Pete Kerzel

Nats agree to terms with nine players on minor league deals with spring training invitations

December 20, 2011, 5:46am

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers Jeff Fulchino and Waldis Joaquin, catcher Carlos Maldonado, infielders Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Chad Tracy, and outfielders Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels and Xavier Paul on minor-league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. Additionally, the Nationals extended Spring Training invites to right-handed pitcher Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Corey Brown. Nationals Executive Vice President...

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Nine agree to minor league deals with spring invites

December 20, 2011, 5:35am

Nationals

Nine agree to minor league deals with spring invites

The Nationals have agreed to terms with nine players on minor league contracts with invitations to spring training in Viera, Fla. So make room in the clubhouse for right-handers Jeff Fulchino and Waldis Joaquin, catcher Carlos Maldonado, infielders Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Chad Tracy, and outfielders Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels and Xavier Paul. In addition, three players currently in the organization have been invited to camp as non-roster players: catcher Sandy Leon, outfielder...

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Nationals confirm minor league deal with veteran outfielder Mike Cameron

December 19, 2011, 10:42am

Nationals

According to this tweet from FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals have reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Mike Cameron. It's a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The 38-year-old would fill the Nationals' need for a right-handed-hitting backup outfielder who can play center field. Cameron can also play left and right, but 1,787 of his 1,921 career games have been in the middle. General manager Mike Rizzo has been trying to...

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Nationals announce 2012 minor league managers, coaches and coordinators

December 19, 2011, 8:18am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today named their minor league managers, coaches and coordinators for the 2012 season. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone, Director of Player Development Doug Harris and Director of Minor League Operations Mark Scialabba made the joint announcements. The Nationals promoted two managers within their system, elevating Tony Beasley from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse and Matthew LeCroy from Single-A Potomac to...

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Camden Yards enhancements will yield a different view of the game

December 19, 2011, 7:47am

Orioles

Camden Yards enhancements will yield a different view of the game

You already knew that the Orioles would honor their six members of the Baseball Hall of Fame with statues in a newly configured picnic area in center field at Camden Yards. We told you so last month, right here on Orioles Buzz. But today, the Orioles announced a slew of other improvements to Camden Yards, with an eye toward enhancing the fan experience at the ballpark that has been often imitated but never duplicated. You can read all about the changes that will be implemented for the 2012...

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O's announce improvements for Oriole Park at Camden Yards

December 19, 2011, 7:00am

Orioles

O's announce improvements for Oriole Park at Camden Yards

As part of a continued commitment to honor the proud history of the franchise, and in conjunction with efforts to improve the design aesthetic and functionality of the ballpark and the bullpen picnic grove in center field, the Orioles today announced plans to enhance the fan experience at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for 2012, highlighted by a newly renovated area to honor the greatest Orioles of all time inside the gates of the ballpark. Larger than life sculptures of the six Orioles retired...

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Nats add Blanco, Michaels, Joaquin on minor league deals

December 19, 2011, 6:47am

Nationals

Nats add Blanco, Michaels, Joaquin on minor league deals

Turns out reliever Jeff Fulchino isn't the only player who has recently signed a minor league contract with the Nationals, who are stocking up on fringe major leaguers to provide organizational depth and extra bodies in spring training. According to multiple published reports, the Nationals have also agreed to deals - which include invites to spring camp in Viera, Fla. - with infielder Andres Blanco, outfielder Jason Michaels and right-handed reliever Waldis Joaquin. The 27-year-old Blanco...

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Rizzo must decide if rising price for pitching is too high

December 18, 2011, 5:04am

Nationals

Rizzo must decide if rising price for pitching is too high

Part of being a successful front office executive in Major League Baseball is the ability to flip on the fly. General managers have to be able to adjust their line of thinking to the game's ever-changing landscape. Those who do receive the opportunity to constantly improve their teams; those who stick to their guns just a little too long are left in the dust as their peers zoom ahead of them in both activity and in the standings. We've spent a lot of bandwith this offseason talking about the...

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No bid on Darvish; now what's the Nats' pitching plan?

December 16, 2011, 9:14am

Nationals

No bid on Darvish; now what's the Nats' pitching plan?

According to a baseball source, the Nationals were not one of the teams to place a bid on Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish through the posting process, which ended at 5 p.m. Wednesday. That takes the Nationals out of the mix for a right-hander, who is described as the best pitcher not currently in the major leagues and helps to better explain general manager Mike Rizzo's hesitance to address the subject publicly. The news was first reported by The Washington Post. If Darvish isn't in...

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Report: Nationals sign reliever Fulchino

December 16, 2011, 8:02am

Nationals

According to this tweet from the Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine, the Nationals have signed right-handed reliever Jeff Fulchino, who split last season between the Padres and Astros. In a five-season career that has also included stints with the Marlins and Royals, the 32-year-old Fulchino is 9-10 with a 4.84 ERA in 163 relief outings. He was 1-4 with a 5.71 ERA in 2011. Manager Davey Johnson has stated his preference to have both right- and left-handed long men in his bullpen, but...

