nationals

Changes in a new year

January 01, 2014, 4:26am

Well, hey there, folks. I got back from my trip to Europe just in time to ring in 2014 in style, and we've now got a brand new calendar to kick off with less than six weeks separating us from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. It'll be here before we know it, I'm sure. Hope everyone had a great holiday season as well as a happy and safe New Years. Thanks to Byron Kerr and Pete Kerzel for picking up the slack for me while I was on my trip, which was fantastic. I had a...

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Weekly Wrap: Charging into 2014

January 02, 2014, 10:52am

Nationals

Happy New Year, Nats nation. With 2013 gone and 2014 under way, we can now officially start counting down the days until opening day, right? While we're still a few more months away from baseball in D.C., the Nationals answered many questions very early in the offseason, acquiring Doug Fister, signing Nate McLouth and more. So, while my 2014 started off with a bang, we may find the Nationals' somewhat slow. As we begin the new year, let's look at some predictions for the Nationals and some...

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Looking back at our favorite Nats memories through Instagram

December 31, 2013, 6:57am

Nationals

Looking back at our favorite Nats memories through Instagram

The 2013 season was another fantastic year at Nats Park. Some of my best memories of the summer are Nationals-inspired, including working events with contest winners and Ryan Zimmerman, watching Jordan Zimmermann retire batter after batter and just taking in a packed Nats Park on a Friday night. On our Instagram feed, we asked you to post your favorite memories of 2013 with #masnNationals. We got a great response, with people sharing pictures of their favorite players, photos of a beautiful...

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Defensively speaking, where do Nats rank in NL East?

December 30, 2013, 7:18am

Nationals

Defensively speaking, where do Nats rank in NL East?

Defense is the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball statistics, never garnering the respect it deserves. Chicks dig the longball, people oooh and ahhh over Web Gems on ESPN, but what about the workaholic day-to-day types who turn hard-hit ground balls and fly balls to the gaps into outs, the first baseman whose steady glovework saves his infielders from errors and the catcher whose ability to block pitches in the dirt prevents runners from advancing or scoring? The little things, unfortunately,...

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Spring training will change under Williams (Rhymes re-signs)

December 29, 2013, 12:20pm

Nationals

Spring training will change under Williams (Rhymes re-signs)

Usually, sometime after the first of a new year, two things used to happen: The Nationals announce a list of players signed to minor league contracts who are getting invitations to spring training, and the postal carrier shoves a couple of tax forms in among the bills and junk mail. Well, looks like the Nats' list of non-roster invitees will go the way of the tax form booklets, which have all but disappeared now that most of the country files online. Oh, the Nats will still have some...

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Zimmerman may move from third to first, but when?

December 28, 2013, 11:19am

Nationals

Zimmerman may move from third to first, but when?

With first baseman Adam LaRoche's two-year deal set to expire after the 2014 season - pending the unlikely scenario where he has a monster year and both he and the Nationals agree to exercise a $15 million option for 2015 - there will soon be a new round of chatter about third baseman Ryan Zimmerman switching positions. It seems like an inevitability that Zimmerman will eventually move across the diamond to first base. He's locked into a six-year, $100 million deal that begins this season...

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A few words about anniversaries, history and old timers

December 27, 2013, 7:30am

Nationals

A few words about anniversaries, history and old timers

The media workroom at the Winter Meetings is an odd place. Put 200 writers, broadcasters, multimedia specialists, camera operators and TV reporters in one place for long stretches of time, and things are bound to get a little strange. There's a lot of quiet work, spiced with some idle chatter to pass long stretches of time. One evening, a couple of writers were discussing franchise longevity when one of my Chicago-based brethren asked me when the Nationals were going to start having an old...

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Any Nats action on Tanaka would be a stealth move

December 26, 2013, 10:35am

Nationals

Any Nats action on Tanaka would be a stealth move

Since this is a gift-giving time of year, let's stop for a moment to ponder the fate of Masahiro Tanaka, the Japanese pitcher who, as of Dec. 24, will be posted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles and is in line for a huge payday. Think the kind of haul you'd get when Mega Millions doesn't have a winner for two or three months of drawings. Now the 25-year-old right-hander isn't going to be a millionaire immediately; he'll have to wait until major league teams go through the newly designed...

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What's the best move Mike Rizzo didn't make?

December 25, 2013, 5:03pm

Nationals

What's the best move Mike Rizzo didn't make?

Here's hoping you and yours enjoyed the best Christmas possible yesterday. I've taken two naps during the family festivities at the home of my stepbrother in Newark, Del. - one before dinner, one after - and am so stuffed with homemade goodness that I may not have to eat for several days. The downside of the post-turkey, tryptophan-induced food coma is that I'm wide awake as Dec. 26 dawns. You can only spend so much time counting the gift cards - and I've amassed a plethora of free dining...

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Which long-term extension do Nats get done first?

December 22, 2013, 9:17am

Nationals

Which long-term extension do Nats get done first?

While Mike Rizzo has finished most of his offseason heavy lifting, the Nationals general manager can't sit back and coast until opening day against the Mets at Citi Field. What few holes existed on the blueprint for 2014 are filled; now Rizzo can turn his attentions to more far-reaching pursuits. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and shortstop Ian Desmond are both in line for long-term extensions. Both want to remain in Washington, which is pretty logical considering they are both home-grown and...

