The Nationals officially cut ties with Yunesky Maya this weekend, releasing the right-hander who general manager Mike Rizzo viewed as a top-of-the-rotation type of starter when he signed the Cuban defector to a four-year, $6 million deal in 2010.
Maya's release was first reported by Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
This move ends the Nationals' experiment with the 32-year-old righty, a guy who the Nats trumpeted as a major international signing a little more than three years ago.
Maya had...
We're all aware of how good Tyler Clippard has been since joining the Nationals in the trade that sent Clippard to D.C. and Jonathan Albaladejo to the Yankees.
Fairly lopsided deal there, huh? Wonder how the Yanks are feeling about that one.
In his five years with the Nats, Clippard has appeared in 337 games (an average of 67 per season) and pitched to a 2.72 ERA with a 1.036 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yeah, decent numbers.
This season, however, Clippard was so good that...
Mike Rizzo has reunited with another former Diamondbacks connection, as the Nationals have signed right-handed reliever Daniel Stange to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league spring training.
In 2006, his final year as the Diamondbacks' scouting director, Rizzo selected Stange with Arizona's seventh-round pick in the First-Year Player Draft.
Now Rizzo has given Stange a deal that will bring him to Viera, Fla., where he'll compete for a job in a few months.
Stange, a UC...
On behalf of the Lerner Family and the Washington Nationals, we are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Michael Weiner. His commitment to the game of baseball was well-recognized throughout the industry and his contributions will have a lasting impact on its long-term vitality. We send our deepest condolences to his family and the many friends and colleagues who mourn his loss.
The baseball world was rocked this week by a huge trade. The Tigers sent Prince Fielder and $30 million to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler. What offseason?
While the blockbuster trade dominated national headlines, the Nationals were busy filling vacancies and finalizing their 40-man roster this week.
The Nats brought in a familiar face as their new third-base coach. Bob Henley, who has been with the Nats/Expos for the last 11 years, was hired as the new windmill, filling the vacancy created by...
Yesterday turned interesting in a hurry, huh?
At first, we just had a run-of-the-mill offseason day, with teams quietly making tweaks to their 40-man rosters ahead of the midnight deadline to do so.
The Nationals added Sammy Solis, Michael Taylor and Aaron Barrett to their 40-man roster and designated left-handers Fernando Abad and Tyler Robertson for assignment, leaving them with a full 40-man roster.
Then, minutes later, I had a bunch of people in my Twitter timeline talking about how...
The Washington Nationals today promoted Doug Harris to Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development, Kris Kline to Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Scouting Operations, Mark Scialabba to Director of Player Development, Mark Baca to National Supervisor, Jeff Zona to Special Assistant to the General Manager and Fred Costello to National Crosschecker. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
Harris...
The Nationals added three players to their 40-man roster today, protecting left-hander Sammy Solis, outfielder Michael Taylor and right-hander Aaron Barrett from December's Rule 5 Draft.
In order to clear space on the 40-man, left-handed relievers Fernando Abad and Tyler Robertson were designated for assignment.
Midnight tonight is the deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters ahead of the Rule 5 draft. With these moves, the Nationals now have a full 40-man roster.
Solis, 25, is 10-4...
I feel like David Letterman right now, rattling off a list of the top reasons Bob Henley was a good choice as the Nationals' new third base coach. But I wanted to add a few nuggets on Henley, and why, based on what I've heard, the former catcher was a smart hire by Nationals manager Matt Williams and general manager Mike Rizzo.
Full disclosure: I've never had an extended chat with Henley. I don't know the man all that well on a personal level from my two years covering the Nationals,...
The Washington Nationals today selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis, outfielder Michael Taylor and right-handed pitcher Aaron Barrett. The club also designated left-handed pitcher Fernando Abad and left-handed pitcher Tyler Robertson for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
The Nationals' second-round selection in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft (University of San Diego), Solis recently led the...
I wrote yesterday that the Nationals had signed veteran right-hander Chris Young to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training.