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On Darvish, circumspect Rizzo merely playing the game within the game

December 16, 2011, 5:21am

Nationals

On Darvish, circumspect Rizzo merely playing the game within the game

The shroud of secrecy around the bidding process for Yu Darvish - which is starting to feel like an Oliver Stone screenplay instead of an elongated baseball transaction - is slowly starting to lift, and Nationals fans hoping the Japanese pitcher would take the mound in D.C. may not like what it's revealing. According to this story in the New York Post, the Blue Jays have placed the winning bid for Darvish, a proffer upwards of $50 million intended to blow away the Nippon-Ham Fighters, who...

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A possible Nationals bench matrix

December 15, 2011, 9:26am

Nationals

While it's clearly not the priority this offseason, improving the Nationals' bench for 2012 is one of general manager Mike Rizzo's tasks. And while Rizzo will make the moves, it will be in concert with manager Davey Johnson, who has to use the players to the best of their (and his) abilities. Therefore, GM and manager had better be on the same page in terms of roster construction. Johnson has expressed a clear preference for a bench built on offense, while predecessor Jim Riggleman went...

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Deadline passes, Rizzo mum on Darvish

December 14, 2011, 12:50pm

Nationals

The 5 p.m. Eastern time deadline for submitting bids on the Yu Darvish posting has passed, and if the Nationals have bid on the Japanese right-hander, he isn't saying. Appearing this evening on "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" on MASN, Rizzo sidestepped a direct question from host Amber Theoharis about whether the Nationals beat the clock with a bid. Just as he told reporters last week at the Winter Meetings when Darvish's posting was announced, Rizzo said it wasn't in the Nationals'...

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Nationals announce 32-game Florida spring training schedule

December 14, 2011, 10:00am

Nationals

The Nationals have released their Florida spring training schedule, a 32-game slate that begins Saturday, March 3 against the Astros in Kissimmee, Fla., and ends with a road game against the Red Sox in Lee County, Fla., on April 2. The Nats will play 15 Grapefruit League home games at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., beginning with a contest against the Astros on Sunday, March 4. Included on this year's spring schedule are a March 15 home game against the New York Yankees and a March 24...

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Clock ticking on bids for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish

December 14, 2011, 7:18am

Nationals

Clock ticking on bids for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish

By 5 p.m. Eastern time today, the bidding for the services of Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish will be done. Shortly thereafter - well, maybe early Thursday, since baseball seems to run on its own time schedule - perhaps we'll know if the Nationals placed a bid on the right-hander and, if they did, whether it was the winning one. At least one baseball executive believes the Nationals will go all-in on Darvish, who is widely considered the best pitcher never to have pitched in Major League...

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What if ... the Nationals hadn't let Adam Dunn walk?

December 13, 2011, 9:42am

Nationals

Today, we welcome back "What if ...?" Wednesday, which took a hiatus while baseball conducted its Winter Meetings in Dallas (Trivia time: Did you know that the Winter Meetings are actually a gathering for baseball's minor leagues that the majors eventually piggybacked on? Yep, lots of recent grads seeking employment in the bushes and a minor league trade show featuring everything from beer distribution systems and mascot costume makers to luggage distributors and Cal Ripken's Power Shred...

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Celebrate "An Evening with Buck Showalter" on Jan. 19 at Sports Legends Museum

December 13, 2011, 7:05am

Orioles

Celebrate "An Evening with Buck Showalter" on Jan. 19 at Sports Legends Museum

Always wanted to rub elbows with Orioles manager Buck Showalter? Are you a charitable-minded sort, as attuned to the notion of helping kids are you are with Charm City sports history? Then do I have an event for you. Come Thursday, Jan. 19, one of Showalter's favorite charities, KidsPeace, is joining forces with Sports Legends Museum and the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum to offer "An Evening with Buck Showalter" at Sports Legends. Proceeds will benefit KidsPeace and the Babe Ruth...

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Who's available after the non-tender deadline

December 13, 2011, 5:59am

Nationals

Who's available after the non-tender deadline

The non-tender deadline passed at midnight, with the Nationals declining to offer left-handed relief specialist Doug Slaten arbitration. While the club can still re-sign Slaten - teams often will non-tender a player, then bring him back on a minor league deal at a lesser price, frequently with a spring training invite - it appears the Nationals and Slaten will sever ties. The Nats will look for a more reliable arm against left-handed hitters and Slaten will seek a team that has more of an...

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Orioles decline contract offers to Scott, Eyre, Reyes

December 13, 2011, 3:16am

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they have declined to tender a contract offer to three players: outfielder Luke Scott, right-hander Willie Eyre and left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, allowing them to become free agents. Scott, 33, was acquired by the Orioles on December 12, 2007 from Houston as part of a deal that sent SS Miguel Tejada to the Astros. He batted .260/.342/.485 with 84 home runs and 236 RBI in 471 games over four seasons with the Orioles. Named Most Valuable Oriole in 2010, a torn right...

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Nationals non-tender Slaten

December 12, 2011, 4:26pm

Nationals

The Nationals have announced, via their media relations department's Twitter account, that left-handed reliever Doug Slaten has been non-tendered, removing him from the 40-man roster and making him a free agent. While that doesn't preclude the Nationals from re-signing Slaten to a contract for a lesser amount than the $695,000 he made in 2011, it appears as if the lefty specialist will part ways with the club. He was claimed off waivers from Arizona in November 2009. Slaten's departure...