Pete Kerzel

Projecting the Nationals' bullpen

January 20, 2012, 9:25am

There's little doubt that the bullpen was one of the Nationals' strong points in 2011. The numbers are impressive - a 31-23 record, 98 holds, 49 saves in 76 opportunities, 44 home runs allowed in 520 2/3 innings, 72 percent of first batters faced by relievers retired, a 3.20 ERA - and yielded an All-Star nod for Tyler Clippard. So going into 2012, is it fair to expect more of the same? Relief is among the most volatile spots on any roster, and there are few guarantees that last year's...

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Darvish deal done, Fielder returns to front burner

January 18, 2012, 12:05pm

Nationals

Darvish deal done, Fielder returns to front burner

Yu Darvish is a Texas Ranger, agreeing to a six-year deal worth $60 million about 25 minutes ahead of the 5 p.m. Eastern time deadline for the sides to agree on a contract. The Rangers will pay a hefty price - a $51.7 million posting fee to the Nippon Ham Fighters, in addition to the terms of the contract - to secure the Japanese right-hander, while Darvish's signing will allow the rest of the free agent market to return to the business of hammering out deals for players who have been reduced...

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MLB Network trivia challenge tests Moskowitz's "Baseball IQ" (updated)

January 18, 2012, 9:13am

Orioles

MLB Network trivia challenge tests Moskowitz's "Baseball IQ" (updated)

Just a friendly word of warning to the next person who sidles up next to Jay Moskowitz at his friendly neighborhood tavern and tries to stump him with a trivia question, with the loser footing the night's bar tab: You run the risk of getting aced by someone whose trivia knowledge has been judged superior by none other an entity than the MLB Network. Moskowitz, who serves as the Orioles' coordinator of baseball information and is entering his sixth season with the club, was chosen as the...

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Nats get some prime time treatment on ESPN in 2012

January 18, 2012, 7:10am

Nationals

Nats get some prime time treatment on ESPN in 2012

Don't look now, but the Nationals' national profile - at least in the eyes of those people responsible for putting together nationally televised baseball schedules- is on the rise. ESPN released its preliminary 2012 "Sunday Night Baseball" schedule this morning and the slate includes two games involving the Nationals. The Phillies' visit to Nationals Park on Sunday, May 6 will air in prime time, as will the Nats' game at Turner Field in Atlanta on Sunday, May 27. It's possible the...

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Replica sculptures of O's Hall of Famers highlight 2012 promotions schedule of giveaways

January 18, 2012, 5:49am

Orioles

Clear some space on your bookcases, mantels and computer nooks. You're going to need room to accommodate some new hardware after the Orioles' announcement of their 2012 promotional schedule of giveaways and goodies. As part of the 20th anniversary celebration of Camden Yards, and to commemorate the dedication of statues honoring the club's six members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., the Orioles will distribute miniature replicas of the likenesses of Frank Robinson, Brooks...

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Nationals swap salary figures with Morse, Lannan (plus Gonzalez contract details)

January 17, 2012, 4:20pm

Nationals

The Nationals and their remaining two arbitration-eligible players - left-hander John Lannan and outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse - have exchanged salary figures in preparation for arbitration hearings which will be scheduled during February in St. Petersburg, Fla. This is the next step in the arbitration process and doesn't preclude the parties from reaching an amicable settlement right up until the third-party arbitrator rules for one side or the other. In any case, the Nationals...

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Clippard, Nats agree on one-year deal, avoiding arbitration (updated)

January 17, 2012, 10:14am

Nationals

Clippard, Nats agree on one-year deal, avoiding arbitration (updated)

The Nationals have just announced that they've agreed to a one-year deal with right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard, leaving only two unsigned, arbitration-eligible players: outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse and left-hander John Lannan. Clippard appeared to be a candidate for a long-term extension after earning his first All-Star Game nod and going 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a franchise-record 38 holds in 72 games last season. He struck out 104, second-most in the National League behind...

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What if ... the Nationals hadn't signed Jayson Werth?

January 17, 2012, 9:19am

Nationals

The beauty of "What If?" Wednesdays is that we can either go deep into the past or delve into the not-so-distant, er, distance. Regardless of when the space/time continuum is disturbed - just recently or long-term - there are always potential ramifications to be pored over and pondered, discussed and dissected. Today, we set the way-back machine for just over a year ago, Dec. 5, 2010, to be exact, with a destination for Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (better known to casual observers as the site of...

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O's announce changes to FanFest autograph lineup

January 17, 2012, 6:55am

Orioles

O's announce changes to FanFest autograph lineup

The Orioles have announced some changes to the previously released autograph lineup for Saturday's FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center. Most of the changes were necessitated by the fact that previously scheduled participants Brian Roberts, Josh Bell, Kyle Hudson and Bill Swaggerty are unable to attend FanFest. At ESSKAY Autograph Station 1, Pedro Strop and Joe Mahoney have replaced Bell and Swaggerty for the 11:20 a.m. session. At ESSKAY Autograph Station 2, fans can get signatures...

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Zimmermann, Gorzelanny bypass arbitration, agree to terms

January 17, 2012, 6:31am

Nationals

Zimmermann, Gorzelanny bypass arbitration, agree to terms

The Nationals scratched two more names off their list of arbitration-eligible players this morning, agreeing to terms with left-hander Tom Gorzelanny and right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on 2012 contracts. The deals were announced on the Twitter feed of the team's public relations department. Gorzelanny received $2.7 million, while Zimmermann got $2.3 million. The 29-year-old Gorzelanny, acquired in January from the Cubs for three minor leaguers, was 4-6 with a 4.03 ERA in 30 appearances,...

