Mark Zuckerman

What's on tap for the Nationals at the Winter Meetings

December 09, 2017, 3:16pm

It's the second week of December, snow just fell around here and thousands of folks who work in the baseball industry are en route to Orlando for the next four days. Yes, it's time for the Winter Meetings, which for the fourth time in a dozen years is being held at the Swan and Dolphin Resort near Walt Disney World. Will the Nationals consider this the Happiest Place on Earth by the time they head home Thursday? As always, it depends how aggressive they intend to be during this annual event,...

219 Hits

Comments

Tags:

Free agent dominoes may finally start to fall

December 08, 2017, 11:06am

Nationals

Free agent dominoes may finally start to fall

One of the two biggest dominoes of the hot stove league dropped Friday. The other is still standing, with the potential to topple at any moment, though not where originally expected. At which point, the rest of the baseball world should be able to proceed with the rest of the offseason. Shohei Ohtani's decision to sign with the Angels caught many by surprise, perhaps most of all the supposed frontrunners to acquire the Japanese two-way star: the Mariners, Padres, Cubs and Rangers. Those clubs...

227 Hits

Comments

Tags:

giancarlo stanton mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime shohei otani winter meetings featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Nationals face tough trade dilemma with Taylor

December 07, 2017, 7:27pm

Nationals

When Adam Eaton tore his ACL on April 28 and Michael A. Taylor once again found himself the Nationals' unlikely starting center fielder, the reaction was understandably unenthusiastic. Taylor, after all, had already been given opportunities to take over as the everyday center fielder each of the previous two seasons when the originally designated starter went down to injury (Denard Span in 2015, Ben Revere in 2016). And Taylor had failed to make the most of those opportunities, showing flashes...

274 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Pitching won't come cheap for Nationals this winter

December 06, 2017, 6:41pm

Nationals

The Nationals know they need to acquire multiple pitchers this winter in hope of filling several holes vacated by departing free agents. They may have found out Wednesday just how much it's going to cost them to do it. Though the Rangers' signing of Mike Minor didn't draw major headlines, it was noted in baseball circles for one important reason: The left-hander may have just set the market for every other free agent pitcher this offseason. Consider that Minor got a three-year, $28 million...

268 Hits

Comments

Tags:

free agency mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime brandon kintzler featured_sidebar matt albers frontstory_nationals1

Wednesday morning Nats Q&A

December 05, 2017, 10:04am

Nationals

One week from now, we'll be neck-deep in the Winter Meetings, with (hopefully) plenty of newsy developments to discuss. For now, though, it's been a really quiet offseason for the Nationals, the notable exception being that minor change to the manager's office and coaching staff, of course. But there's plenty on the Nats' table as they prepare to head down to Walt Disney World for four days of wheeling and dealing, so let's try to anticipate some of what might happen while there. As...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime q&a featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Could the Nats re-sign any of their free agents?

December 04, 2017, 8:20pm

Nationals

Could the Nats re-sign any of their free agents?

If you scrolled through yesterday's organizational depth chart blog post, you may have noticed that the Nationals lost a significant amount of depth in a few areas when the season ended and several prominent players became free agents. All of a sudden, that remade bullpen is looking mighty thin. As is the Nats bench, which was such a strength by season's end. It doesn't have to remain that way, of course. The Nationals can (and likely will) fill those holes this winter with new signings or...

202 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam lind brandon kintzler free agents howie kendrick jayson werth mark zuckerman matt albers nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Organizational depth chart reveals Nats' positions of need

December 03, 2017, 6:05pm

Nationals

Organizational depth chart reveals Nats' positions of need

The Winter Meetings begin one week from today in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., so the Nationals - along with the rest of the baseball world - should be just about ready to start getting serious about making actual transactions that will alter their roster in 2018 and beyond. We already have a hunch what's on Mike Rizzo's shopping list - No. 5 starter, right-handed relievers, bench players - but it's also helpful to view this in the context of what the Nationals already have in-house. Not only at...

272 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

No experience? For today's managers, no problem

December 02, 2017, 1:44pm

Nationals

No experience? For today's managers, no problem

The Nationals took some grief earlier this fall for firing an experienced manager like Dusty Baker and handing over a 97-win team challenged to win a World Series right now to a first-time skipper like Dave Martinez. Who knew they'd actually end up hiring one of the most experienced guys of the six who filled major league managerial openings this fall? The Yankees' surprise hire of Aaron Boone over the weekend was the final piece to the puzzle, yet another inexperienced managerial hire for a...

251 Hits

Comments

Tags:

aaron boone dave martinez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york yankees featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats tender contracts to Rendon, Roark, Taylor

December 01, 2017, 3:16pm

Nationals

Nats tender contracts to Rendon, Roark, Taylor

The Nationals tendered contracts to Anthony Rendon, Tanner Roark, and Michael A. Taylor today, procedural moves that needed to be completed before an 8 p.m. deadline that presented many other clubs with far more pressing decisions. In previous years, the Nats have faced some tough choices at this deadline, opting to non-tender players like Ben Revere, Craig Stammen, John Lannan and Jesus Flores whose performance didn't match the salaries they would have been guaranteed to make via the...

402 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon mark zuckerman michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime non-tender tanner roark featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Why the Nationals should be interested where Stanton ends up

December 01, 2017, 11:42am

Nationals

The hot stove has barely produced a flicker so far, and that's in no small part due to the long, slow dance that eventually will result in transactions involving two big-name guys: Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani. Both are kind of holding up the market right now, but there are signs both are moving toward making decisions about where they want to play in 2018. Ohtani, who officially was posted by the Nippon-Ham Fighters on Friday, will sign with a major league organization by December 22....