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Surprised at scout's take on Lucas Giolito

December 23, 2013, 10:26am

Nationals

Surprised at scout's take on Lucas Giolito

Some baseball writers detest the Winter Meetings. There's too much time spent on too little happening, they say, and prowling a hotel lobby for hours on end in search of the tiniest shreds of information pertaining to the team you cover can be a tedious ordeal. For me, being around the game's movers and shakers for four days is nothing short of baseball geek nirvana. And because there are scouts among the executives hanging out for late-night happy hour or at the morning breakfast buffet,...

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Who's the Nationals' X factor for next season?

December 21, 2013, 11:19am

Nationals

Grant Paulsen has to be the hardest-working guy at SiriusXM Radio. When I toted my Thai takeout in from the car Friday night, he was tag-teaming with Mel Antonen on the evening show on MLB Network Radio. When I get in the car after my Saturday morning Old Bagel and turn on the satellite radio, Paulsen is there again, breaking news of the Shin-Soo Choo signing by the Rangers. He's back on this morning on "Minors and Majors," the weekly show on the minor leagues. Does the guy ever...

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Catcher Chris Snyder signs minor league deal with Nats (with Daubach note, update)

December 21, 2013, 8:42am

Nationals

Catcher Chris Snyder signs minor league deal with Nats (with Daubach note, update)

If you're a fringe major leaguer hoping to find employment for the 2014 season, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Teams are handing out minor league contracts with spring training invitations like stocking stuffers, and the Nationals made such a move today. Though it's relatively minor, it could pay significant dividends down the road. Catcher Chris Snyder signed a minor league contract with the Nationals and will get the ubiquitous invitation to major league camp. If his name...

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Calendar might dictate when Nats make final roster tweaks

December 20, 2013, 9:59am

Nationals

Calendar might dictate when Nats make final roster tweaks

I have an alternate theory on the trade earlier this week that sent outfielder Corey Brown back to the A's in exchange for cash considerations: It was easier for Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo to ship another player to the A's than it was for him to try to maneuver a bottle of fine wine past the TSA checkpoint for holiday dinner with A's GM Billy Beane's family. OK, I kid, I kid. Check out Dan Kolko's explanation of the many deals between Rizzo and Beane in this post from yesterday....

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Weekly Wrap: Nats' offseason moves getting rave reviews

December 20, 2013, 8:27am

Nationals

Weekly Wrap: Nats' offseason moves getting rave reviews

A week removed from the Winter Meetings, this time of the offseason has been busy for many teams. Not so much for the Nationals. Making a huge move early in the offseason with the Doug Fister trade, the Nationals continued to wheel and deal, signing Nate McLouth and trading for Jerry Blevins. With many of their offseason needs met, the Nats have mostly sat back this week, with the exception of trading Corey Brown to the A's for cash considerations. We have seen in the past that offseason...

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Nats trade Corey Brown to Athletics for cash considerations (updated)

December 19, 2013, 7:32am

Nationals

Nats trade Corey Brown to Athletics for cash considerations (updated)

Mike Rizzo and Billy Beane are at it again. The Nationals have traded outfielder Corey Brown to the Athletics, a source confirmed this afternoon, marking the seventh trade between the two organizations in the last two years and the eighth deal between them in three years. No word yet on what the Nats will receive in return for Brown, who was designated for assignment last week to make room for newly signed outfielder Nate McLouth on the Nationals' 40-man roster. Brown is out of options, so...

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On Brown and the Rizzo/Beane dynamic (plus housekeeping note)

December 20, 2013, 4:16am

Nationals

On Brown and the Rizzo/Beane dynamic (plus housekeeping note)

Before I kick off my morning blog post, I've got a quick housekeeping note to pass along. I'm leaving the country later today for a 10-day trip to Europe, and will not be writing/tweeting/monitoring MLBTradeRumors during that time. I'm excited to say that I'm stepping away from the laptop for a week and a half, and will be enjoying my first European journey. (For anyone who cares, I'll be hitting France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium during this trip. Should be fun.) My...

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Nats agree to four-year extension with Triple-A Syracuse

December 18, 2013, 9:49am

Nationals

Nats agree to four-year extension with Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Chiefs are the third Triple-A team the Nationals have had as an affiliate in their nine years of existence. Today, the Nats announced that they'll be sticking with the Chiefs a while longer. The Nationals have agreed to a four-year player development contract with the Chiefs, who play in the Triple-A International League. The deal will begin in 2015 and run through the 2018 season. "This is the first PDC that we have signed with an affiliate in excess of two years and it...

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Are the Nats the team to beat in the NL East?

December 19, 2013, 4:17am

Nationals

Are the Nats the team to beat in the NL East?

I went into spring training this year feeling that the Nationals were the favorites in the National League East by a pretty wide margin. I wasn't alone in this line of thinking. In fact, I believe the vast majority of the baseball world was with me. The Nats, after all, were coming off a 98-win season and their first division title in team history, had seemingly improved their roster with the additions of Dan Haren, Rafael Soriano and Denard Span, and would go into the 2013 season having...

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On the lefty relief market and the Nats' improved pitching depth

December 17, 2013, 1:54am

Nationals

On the lefty relief market and the Nats' improved pitching depth

Another left-handed reliever that the Nationals were linked to this offseason has landed a multi-year, eight-figure contract. J.P. Howell has agreed to a two-year deal with the Dodgers worth a guaranteed $11.25 million, with a mutual option for 2016 worth $6.25 million, according to various reports. The option can reportedly vest based on a certain amount of appearances over the two guaranteed years. Howell's deal comes after Boone Logan agreed to a three-year, $16.5 million contract with...