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Flores avoids arbitration, inks one-year deal with Nats

January 16, 2012, 10:42am

Nationals

Flores avoids arbitration, inks one-year deal with Nats

The Nationals have avoided arbitration with catcher Jesus Flores, signing him to a one-year contract. The news was issued in this tweet from the team's public relations department. Flores will receive $815,000, a modest raise from his 2011 salary of $750,000. He can earn another $50,000 in bonuses tied to games played. The 27-year-old Flores hit .209 with one homer and two RBIs in 30 games with Washington last season, finally returning to the majors after missing most of two campaigns with...

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MASN will be at center of FanFest activities Saturday

January 16, 2012, 9:36am

Orioles

MASN will be at center of FanFest activities Saturday

FanFest is Saturday at the Baltimore Convention Center, and MASN will once again be at the center of Orioles baseball's mid-winter celebration. You'll have the opportunity to pick up some great giveaways at the MASN booth, premiums you can't get anywhere else. Want to get your photo taken with an Orioles player? We'll make it happen, and post the proof of you rubbing elbows with Adam Jones and Brian Matusz on our MASN Orioles Facebook page. You can meet and greet MASN talent and...

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Nationals' present as important as their future

January 16, 2012, 7:55am

Nationals

The next 24 hours will be busy ones for the six Nationals who are eligible for arbitration: right-handers Tyler Clippard and Jordan Zimmermann; left-handers Tom Gorzelanny and John Lannan; outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse; and catcher Jesus Flores. They need to exchange arbitration figures with the team by noon Eastern time Tuesday, though their representatives will also be working on deals to avoid the arbitration process. Those deals can be signed right up until an independent...

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Nationals sign Gonzalez to extension through 2016 (updated)

January 15, 2012, 9:03am

Nationals

One down, six to go. The Nationals on Sunday signed left-hander Gio Gonzalez on a long-term contract extension. The five-year, $42 million deal includes team options for 2017 and 2018. It's the largest guaranteed deal ever for a pitcher eligible for arbitration for the first time and comes three weeks after Gonzalez joined Washington in a six-player swap from the A's. If the Nationals exercise both their options, the value of the pact could be pushed to $65 million. With the deal, the...

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Nationals, Fielder still talking about deal

January 14, 2012, 3:00pm

Nationals

Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Nationals are again making a strong pitch to sign free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. The on-again, off-again talks with Fielder and agent Scott Boras are apparently on again, according to a baseball source. Actually, there's some difference of opinion on whether the two sides ever stopped talking or whether the supposed impasse from earlier this week was just a means for Nationals owner Ted Lerner and general manager Mike Rizzo to have some...

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Seven Nationals file for salary arbitration

January 13, 2012, 5:01pm

Nationals

All seven of the Nationals who are eligible have exercised their right to file for salary arbitration. According to the Major League Baseball Players Association, Friday was the deadline, and the sides must exchange figures by Tuesday. Right-handers Jordan Zimmermann and Tyler Clippard, catcher Jesus Flores, first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse, and left-handers John Lannan, Tom Gorzelanny and Gio Gonzalez beat the deadline. The period for filing began Jan. 5 and MLBPA reports that 142...

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Nationals missing from Cespedes' short list of interested suitors

January 13, 2012, 3:08pm

Nationals

Courting a coveted free agent used to be so easy. You invited him to your city, wined and dined him with the ownership at a swanky restaurant, had him tour your stadium and waited for the ooohs and aaahs as you put his photo on your larger-than-life scoreboard with your logo superimposed on his ball cap. Sometimes, you had the contract ready for his signature, hoping to convince him to avoid the next city on his tour itinerary. Of course, those were the days before players came from such...

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Advocates' Cardboard to Leather campaign benefits youths in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico

January 12, 2012, 12:48pm

Orioles

Advocates' Cardboard to Leather campaign benefits youths in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico

Any day now, a ship will chug into a port in Puerto Rico and a 40-foot container will be unloaded. Inside are items that will change the lives of kids who don't have the rudimentary basics to play baseball - balls, bats and gloves - that youths in the United States take for granted. Later this month, the scene will be repeated in Nicaragua. Last summer, another delivery was made to Mexico. Under the auspices of the Cardboard to Leather program started by the Oriole Advocates in 1992, generous...

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The Fielder-Nationals impasse - and what it might really mean (updated)

January 11, 2012, 1:31pm

Nationals

The Nationals and Scott Boras, the agent for Prince Fielder, have reached an impasse in negotiations for a long-term contract that would bring the slugging first baseman to D.C. A baseball source has confirmed that the Nationals are balking at the length of the deal, not wanting to commit seven or more years to the 27-year-old Fielder, who has been rumored to want 10 years and more than $240 million. While NatsTown is understandably unhappy with this turn of events, fans should realize that...

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What if ... Tim Raines had played longer in Montreal, boosting Hall credentials?

January 10, 2012, 10:12am

Nationals

What if ... Tim Raines had played longer in Montreal, boosting Hall credentials?

The annual announcement of the Baseball Writers' Association of America balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame always brings polar opposites in emotions: elected candidates thrilled yet humbled to be recognized among the game's immortals and the lamentations of those bypassed or ignored who don't understand why. In that way, voting results are much like the game - there are clear winners and losers. But debate about those not elected goes on long after the lucky party - in this case, Barry...