nationals

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

December 13, 2011, 9:42am

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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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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Nationals get brand new field grass for 2012 at Nationals Park

December 13, 2011, 6:21pm

Nationals

I had the opportunity to visit Nationals Park twice in the last month and viewed progression of installation of the brand new field grass. In November, the top picture shows the entire outfield in dirt after the original grass was removed and the new grass was being installed in the infield portion. The bottom picture, taken Tuesday night, shows the new outfield grass in place to match that put in the infield in November. Fortunately, the weather has been fairly mild to start the winter...

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Nationals interested in Mike Cameron and Greg Dobbs, among others

December 14, 2011, 4:52pm

Nationals

The bench for each major league team is a major part of a team's long-term success through the ups and downs of a rigorous 162-game season. Many times, if you make the right choices for your bench this time of year, it can reap short-term return if you trade them at the trading deadline for future prospects. Jerry Hairston Jr., made a big splash with the Milwaukee Brewers deep into the playoffs last season after the Nationals traded him for minor leaguer Erik Komatsu. Last week, the...

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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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Meyers will switch to long relief as he begins career with Yankees

December 13, 2011, 8:24am

Nationals

Meyers will switch to long relief as he begins career with Yankees

Right-hander Brad Meyers was selected by the New York Yankees in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings on Thursday and is looking forward to the new challenge. "My agent called me at 7 a.m. and woke me up," Meyers said. "I didn't know what time the draft would be, but, yes, I was excited." After getting promoted mid-season from Double-A Harrisburg Senators, Meyers went 6-5 with a 3.48 ERA last season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, striking out 74 hitters...

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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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Who's in on Yu Darvish? (updated)

December 11, 2011, 2:30pm

Nationals

How far the Nationals' pursuit of Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish goes - assuming, of course, that they participate in the bidding process now that the right-hander has been posted by his homeland club, the Nippon-Ham Fighters - depends just as much on the other bidders as it does the Lerner family's deep pockets and desire to add to their collection of stud pitchers. There will be no shortage of interest in Darvish, who is generally considered the best hurler never to pitch in Major League...

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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...

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Disaster preparedness exercise at Nationals Park

December 13, 2011, 9:09am

Nationals

Over the course of this year, we've seen the importance of knowing what to do in the event of a disaster. Hurricane Irene and even a small earthquake struck the east coast within the past six months, leaving a lot of us to wonder how we would handle ourselves should a threat ever arise. Fortunately for those in the Washington area, The District of Columbia Fire Department (DCFD) and the U.S. Marines Corps' Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) will conduct a large-scale...

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Will the Nationals move some of their catching depth?

December 12, 2011, 6:35am

Nationals

When building a solid major league system, a franchise can never have enough catching depth. The Nationals have demonstrated this on their 40-man roster, with four backstops. Jesus Flores, Derek Norris, Wilson Ramos and Jhonatan Solano represent the top four catchers protected on the Nationals' 40-man. It has been an emotional offseason for incumbent Ramos, who had to endure a horrible kidnapping. Despite that deeply traumatic event, Ramos is expected to be the starter heading into spring...

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Nats ink Carroll to minor league deal; Rijo a fugitive in Dominican

December 12, 2011, 10:51am

Nationals

Nats ink Carroll to minor league deal; Rijo a fugitive in Dominican

The Nationals added some outfield depth to the organization Monday with the signing of Brett Carroll to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training in Viera, Fla. The 29-year-old Carroll has spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Marlins and Brewers. A 10th-round pick by the Marlins in the 2004 draft, Carroll is a career .203 hitter with five home runs and 28 RBIs in 175 games. The addition of Carroll helps the Nationals replace Erik Komatsu, who was taken by the...

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Gorzelanny, Slaten, Flores sweating out Monday's non-tender deadline

December 10, 2011, 1:03pm

Nationals

Gorzelanny, Slaten, Flores sweating out Monday's non-tender deadline

While Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo continues his search for a pitcher, a center fielder and some bench help, baseball's offseason calendar continues to move on. Next up is Monday's midnight deadline for teams to tender contracts to its arbitration-eligible players, and the Nationals have some decisions to make. Of the seven players eligible for arbitration, some decisions will be relatively easy. Outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse, left-hander John Lannan, and right-handers...

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A closer look at the Perry-for-Balester swap

December 09, 2011, 6:48pm

Nationals

A closer look at the Perry-for-Balester swap

On the surface, the Nationals' trade earlier today sending right-hander Collin Balester to the Detroit Tigers for right-hander Ryan Perry is a bit of a head-scratcher. But what looks like a straight-up deal of similar pitchers who had hit proverbial dead ends with the organizations that drafted them is actually more of a minute tweak for each club. Let's tackle Balester first. The 25-year-old was drafted by the Expos in 2004, and while he showed promise as a starting pitcher early in his...

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Pitchers Stammen, Slaten, Tatusko and Mandel could be bullpen fixtures in near future

December 09, 2011, 12:28pm

Nationals

Pitchers Stammen, Slaten, Tatusko and Mandel could be bullpen fixtures in near future

The Nationals are closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in Viera, Fla., as the team sizes up what they could have in a talented and deep relief corps for 2012. New Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr, the former Syracuse Chiefs manager, was pleased with the staff he worked with in Triple-A last season. He sees some of those pitchers, either already with the Nationals or close to it, possibly becoming permanent fixtures in the bullpen this upcoming campaign. So who jumped...

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Nationals acquire right-hander Perry, ship Balester to Detroit

December 09, 2011, 1:08pm

Nationals

While the Nationals didn't make any headlines during the Winter Meetings, the team won't finish the week without at least one move. According to a press release, the Nationals have acquired right-handed reliever

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Big contracts put Zimmerman in line for huge payday

December 08, 2011, 5:55pm

Nationals

Big contracts put Zimmerman in line for huge payday

The Nationals came back from the Winter Meetings empty-handed, shut out in their quest to find a starting pitcher, a center fielder who can hit leadoff and some punch off the bench. Not that Ryan Zimmerman is happy that he doesn't have someone a few spots ahead in the batting order to drive in on a regular basis, but general manager Mike Rizzo's inability to cross anything off his shopping list in Dallas could pay some dividends for the third baseman. Rizzo hopes to re-sign Zimmerman to an...

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Nationals acquire right-handed reliever Perry from Tigers

December 09, 2011, 1:13pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today acquired right-handed reliever Ryan Perry from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Collin Balester. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Perry, 24, joins the Nationals after going 5-6 with 29 holds, two saves and a 4.07 ERA (73 ER/161.1 IP) in 149 relief appearances spanning three seasons with Detroit. Detroit's first-round selection (21st overall, University of...

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Nationals announce spring training reporting dates

December 09, 2011, 6:25am

Nationals

It may be chilly in the mid-Atlantic, but there are warm thoughts ahead. Like Florida-warm. Specifically, the planned community of Viera, home to Space Coast Stadium and spring training headquarters of the Nationals. The Nationals have announced their reporting dates for the 2012 edition of spring training. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 19, position players are due in Feb. 23 and the first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 23. Now, if the club will just announce its Grapefruit...

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Rizzo coy on whether Nationals will bid for Yu Darvish

December 08, 2011, 6:26am

Nationals

DALLAS - News that the Nippon-Ham Fighters have decided to post prize pitcher Yu Darvish created a frenzy of activity at the Hilton Anatole on the final day of baseball's Winter Meetings. Japanese media members swarmed team executives who have expressed an interest in Darvish, trying to establish an early field of teams who will enter the process to bid for the right to try an negotiate a contract with the 25-year-old, a two-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player. The Nationals have...