Mark Zuckerman
Mark Zuckerman

Closer or not, Nationals do need more bullpen help

Closer or not, Nationals do need more bullpen help
The Nationals loaded up a semi-truck full of baseball gear Monday morning and sent it down Interstate 95 toward West Palm Beach, where their still-under-construction new spring training complex awaits. It's an annual rite of winter, the so-called "Truck Day" when teams across baseball do likewise and try to stir up warm feelings of pitchers and catchers and palm trees and bunting drills. That truck, however, does not contain everything the Nationals need for spring training. There are some...
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Mark Zuckerman

Thoughts on a newsy week for the Nationals

Thoughts on a newsy week for the Nationals
After more than six weeks of radio silence out of South Capitol Street, you had to figure the Nationals were due to make some news at long last. Sure enough, it merely required your humble beat writer going on vacation last week for it to happen. You know the facts at this point - thanks to Pete Kerzel and Byron Kerr for covering things in my stead - but I didn't want to return to work and just gloss over the transactions altogether. So here are some thoughts on the three notable news items...
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Mark Zuckerman

Could Nats stand pat and field competitive 25-man roster?

Could Nats stand pat and field competitive 25-man roster?
It has now been 41 days since the Nationals last added or subtracted a player from their 40-man roster. (It was the Danny Espinosa trade to the Angels, for those wondering.) That's an awfully prolonged period of radio silence for any major league club, but the Nats aren't alone in this regard. It's been an unusually slow-developing offseason across baseball, with a bunch of prominent free agents still unemployed even though we're closing in on three weeks til pitchers and catchers report...
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Mark Zuckerman

Thursday morning Nats/Hall of Fame Q&A

Thursday morning Nats/Hall of Fame Q&A
There's still not a whole lot to discuss about the Nationals, who continue to stay quiet during perhaps the quietest offseason in team history (so far). But there has been plenty to discuss about baseball in the last day, with last night's Hall of Fame election announcement drawing everyone's attention. If you missed it, here's my (admittedly really long) blog post explaining my Hall of Fame ballot decisions. I figure we could use this latest version of the Q&A to tackle any questions...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nationals salute Rodriguez, their first Hall of Fame player

Nationals salute Rodriguez, their first Hall of Fame player
The first image of Ivan Rodriguez for everyone will not include him wearing a Nationals uniform. Rodriguez will forever be known as a Ranger, and surely his plaque in Cooperstown will feature that logo on his cap. Pudge also will be remembered fondly by many for helping the Marlins win the 2003 World Series and for helping the Tigers reach the 2006 World Series. He wound up getting traded from Detroit to New York in 2008, then signed with Houston in 2009, so that's two more franchises on his...
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Mark Zuckerman

My 2017 Hall of Fame ballot (Rodriguez among trio elected)

My 2017 Hall of Fame ballot (Rodriguez among trio elected)
There is no greater responsibility in this job than serving as a Hall of Fame voter. In the seven years since I first qualified, once I had been a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for 10 consecutive years, I have put a whole lot of time and energy into this. And I'm not alone in that regard. Every fellow voter I've ever discussed this with feels the same way and puts the same time and effort into voting for the Hall of Fame. Now it's a cardinal rule of journalism that...
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Mark Zuckerman

What to watch for in tonight's Hall of Fame election results

What to watch for in tonight's Hall of Fame election results
For lifelong baseball fans, few days on the calendar compare to Hall of Fame election day. It's a day to celebrate some of the greatest players in the game's history, not to mention fiercely debate the credentials of those who either just squeaked in or missed out. Shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern time, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson will make the official announcement, revealing who received at least 75 percent of the vote from tenured members of the Baseball Writers' Association of...
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Mark Zuckerman

What's the wildest game in Nationals history?

What's the wildest game in Nationals history?
I feel like I've been referencing other sports and trying to connect them to the Nationals here a lot lately, but given the lack of baseball news this winter, sometimes it feels like the only interesting way to start a baseball discussion. So I'm going to do it again today. Apologies in advance. You may have watched, as I did, an absolutely crazy hockey game last night. The Capitals took a 3-0 lead on the Penguins early in the second period, only to watch Pittsburgh explode for six goals in...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats' opening day payroll all but certain to go up from last year

Nats' opening day payroll all but certain to go up from last year
Whether fans want to hear it - or believe it - teams are always going to be dealing with payroll guidelines. Even the most free-spending clubs have a budget they need to conform to; it's just that some clubs' budgets are much larger than others, either because they have to be or because owners want them to be that way. The Nationals don't divulge their annual payroll budget, but it's not hard to make a reasonable estimate by looking at their pattern of spending over the years. Here's a...
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Mark Zuckerman

On the Nationals' everlasting NLCS drought

On the Nationals' everlasting NLCS drought
Watching football last night, I couldn't help but be struck by the fact the Patriots have now advanced to the AFC Championship for the sixth consecutive year. That's pretty remarkable, especially in this day and age. Equally remarkable is the fact New England has reached the AFC Championship 11 times during a 16-year run that began when a sixth-round draft pick named Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback. And I couldn't help but think about how the Nationals must feel about all...
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Mark Zuckerman

Did the Nationals just smooth things over with Bryce Harper?

