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Reports: MLB, union agree to salary, service time, draft changes

March 26, 2020, 7:30pm

For those wondering about the postseason re-watch articles, we'll get back to that tomorrow, with four straight days of the National League Championship Series. But first, there was some baseball news late last night, with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreeing to a bunch of new provisions to account for the disrupted 2020 season. Multiple outlets reported that player representatives from all 30 clubs agreed to a deal that will become official today once owners sign off...

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Lack of opening day brings a whole new appreciation for it

March 25, 2020, 9:09pm

Nationals

Lack of opening day brings a whole new appreciation for it

What will you be doing today at 1:10 p.m.? Will you turn on your television, hoping beyond hope to see Trea Turner stepping to the plate to face Jacob deGrom at sold-out Citi Field? Maybe this has all been a bad dream, a two-week-long nightmare that we'll all wake up from just in time to watch the 2020 Major League Baseball season begin as scheduled. Sadly, no. This is all too real. And it's only going to start feeling more real with each passing day as the pandemic numbers skyrocket and the...

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Nationals option two players to Fresno, four more to Harrisburg

March 26, 2020, 11:10am

Nationals

They didn't have to submit an official 26-man roster for opening day this morning, but the Nationals did make a series of transactions, procedural moves that involved the optioning of six players off the major league spring training roster. Right-hander Erick Fedde and catcher Tres Barrera were both optioned to Triple-A Fresno, the club announced. Four more players were optioned to Double-A Harrisburg: right-handers James Bourque and Kyle Finnegan, plus infielder AdriÃ¡n Sanchez and...

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Nationals trivia quiz: Opening day

March 24, 2020, 6:56pm

Nationals

The re-watch of the 2019 postseason has been a blast - thank you to everyone who has reached out to say how much they've enjoyed it - but it's also pretty time consuming. I mean, you really want me to watch an entire baseball game and then write a full article about it 17 times? What do you think I am, a baseball beat writer? (Wait, don't answer that question.) Rest assured, the postseason re-watch will continue later this week with the National League Championship Series. Then after another...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Things get wild

March 24, 2020, 5:36am

Nationals

We're just six days away from April 1, and the ballfields are empty. No fooling. We only wish it was a joke. Today, the Nationals were supposed to be in New York to open the season against the Mets. A week from today, following a swing through Miami, the Nats were supposed to host the Mets for their home opener. None of those things are happening. You know why, so we're not going to use the C word. We're all sick of hearing it, if you'll pardon the expression. But you can count on MASN to...

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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 4

March 22, 2020, 9:06pm

Nationals

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 4

The vibe inside Nationals Park early on during Game 4 of last fall's National League Division Series did not suggest the assembled masses were optimistic there would be a Game 5. An odd 6:40 p.m. first pitch on a Monday night with rain in the forecast and the home team facing elimination led to the first non-sellout in the ballpark's postseason history. Game 3 the previous night was witnessed by a crowd of 43,423. Game 4 was played before a gathering of only 36,847, with large swaths of empty...

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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 5

March 23, 2020, 10:13pm

Nationals

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 5

As the final countdown to first pitch proceeded Oct. 9, two thoughts came to mind: * This felt awfully familiar for the Nationals, yet another winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series. * This felt strikingly different from those previous Game 5 fiascos, because this time the Nats were on the road and underdogs to their opponents. In the end, of course, the 2019 NLDS was completely different from the other ones because the Nationals actually emerged victorious for the first...

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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 3

March 21, 2020, 9:43pm

Nationals

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 3

I'll admit I didn't remember much about Game 3 of the National League Division Series. I remembered it was a blowout. I remembered AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez started and then Patrick Corbin had a disastrous night in relief. I remembered it was the last time the Nationals wore anything other than their navy blue alternate jerseys. (They wore white.) But that's about all I remembered before re-watching the game yesterday. So imagine my surprise when I realized this actually was a compelling...

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Santangelo, fellow broadcasters join forces to benefit area food charities

March 23, 2020, 12:28pm

Nationals

Santangelo, fellow broadcasters join forces to benefit area food charities

MASN Nationals analyst F.P. Santangelo is among a cadre of broadcasters from Washington, D.C., sports franchises who are collaborating for a good cause: eradicating hunger in the District. Through "Voices of D.C. Sports: Helping to Feed the City," broadcasters covering the Nationals, Capitals, Wizards, Redskins and D.C. United are recording personalized messages using Cameo, a video shoutout platform. For a minimum $25 donation, Santangelo and other familiar voices will record a personalized...

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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 2

March 20, 2020, 9:19pm

Nationals

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 2

Confession time: My favorite game of the 2019 postseason wasn't the wild card game. It wasn't Game 5 of the National League Division Series. It wasn't the pennant clincher over the Cardinals. And it wasn't Game 6 or 7 of the World Series in Houston. It was Game 2 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Seriously. This was an absolutely fantastic ballgame, overstuffed with star power, clutch performances, bold managerial decisions, a surprise relief appearance from a three-time Cy Young Award winner...