Today, the Nats officially announced the Young deal, and also announced they've agreed to a minor league deal with another right-handed pitcher, Gabriel Alfaro.
Alfaro, 30, has spent just two seasons in affiliated baseball in the United States, playing for short-season Single-A Auburn in 2005 and 2006 back when that team was affiliated...
Needing a new third base coach, the Nationals have decided to promote from within, and have hired Bob Henley for the position. Henley has previously served as the Nationals' minor league field coordinator.
The 40-year-old Henley has been with the Nationals/Expos organization for the last 11 years.
He managed the Nationals' Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2009 and led that team to the GCL title, and has also managed high Single-A Potomac. Henley has been the Nats' minor league field...
The Nationals have re-signed veteran right-hander Chris Young to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training, a source confirmed, providing a bit more starting pitching depth within the organization.
Young had trouble staying on the field due to injury last season and got hit hard in his nine starts within the Nats system, going 1-2 with a 6.81 ERA.
In his seven starts at Triple-A Syracuse, Young allowed 50 hits and 28 earned runs in 32 innings of work, striking out...
As a whole, the Nationals bullpen pitched to a 3.56 ERA in 2013, 17th-best in the majors.
Nats relievers had a .252 batting average against (24th-best), put up a 1.29 WHIP (16th-best) and allowed a .679 OPS against (12th-best).
Those aren't horrendous numbers, but it was clear that the Nats' bullpen dropped off from 2012, when that unit ranked seventh in the league with a 3.23 ERA and delivered big innings down the stretch in the team's postseason run.
Improving the bullpen will be one...
Of all the free agent starting pitchers on the market this offseason, I felt that Tim Hudson was one of the guys who might have made the most sense for the Nationals if he had been available at a reasonable price.
Hudson knows the National League East well from having spent the last nine years with the Braves. He has a career 3.44 ERA, and outside of a fluke ankle injury this season, has been very durable over the course of his career. Hudson wasn't looking for a long-term deal, meaning the...
If you've ever stared up at the giant video board at Nationals Park during a game, seen the in-game video host running a contest or trying to engage fans and thought, "Gee, I could do that," the Nationals may want to talk to you.
The Nats are commencing a casting call for a new in-game video host and, providing you have an effusive personality, have performed in front of large crowds, have on-air experience and possess a knowledge of both baseball and the Nationals, your dream could come...
Do you have an enthusiastic personality and a voice that commands attention? Have you performed in front of large crowds or have any on-air experience? Do you have a deep-rooted passion for baseball and the Washington Nationals? If the answer is yes, yes and yes, don't miss this opportunity to become the Nationals in-game host for the 2014 season!
The Nationals are looking for an energetic and engaging individual with a background in broadcasting, someone who will strive to enhance the...
The Arizona Fall League season has come to an end, with the Mesa Solar Sox, the team featuring eight Nationals prospects, falling to the Surprise Saguaros 2-0 in yesterday's championship game.
Nats outfield prospect Steven Souza went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and one of Mesa's five hits, and outfielder Brian Goodwin went 0-for-1 in a pinch-hitting role.
None of the Nats' four pitching prospects on Mesa's roster saw action during the championship game.
For a full rundown of how the...
While fan challenge winners Brady Doyle and Bella Ronca may not be able to snag line drives or smash home runs as well as Ryan Zimmerman, they proved that that they could take down the Nationals third baseman in an Xbox battle. Thanks to MASN's annual fan challenge, the duo had the opportunity to meet Zimmerman and take him on in a game of MLB 2K13.
Doyle and Ronca submitted a video during the season, challenging Zimmerman to try to beat them in a game of MLB 2K13. Eventually, their video was...
The Nationals sent eight prospects to the Arizona Fall League this offseason, and they have played a major part in the Mesa Solar Sox reaching the AFL championship game, which will be played today at 3:10 p.m. You can catch the game on MLB Network.
You might have heard of all eight of the Nats prospects out in Arizona. You might have heard of none of them. But here's a look at how all eight are performing, with one final game to go in Mesa's season.
Outfielder Steven Souza has only played...