256 Hits

Comments

Tags:

giancarlo stanton los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime san francisco giants st. louis cardinals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Tracking down some former Nationals pitchers

November 30, 2017, 7:41pm

Nationals

Who knew a trip down memory lane would be so popular? The response to Thursday's article tracking down five former Nationals position players were overwhelmingly positive. Glad you all enjoyed it. I had already planned to publish today's article about former Nats pitchers, so hopefully you'll enjoy these as well. Maybe I'll have to make this into something of a regular feature, though, maybe a more in-depth look at one ex-National at a time, because there were plenty I didn't get to...

241 Hits

Comments

Tags:

blake treinen drew storen felipe rivero mark melancon mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tyler clippard featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Tracking down some former Nationals position players

November 29, 2017, 7:07pm

Nationals

If you've been thinking this offseason has been awfully quiet so far, you're not alone. The World Series ended four weeks ago, with free agency officially beginning five days later, and there has been next-to-no significant news across the baseball world. Eventually, that will change, most likely in the days leading up to the Winter Meetings (which begin Dec. 11 in Orlando). Until then, we'll keep trying to fill the void around here with content on a variety of topics. Like this one. The...

343 Hits

Comments

Tags:

clint robinson danny espinosa mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime roger bernadina wilson ramos yunel escobar featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Despite concern after ACL tear, Eaton should be upgrade for Nats

November 28, 2017, 12:57pm

Nationals

Despite concern after ACL tear, Eaton should be upgrade for Nats

We've spent a decent portion of the offseason to date talking about members of the 2017 Nationals who won't be part of the 2018 Nationals, but we'd be remiss if we didn't take some time to talk about a guy who barely played in 2017 who is positioned to play a whole lot in 2018: Adam Eaton. The club's biggest acquisition last winter, Eaton was going to be in the crosshairs throughout the season, with fans, media members and even those on the roster curious to know whether the scrappy...

404 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton injuries mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Postseason player shares revealed

November 27, 2017, 6:53pm

Nationals

They may have failed to advance beyond the first playoff round once again, but the Nationals still managed to earn some extra cash for their brief October run. The team was awarded $2,746,264.04 to be split among its players and other selected personnel, according to figures released Monday by Major League Baseball. That total, which also was awarded to the three other clubs that were eliminated in Division Series play, resulted in individual shares of $36,864.74. The Nationals issued 61 full...

432 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime postseason featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

What free agent starters might the Nats consider this winter?

November 26, 2017, 9:47am

Nationals

What free agent starters might the Nats consider this winter?

The Nationals' No. 1 need this winter, arguably, is a starting pitcher. They've got four well-established guys set to return next season in Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark, but they have no obvious choice to be the fifth starter. Joe Ross, who held that job for most of the first half of the 2017 season, had Tommy John surgery and won't be back until July at the earliest. Edwin Jackson, who held that job for most of the second half of the 2017 season, is a free...

446 Hits

Comments

Tags:

free agency mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime rotation featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Is there a role for lefty Grace in next season's bullpen?

November 25, 2017, 5:41pm

Nationals

Is there a role for lefty Grace in next season's bullpen?

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Matt Grace, who made a career-high 40 appearances this year ... PLAYER REVIEW: MATT GRACE Age on opening day 2018: 29 How acquired: Eighth-round pick, 2010 draft MLB service time: 1 year, 65 days 2017 salary: $535,000 Contract status: Under team control in 2018, arbitration-eligible in 2020, free agent in 2023 2017 stats: 1-0, 4.32 ERA, 40 G, 1 GS, 50 IP, 50 H, 25...

280 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman matt grace nationals nationals pastime player review featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Ross will have to re-establish himself after Tommy John surgery

November 24, 2017, 11:55am

Nationals

Ross will have to re-establish himself after Tommy John surgery

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Joe Ross, whose erratic season was cut short by a major elbow injury ... PLAYER REVIEW: JOE ROSS Age on opening day 2018: 24 How acquired: Traded from Padres with Trea Turner for Steven Souza Jr. and Travis Ott, who were sent to Rays in three-team deal, December 2014 MLB service time: 2 years, 67 days 2017 salary: $551,000 Contract status: Under team control in...

298 Hits

Comments

Tags:

joe ross mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime player review featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

What's your Black Friday wish list for the Nationals?

November 23, 2017, 4:45pm

Nationals

It's Black Friday, aka the busiest shopping day of the year. If you're into waking up at 3 a.m. and physically fighting with strangers over a discounted toaster oven, that is. But, hey, some people live for this stuff. They have a few items they absolutely must buy, and this is the best deal they're ever going to find on them. So traditional manners need not apply. In that spirit, we're opening up the floor to all of you today. What's your must-have gift for the Nationals this winter? Is...

330 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime thanksgiving featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

What the Nationals are thankful for this year

November 22, 2017, 6:35pm

Nationals

There's a lot of reason to be upset with the world right now, but - believe it or not - there's a lot more reason to be happy. I often remind myself of this. There's way more good than bad in the world, way more good people than bad people. We only hear about the bad stuff more. And so on this Thanksgiving, it seems like the right time to remind ourselves of the good things in our lives. So I called up a bunch of Nationals players and other club personnel and asked them to share what...

328 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime thanksgiving featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Rest of NL East still has a long way to go to catch up to Nats

November 21, 2017, 5:33pm

Nationals

Rest of NL East still has a long way to go to catch up to Nats

No matter what moves they make or don't make this winter, the Nationals are going to enter the 2018 season as the overwhelming favorite to win the National League East again. It's hard to imagine, quite frankly, a scenario in which that wouldn't be the case. That doesn't mean the Nats are guaranteed to win their third consecutive division title and fifth in seven years. Just ask the 2013 and 2015 clubs about the perils of assuming anything. But on paper, the Nationals are once again going...