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As quiet offseason continues, Nats still looking for a closer

January 10, 2017, 7:16pm

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

January 09, 2017, 5:37pm

Nationals

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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Nats' entire minor league coaching staff returns for 2017

January 10, 2017, 10:51am

Nationals

Nats' entire minor league coaching staff returns for 2017

The Nationals announced there were no major adjustments to their minor league coaching staff for 2017, with each level retaining the same coaches as they had in 2016. The exception was strength and conditioning, where a number of coaches were promoted or assigned more responsibility. Mike Warren was named strength and conditioning coach at Triple-A Syracuse. Brett Henry was promoted from Syracuse to the major league strength and conditioning staff. Tony Rogowski was promoted from Double-A...

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

January 09, 2017, 12:05pm

Nationals

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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Nationals announce 2017 minor league staff

January 10, 2017, 10:44am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals announced their minor league managers, coaches and coordinators for the 2017 season on Tuesday. Nationals vice president and senior advisor to the general manager Bob Boone, assistant general manager and vice president, player personnel Doug Harris and director of player development Mark Scialabba made the joint announcement. With strong continuity throughout the system, the Nationals' minor league managers and their respective coaching staffs remain intact from the...

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How long does the Nationals' window to win extend?

January 08, 2017, 7:28pm

Nationals

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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Tracking down former Nats pitchers

January 07, 2017, 7:12pm

Nationals

Yesterday, we tracked down some former Nationals position players to see what has become of them since we last saw them. Today we look at former pitchers, with some particularly notable and memorable names in this bunch. ROSS DETWILER The sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft had a few big moments during his Nationals career - most notably, he tossed a gem in the must-win Game 4 of the 2012 National League Division Series against the Cardinals - but he never could sustain it. The Nats decided...

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Tracking down former Nats position players

January 06, 2017, 4:10pm

Nationals

Tracking down former Nats position players

Baseball rosters are a constantly changing entity. Teams make moves throughout a season and offseason, calling up this player, sending another player down, trading this one away, signing this one off the open market. In the process, a lot of players who become well-known and popular among fans, teammates and media alike disappear, never to be heard from again in these parts. The Nationals, like every other team in baseball, have parted ways with plenty of once-popular players over the years....

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Relive "Nationals Classics": Beating up on the Phillies and Marlins

January 05, 2017, 8:51am

Nationals

We're inching closer and closer to the arrival of spring training! Can you believe that Nationals pitchers and catchers report to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in 37 days, with position players arriving just three days later? While you countdown the days to baseball's return, MASN continues along with our "Nationals Classics" series this week with some memorable NL East victories over the Phillies and Marlins. This would be the week to tune in if you hold special animosity to the Nats'...

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Nats hire longtime scout De Jon Watson as special assistant

January 06, 2017, 8:28am

Nationals

Nats hire longtime scout De Jon Watson as special assistant

The Nationals have made an addition to their pro scouting staff, hiring De Jon Watson as a special assistant to the general manager. Watson spent the last two seasons as senior vice president of baseball operations for the Diamondbacks, overseeing the club's scouting and player development programs. Arizona let him go in September, electing not to pick up his contract option for 2017, one of several moves the franchise made in a front office shakeup. A veteran of 31 seasons in professional...

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No. 3 Nats prospect: Juan Soto

January 07, 2017, 4:23am

Nationals

We hear a ton about Victor Robles, but there are more and more Dominican players that the Nationals are building who are going to start making names for themselves each passing season. This season that breakout player could well be outfielder Juan Soto. Soto absolutely tore through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and then didn't miss a beat with an outstanding showcase week with the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays. Baseball America also noticed the work of Soto, as he is in their...

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Has the Nats lineup improved from last year?

January 05, 2017, 12:10pm

Nationals

Has the Nats lineup improved from last year?

Though the Nationals' offseason is only about two-thirds complete at this point - for these purposes we're talking about from when the postseason ended until the day pitchers and catchers report for spring training - barring a surprising turn of events, they already know who's going to be in their opening day lineup. Of course things can change between now and then, whether injuries or trades or late signings, but the Nationals by all accounts aren't actively seeking anybody at this point...

