nationals

Final notes and quotes from NatsFest

January 25, 2014, 10:40am

The Nationals announced that more than 8,400 people showed up today at NatsFest. Hope everyone who did had a blast. Unfortunately, as is almost always the case with these events, I was pretty much stashed away in a media work room, making the walk from the interview area to my laptop and then back to the interview area. Wish I could've seen more of the sights and sounds around the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Here are a handful of final notes and quotes from a jam-packed...

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Strasburg's rehab complete, plus arbitration notes on Clippard and Fister

January 25, 2014, 10:13am

Nationals

Strasburg's rehab complete, plus arbitration notes on Clippard and Fister

While Bryce Harper still has a little ways to go in his rehab from offseason knee surgery, Stephen Strasburg's rehab is complete following a surgical procedure to remove loose bodies from his right elbow back in October. Strasburg says that he went through a brief six-week rehab period following the surgery, but that he's now back to his normal offseason routine. As a result, he expects to be full-go when spring training begins in a few weeks. "(The offseason routine) really hasn't...

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Any role Nats throw at him is fine for Roark

January 25, 2014, 9:18am

Nationals

Any role Nats throw at him is fine for Roark

Whatever the Nationals want him to do is just fine with Tanner Roark. "If they want me to throw one pitch to one guy, I'll do it," he said. "Anything to help out the team. It's a different mindset. Starting, you've got four days to prepare yourself. Relieving, you flip that switch right away once you hear that phone ring. Everybody looks back to see who's name will be called. But I like starting, I guess." Coming off a spectacular 2013 campaign where he went 7-1 with a 1.51 ERA in 14...

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Clippard mum on how he'll fare in arbitration

January 25, 2014, 7:59am

Nationals

Clippard mum on how he'll fare in arbitration

If Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard has a sense of how his impending run through the arbitration process will unfold, he's keeping it close to the vest. "I don't know, we'll see how it all plays out," the veteran right-hander said when asked if he expected to go to an arbitration hearing with the Nats. Clippard has filed for arbitration and, since he wasn't able to reach an agreement with the Nationals, he and his representatives have exchanged proposed salary figures with the...

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Espinosa: "If I can get a fair opportunity to win my job, I feel I can do it"

January 25, 2014, 9:00am

Nationals

Espinosa: "If I can get a fair opportunity to win my job, I feel I can do it"

Back at the Winter Meetings in December, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo suggested that Danny Espinosa could become a solid backup middle infielder this season, largely because of his defensive abilities at shortstop and second base. Today, Espinosa said that Rizzo and new Nats manager Matt Williams have both told him that he'll get a chance to compete with Anthony Rendon for the Nationals' starting second base job, the job that Espinosa held in 2011, 2012 and early in the 2013 season...

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Rizzo on Balfour, bullpen, arbitration negotiations and more

January 25, 2014, 6:32am

Nationals

Rizzo on Balfour, bullpen, arbitration negotiations and more

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo just met with reporters for nearly 10 minutes here at NatsFest, and covered a wide range of topics related to the Nats' roster and remaining offseason pursuits. Rizzo said that while the Nats are still open to upgrading their roster in any way that will improve the club, members of the front office aren't necessarily actively seeking to make more moves. Asked if it's reasonable to say that the Nats are receiving more phone calls from teams and agents...

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Harper unsure if he'll be 100 percent when camp begins

January 25, 2014, 7:40am

Nationals

Harper unsure if he'll be 100 percent when camp begins

Bryce Harper says that he's been making solid progress in his recovery from offseason surgery to debride and repair the bursa sac in his left knee, but it sounds like there's a chance that he won't be full strength when spring training begins. Harper says that he's rehabbing the knee three times a week at this point and he's at week 12 or 13 in what he's been told is a 16-week rehab process. He sprinted for the first time three weeks ago and says that he felt good. But with position...

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Rendon knows Williams, still working on footwork at second

January 25, 2014, 7:33am

Nationals

Rendon knows Williams, still working on footwork at second

Anthony Rendon won't have to worry about switching between positions in spring training. No more grounders at third base, followed by intensive footwork sessions at second, then back to the hot corner. He goes into camp at the incumbent second baseman and thinks that comfort level will be a plus. "I think that will help me tremendously," he said at NatsFest. "I think that will be a positive that I can stay in one area, continue to work on my footwork, continue to learn the position as much...

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Tyler Moore: "I'm definitely gonna have to earn what I'm gonna get"

January 25, 2014, 5:24am

Nationals

Tyler Moore: "I'm definitely gonna have to earn what I'm gonna get"

I'm all set up here at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center for NatsFest 2014, and this place is already hopping. Fans have swarmed this enormous building and there's red everywhere. The fact that it's January and the temperatures are in the 20s doesn't seem to be dampening enthusiasm about the Nationals or baseball at all. Players will be rolling through the media room all day, and I'll have tons of quotes to pass along from our sessions with these guys. First on the docket...

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Hairston likes Williams' approach, how Nats have beefed up bench

January 25, 2014, 5:32am

Nationals

Hairston likes Williams' approach, how Nats have beefed up bench

For a change, Nationals outfielder Scott Hairston didn't go into an offseason wondering where he'd be playing the following campaign. He's got a new manager to get used to, and a new spring training base to acquaint himself with in a couple of weeks, but he knows his team and his role entering the 2014 season. "I think it takes a toll psychologically when you're not sure where you're going to be," Hairston said while meeting with reporters at NatsFest at the Gaylord Resort and...

