Mark Zuckerman

Can Nats convince top reliever to sign up for seventh-inning role?

December 11, 2017, 1:33pm

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Nationals are in the market for at least one experienced reliever, preferably right-handed. Whether they're willing to jump right now into a market that has quickly become the most active of any position at the Winter Meetings remains to be seen. Another veteran right-handed setup man came off the board Monday when Pat Neshek returned to the Phillies for a two-year deal worth a reported $16.25 million. That came on the heels of a pair of signings Sunday: Brandon...

346 Hits

Comments

Tags:

Rizzo suggests Nationals not looking for fifth starter

December 11, 2017, 11:59am

Nationals

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It's the Winter Meetings, and it's Mike Rizzo talking, so take this all with a large grain of salt. But a few hours after arriving at the Swan and Dolphin Resort for this week's annual baseball industry gathering, the Nationals general manager suggested he's not in the market for another experienced major league starting pitcher, instead talking up the two inexperienced in-house candidates he already has in Erick Fedde and A.J. Cole. "We have great confidence in...

224 Hits

Comments

Tags:

a.j. cole erick fedde joe ross mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime winter meetings featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Martinez plans to bat Eaton leadoff, says Murphy "on schedule"

December 11, 2017, 7:48am

Nationals

Martinez plans to bat Eaton leadoff, says Murphy "on schedule"

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - There is much Dave Martinez still needs to learn about his Nationals roster, and much of that won't happen until he gets a chance to see them on practice fields under the spring Florida sun, but the rookie manager was willing to admit he's already made one key lineup decision: Adam Eaton will bat leadoff in 2018. In his first media session since he was introduced as the Nationals' new manager last month, Martinez held court with reporters at the Winter Meetings for...

276 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton daniel murphy dave martinez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime trea turner winter meetings featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Market for relievers already being set as Winter Meetings open

December 10, 2017, 2:36pm

Nationals

Market for relievers already being set as Winter Meetings open

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Winter Meetings officially get underway this morning, but a few teams already were acting yesterday like the event had kicked into full gear. And the Nationals likely were paying close attention to what happened. With the Cubs reportedly signing Brandon Morrow and the Cardinals reportedly signing Luke Gregerson, the relief market is now starting to take shape. And so the Nats are getting a good idea what it will cost if they want (as they intend) to bolster their...

316 Hits

Comments

Tags:

brandon kintzler bullpen mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime winter meetings featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

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

December 09, 2017, 3:16pm

Nationals

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,...

261 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime winter meetings featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

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...

284 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...

329 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...

321 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...

238 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...

330 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...

297 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...

447 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....

301 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...

280 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...

391 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...

446 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...

483 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...

487 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...