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Thursday morning Nats Q&A

January 04, 2017, 5:36pm

Nationals

It's been an awfully slow-news couple of weeks for the Nationals, who haven't announced a roster transaction since Dec. 13, when they signed Emmanuel Burriss and three pitchers to minor league contracts. They haven't made a move involving a member of the 40-man roster since the Dec. 10 trade of Danny Espinosa to the Angels. This isn't unprecedented. Most major league clubs go mostly silent over the holidays, and there hasn't been much news made anywhere in the sport since late December....

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Bobblehead featuring MASN's Kolko, Werth among P-Nats' Fans' Choice finalists

January 04, 2017, 9:23am

Nationals

Bobblehead featuring MASN's Kolko, Werth among P-Nats' Fans' Choice finalists

The Single-A Potomac Nationals always put out one of the most impressive slates of giveaway items each baseball season, and we've got our eye on a possible 2017 bobblehead with a MASN connection. For a second consecutive season, the P-Nats are planning a bobblehead giveaway based on a fan vote, sponsored by Loyal Hygiene Solutions. Best of all, you don't even have to attend a game in Woodbridge, Va. (actually, the voting will be completed by the time the new season opens at Pfitzner Stadium)...

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Let the countdown to spring training begin

January 03, 2017, 6:17pm

Nationals

Let the countdown to spring training begin

It may not feel like it, not with bitter cold temperatures coming later this week, but we actually aren't all that far away from baseball season. We're only 41 days away, to be precise. Yes, only 41 days from now, Nationals pitchers and catchers will officially report to their new spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., the club announced yesterday. That's Feb. 14, for those who have trouble counting. Not a bad way to spend Valentine's Day, though my wife may beg to...

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After injury-plagued 2016, Ross seeks consistency in 2017

January 02, 2017, 6:03pm

Nationals

After injury-plagued 2016, Ross seeks consistency in 2017

There was no shortage of domino effects from last month's trade for Adam Eaton, which cost the Nationals three top pitching prospects, including two hurlers who figured to be the club's first options for rotation depth in 2017. In dealing Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the White Sox, general manager Mike Rizzo thinned his organization's pitching ranks in order to acquire a dynamic outfielder who could make a major impact on a daily basis. But the Eaton trade also puts added pressure on...

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Will D.C. sports finally get over the hump in 2017?

January 01, 2017, 5:45pm

Nationals

Will D.C. sports finally get over the hump in 2017?

And so 2017 has officially arrived at last. And not a moment too soon for many people who won't have fond memories of 2016. Leaving politics, celebrity deaths and other topics aside, 2016 was a particularly frustrating year for Washington sports fans, who once again had countless opportunities to get their hopes up only to have those hopes dashed in cruel fashion. The Nationals, of course, enjoyed another fantastic regular season, winning 95 games and a division title. Then they were knocked...

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A few thoughts on the Nationals and the WBC

December 30, 2016, 6:17am

Nationals

Coming off of minor offseason elbow surgery, Luis Ayala was a key member of the Nationals bullpen heading into the 2006 season. He had gone 8-7 with a 2.66 ERA and a save in 68 appearances in the team's first season in D.C. since relocating from Montreal and had cemented himself in an important setup role in front of closer Chad Cordero. The Nationals wanted Ayala to spend all of spring training with them in Viera, Fla., gradually building up strength in his elbow under the watchful eyes of...

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Murphy reportedly agrees to join Team USA for WBC

December 30, 2016, 5:30pm

Nationals

Murphy reportedly agrees to join Team USA for WBC

Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy has reportedly agreed to join Team USA for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, making him the first of the team's position players to commit to the international tournament. Murphy would join right-hander Max Scherzer, who previously accepted an invitation from Team USA manager Jim Leyland, who managed him with the Tigers. The only other Nationals player committed to play in the WBC is left-handed reliever Oliver Perez, who will pitch for his native...

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Relive "Nationals Classics": Some heroics to get you closer to spring training

December 22, 2016, 8:41am

Nationals

OK, let's face it: Once New Year's Day passes, the want for a new baseball season really sets in. You're ready to pitch snow, cold and frigid wind chills for warm thoughts of pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach, Fla., where the Nationals will hold their first spring training at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Well, we're still about six weeks away from the day that hardcore baseball fans consider the starting point of a new season. In the interim, we've got some warm...