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Trade rumors don't bother determined Storen

January 25, 2014, 6:56am

Nationals

Trade rumors don't bother determined Storen

Right-hander Drew Storen has had a busy offseason while training in Indianapolis. He's already thrown off a mound a few times and he's added about 15 lbs. as a cushion for the expected warmer weather he'll encounter once the Nationals convene in Viera, Fla., for spring training. Amid all the hard work, he's again been the subject of trade rumors. At NatsFest, Storen made it clear he wants to remain a National and hopes none of the incessant chatter about deals comes to fruition. "You...

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Cole, Goodwin, Skole among 18 non-roster invitees to Nats spring training

January 24, 2014, 11:43am

Nationals

Cole, Goodwin, Skole among 18 non-roster invitees to Nats spring training

The Nationals today released a list of 18 non-roster invitees to big league spring training, players that are not on the team's 40-man roster, but will be given a chance to work out at major league camp. Many of the names on the list we already knew, due to the Nats signing these players to minor league deals that offered spring training invitations. But other names on the list are up-and-coming prospects who will get a shot to compete with the big leaguers in the early stages of...

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Notes on Giolito and Cole, plus final NatsFest reminders

January 24, 2014, 4:23am

Nationals

Notes on Giolito and Cole, plus final NatsFest reminders

Two Nationals prospects have been named to MLB.com's Here's the link to the NatsFest page for more information on tickets and the event in general.

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Welcome to NatsFest!

January 25, 2014, 4:55am

Nationals

Welcome to NatsFest! The gates were supposed to open for season ticket holders at 10 a.m., but they seem to have gotten a head start and are queuing up at the autograph station already. Guess you can't keep a good Nats fan down (or out). If you're one of the throngs of Nationals fans invading the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center today for the annual mid-winter event, enjoy it to the max. If you happen to see me - I'm in the red MASN jacket, probably the size of a Kolko and a half,...

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A couple more pitchers come off the market (Balfour to Rays)

January 22, 2014, 7:25pm

Nationals

A couple more pitchers come off the market (Balfour to Rays)

You might have wanted the Nationals to make a final offseason splash by signing Japanese free agent starter Masahiro Tanaka. It wasn't going to happen, especially not when Tanaka was getting a seven-year, $155 million offer from the Yankees, an offer that Tanaka accepted yesterday. Tanaka was going to land a monster contract from some team that had a big hole in its rotation, but the Yankees really outdid themselves here, giving Tanaka the second-largest free agent contract ever handed out...

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Nationals announce 2014 non-roster invitees

January 24, 2014, 11:30am

Nationals

Pitchers and catchers to report to Viera, Fla., by February 13 The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Gabriel Alfaro, infielder Jamey Carroll, right-handed pitcher Manny Delcarmen, infielder Mike Fontenot, right-handed pitcher Clay Hensley, right-handed pitcher Daniel Stange, infielder Brock Peterson, and catcher Chris Snyder on minor-league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training. In addition, the Nationals extended Spring Training invites...

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A couple of quick morning notes

January 22, 2014, 2:51am

Nationals

Want to hear a cool fact about reliever Clay Hensley, who signed a minor league deal with the Nationals yesterday that includes an invitation to big league spring training? Hensley was the pitcher who served up Barry Bonds' 755th career home run, which tied Bonds with Hank Aaron for the most homers of all time. OK, so that fact might not be so "cool" to Hensley, especially since he was optioned to the minors the very next day. It's one thing to be on the wrong end up history. It's...

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Weekly Wrap: Avoiding arbitration and preparing for NatsFest

January 23, 2014, 3:51pm

Nationals

Weekly Wrap: Avoiding arbitration and preparing for NatsFest

Who's ready for NatsFest tomorrow? I am so excited! Tomorrow will mark my first NatsFest, and I can't wait! After I write this, I'm heading down to D.C. to scout out the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center to scope out the area and start to set up the MASN booth. We'll have autographed Nats gear, photo opportunities and more to give away, so be sure to stop by and say hi! This week, the Nats avoided arbitration with multiple players. Ross Detwiler, Jordan Zimmermann, Drew...

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Billy Joel returns to Nationals Park on Saturday, July 26

January 23, 2014, 6:06am

Nationals

Live Nation announced today that Billy Joel will perform at Nationals Park - home of the Washington Nationals - in Washington, DC on Saturday, July 26, 2014. The performance marks Billy Joel's first solo headlining appearance at the ballpark. "Billy Joel's music has been part of the fabric of our lives for more than 40 years, and we are thrilled to have him back at Nationals Park," said Catherine Silver, Nationals Vice President of Ballpark Enterprises & Guest Experience. "He electrified...

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Nationals announce 2014 mini-plans

January 23, 2014, 4:58am

Nationals

Beginning today at 10 a.m., Washington Nationals fans will have the opportunity to choose between four exciting mini ticket plans to catch some of the hottest games of the 2014 season. As an added value, each plan will also include one free game. This year's mini plans include: * Manager's Pick 'Em Plan (15 games for the price of 14): Welcome new Manager Matt Williams to the Nationals by creating your own 15 game lineup. With this unique offer, fans may select seven prime games as well as...