals, spring training invites
The Nationals have agreed to minor league deals with infielder Emmanuel Burriss and right-handed reliever Manny Delcarmen, and both will get invitations to major league spring training in Viera, Fla. The 29-year-old Burriss signed a minor league deal with the Nats in December 2013 and hit .300/.377/.412 in 116 games at Triple-A Syracuse, where he played mostly shortstop. Burriss, a native of Washington, D.C., is a career .243 hitter in five seasons with the Giants, but hasn't played in the...
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Some of this, some of that

Some of this, some of that
While it might seem like the World Series just ended a couple days ago, the general managers' meetings begin today in Phoenix, marking the first fairly significant event in the major league offseason. By "fairly significant," I don't mean that much wheeling and dealing typically happens during the GM meetings. If we come out of this four-day stretch with news of more than a couple of trades or big free agent signings, I'll be surprised. We're still early in the offseason, after all. But...
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Another National excelling in winter league play

Another National excelling in winter league play
He's not a minor leaguer that will sit atop various prospect lists or have Nationals fans clamoring for his jersey this winter. But Rafael Martin had a tremendous 2014 campaign, and he's now dominating winter league action, as well. The 30-year-old reliever appeared at three different levels of the Nats' minor league system this year, and put up a stellar 1.39 ERA in 58 1/3 innings over 38 appearances. Martin struck out 66, walked just 12, had a 0.806 WHIP and allowed only one home run all...
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A big few months for Moore

A big few months for Moore
We all saw in 2012 what Tyler Moore is capable of. That season, Moore put up a .840 OPS and hit 10 home runs in just 156 at-bats in his first taste of the big leagues, putting himself on the radar of Nationals fans and seemingly positioning himself as, at the very least, a productive bench bat on the major league roster going forward. Things haven't worked out as planned. Moore hit .222 with a .607 OPS in 63 games in 2013, then hit .231 with a .685 OPS this last season, shuttling back and...
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Some more on the Silver Sluggers (and Japan All-Star Series update)

Some more on the Silver Sluggers (and Japan All-Star Series update)
It had been six years since a team last had both members of the left side of its infield win Silver Sluggers. Derek Jeter and everyone's favorite, Alex Rodriguez, accomplished that feat with the Yankees in 2008. Now Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon are the newest shortstop/third base combo to take home baseball's top offensive award. Last night, Desmond won his third straight Silver Slugger Award, presented by Louisville Slugger, putting him in a pretty prestigious club. The only shortstops in...
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Desmond, Rendon win Silver Slugger Awards

Desmond, Rendon win Silver Slugger Awards
The left side of the Nationals infield was arguably as potent offensively as any team's in the National League this season. And shortstop Ian Desmond and third baseman Anthony Rendon are getting the hardware to prove it. Desmond made it a three-peat, winning his third consecutive Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, while Rendon takes home the award for the first time. The awards were announced live on MLB Network a short time ago. "Our entire organization is exceptionally proud of Ian...
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Could some Nats take home hardware tonight?

Could some Nats take home hardware tonight?
The Nationals were shut out in the Gold Glove voting this year, with Denard Span coming up short to Mets center fielder Juan Lagares and Adam LaRoche losing out to Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Tonight, we get another chance to see if any Nationals will take home some hardware. The Silver Slugger awards will be announced tonight beginning at 6 p.m. on MLB Network. As I'm sure most of you are aware, Gold Gloves are handed out to the top defensive player in each league at each position,...
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Nats announce 2015 spring training schedule (Yankees at Nats Park on April 4)

Nats announce 2015 spring training schedule (Yankees at Nats Park on April 4)
Four months from today, the Nationals will open their 2015 spring training campaign. It'll be here before we know it. The Nats today announced their spring training schedule for next year, and they'll open their Grapefruit League season with a home game against the Mets on Thursday, March 5 at Space Coast Stadium. Matt Williams' ballclub will get a pair of visits from the National League Central champion St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, March 7 and Friday, March 27, as well as the American...
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A look back at Frandsen's first season in D.C.

A look back at Frandsen's first season in D.C.
It might be easy to forget now, almost a month removed from the Nationals' season coming to an end, but back in late April and into May, Kevin Frandsen was essentially an everyday player for the club, filling in at left field, third base, second base and first base, as needed. Signed by the Nationals to a one-year, $900,000 deal toward the end of spring training after he was granted his release by the Phillies, Frandsen was expected to serve as a bat off Matt Williams' bench, a veteran with...
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