Did the Nationals just smooth things over with Bryce Harper?
That the Nationals and Bryce Harper came to terms yesterday without needing to swap arbitration figures is not a surprise. But the amount the two sides agreed to ($13.625 million for one season) did surprise more than a few people. Harper made only $5 million last season - yes, it's OK to use the qualifier "only" in front of $5 million because given Harper's MVP performance in 2015, a $5 million salary the next year truly was a bargain for the Nats - so few expected his raise to be so...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats avoid arbitration with Harper, Rendon, Roark, Norris

Nats avoid arbitration with Harper, Rendon, Roark, Norris
The Nationals came to terms with all four of their arbitration-eligible players on 2017 contracts before today's deadline, avoiding the potential for contentious hearings next month with some of the most prominent members of their roster. Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Tanner Roark and Derek Norris all settled on one-year contracts before the 1 p.m. Eastern time deadline. Harper's 2017 salary will be a hefty $13.625 million, with Rendon making $5.8 million, Roark making $4.315 million and...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nationals sign veteran lefty Cotts to minor league deal

Nationals sign veteran lefty Cotts to minor league deal
The Nationals are bringing another veteran left-hander into the fray to compete for a bullpen job this spring, signing Neal Cotts to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. Cotts, who turns 37 in March, owns a 3.96 ERA in 483 career appearances since 2003, most of those coming with the White Sox and Rangers. He did not pitch in the majors last season, splitting 41 appearances among the Triple-A affiliates of the Angels, Yankees...
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Mark Zuckerman

Arbitration deadline day for four key Nationals

Arbitration deadline day for four key Nationals
Perhaps the quietest offseason the Nationals have experienced in a long time will perk up with a little bit of news today. All major league clubs have until 1 p.m. EST to agree to salary terms with their arbitration-eligible players or else formally submit competing offers to the league, setting the stage for hearings next month. It's not necessarily the most important day of the offseason. We're not talking about decisions that affect whether someone will be playing for the Nationals in 2017...
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Mark Zuckerman

Thursday morning odds and ends

Thursday morning odds and ends
Some random thoughts on a Thursday morning in mid-January, with the Nationals now having gone a full 30 days since making their last player transaction ... * It's about that time in the calendar when projections for the season begin to come out. FanGraphs.com, for example, has its 2017 standings projections up now, and though these can and will change as teams make more moves before spring training, it's interesting to note how the Nats stack up with the rest of the league. FanGraphs has the...
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Mark Zuckerman

Report: Roark commits to pitch for Team USA in WBC

Report: Roark commits to pitch for Team USA in WBC
Max Scherzer won't be pitching for Team USA this spring, but it appears Tanner Roark will wear the stars and stripes. Roark has committed to pitch for the American squad in the World Baseball Classic, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. The Nationals right-hander will leave the club in early March and miss at least a week while Team USA competes in the tournament's first round in Miami. He would then potentially travel to the West Coast for second-round games in San Diego and the...
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Mark Zuckerman

As quiet offseason continues, Nats still looking for a closer

As quiet offseason continues, Nats still looking for a closer
Teams across baseball tend to take a break around the holidays, but they usually get back to work right after New Year's Day and continue altering their rosters as the clock to spring training starts ticking down. That holiday break, though, seems to have extended into mid-January this time around. Because there's been an awful dearth of news so far in 2017, unless the signings of Trevor Plouffe and Colby Rasmus, and trades involving Yovani Gallardo, Seth Smith, Jarrod Dyson and Nate Karns...
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Mark Zuckerman

Is there any better way to get stars to play in the WBC?

Is there any better way to get stars to play in the WBC?
Max Scherzer was genuinely excited to pitch for his country in the World Baseball Classic this spring. For all his career accomplishments to date, the Nationals right-hander has not been part of a big international competition like this before, so when Team USA manager Jim Leyland came calling earlier this offseason, Scherzer jumped at the opportunity. "I have so much respect for Jim Leyland," Scherzer said last month, "that when he asks me to play, you don't say no." On Monday, though,...
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Mark Zuckerman

Scherzer out of WBC with knuckle injury, OK for spring training

Scherzer out of WBC with knuckle injury, OK for spring training
Max Scherzer won't be pitching in the World Baseball Classic after all. Scherzer will have to sit out this spring's international competition while recovering from a stress fracture in the knuckle on his right ring finger, the Nationals announced this afternoon. The team didn't say when or how Scherzer sustained the injury but said the pitcher still will be a "full participant" in spring training. Scherzer had accepted an offer to pitch for Team USA in the WBC earlier this winter, jumping...
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Mark Zuckerman

How long does the Nationals' window to win extend?

How long does the Nationals' window to win extend?
Given the lengths of contracts, the aging of players and the overall circle of baseball life, it's popular to look at the Nationals and say they have a limited window in which to enjoy peak success. What, though, is that window? Is it confined to one season? Two? Three? More? Or has the window already closed shut? Remember, in the last year alone the Nationals have lost Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann, Denard Span, Doug Fister, Wilson Ramos and Mark Melancon to free agency. The reality is this:...
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