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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 1

March 19, 2020, 9:11pm

Nationals

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 1

The Nationals' run last October, when viewed in its entirety, was thrilling. That doesn't mean every single game along the way matched that description. There were a few clunkers mixed into those 17 postseason games. And maybe the biggest clunker of them all came only 48 hours after the euphoric National League wild card win over the Brewers. Flying high from that dramatic victory, the Nats headed west to open their best-of-five NL Division Series with the powerhouse Dodgers. And if you were...

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Group of 13 players still in West Palm Beach, none tested

March 20, 2020, 8:28am

Nationals

Group of 13 players still in West Palm Beach, none tested

Thirteen Nationals players, plus general manager Mike Rizzo, manager Davey Martinez and a skeleton crew of coaches, doctors, trainers and conditioning staff continue to ride out the coronavirus pandemic in West Palm Beach, Fla., though all have been instructed to take steps to ensure social distancing in an effort to prevent spread of the virus. Rizzo, who said three players and other staffers are now in Washington while others have returned to their various hometowns, said no players to date...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Milestones, memories and some newer vintages

March 18, 2020, 7:07am

Nationals

Regular readers of this space are familiar with our recaps of "Nationals Classics" on MASN. Usually, all winter long, we stoke the hot stove and feed your need for baseball with rebroadcasts of memorable games from past seasons. Well, in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic that has short-circuited the national pastime, we're back with more "Nationals Classics" to keep you satiated. Whether you're working at home, sheltering in place or planning your next strategic grocery store run for...

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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NL wild card game

March 18, 2020, 7:02pm

Nationals

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NL wild card game

There's no baseball to watch right now, at least no live baseball. And there's not going to be any for a while. So how do we get our fix during this most unusual time in our lives? We watch old baseball games. There's a whole treasure trove of classic games available out there. And at some point, we might just get to them all. But for now, where better to begin than with the most recent games the Nationals played? Yes, it's time to re-watch - and re-live - the 2019 postseason. The plan is...

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Nationals will donate $1 million to pay ballpark workers

March 17, 2020, 9:11pm

Nationals

Among those who immediately realized they would be affected by last week's suspension of spring training and delayed start to the baseball season were the workers at ballparks across America, those who rely on game days for steady income and now face weeks or even months without that assurance. On Tuesday, Major League Baseball and its clubs took the first step toward ensuring those people will be taken care of. Each of the 30 franchises has agreed to donate $1 million to cover the incomes of...

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Coming to grips with this new reality

March 16, 2020, 9:14pm

Nationals

This was supposed to be the start of the final countdown to opening day. The last week of spring training, with decisions looming on the starting third baseman, the No. 5 starter, a spot or two in the bullpen and maybe a spot on the bench. The Nationals were going to head north after this Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, make a brief stop in D.C. for an exhibition game against top prospects one week from today, then continue to New York for opening day against the Mets. One week after that,...

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Nats may have to break up camp under new guidelines

March 15, 2020, 8:51pm

Nationals

Nats may have to break up camp under new guidelines

How many Nationals players are staying in West Palm Beach, Fla., during the coronavirus crisis, and what will their workouts look like? The answers to those questions have changed seemingly every day since Major League Baseball announced the halting of all spring training games Thursday. At first, the entire team intended to stay in place and continue to hold full-squad workouts - and maybe even scrimmages - during MLB's hiatus. Then the league notified players they were free to leave town,...

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Strickland's release opens door for others to make roster

March 14, 2020, 8:52pm

Nationals

Strickland's release opens door for others to make roster

It may feel trivial to discuss baseball right now, but even as the sport sits in hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Nationals made some baseball decisions Saturday. And so it's appropriate to discuss baseball matters. The club cut 13 players from major league camp. Twelve of those players (inlcuding pitchers Dakota Bacus, Bryan Bonnell, Wil Crowe, Aaron Barrett, Ben Braymer, Kyle McGowin and David Hernandez) weren't seriously expected to make the opening day roster. The other one,...

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An attempt to answer some pressing questions

March 13, 2020, 7:20pm

Nationals

An attempt to answer some pressing questions

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - These are strange times. Strange times with no real road maps to consult. Major League Baseball has dealt with work stoppages before, but those were strikes or lockouts or a one-week hiatus following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This is quite different. It's tempting right now to try to project what's going to happen in two weeks or two months. But the truth is, we have no idea what's going to happen in two days. Let's try to take a rational look at the...

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Though free to leave, many Nats plan to stay and work out

March 13, 2020, 3:56pm

Nationals

Though free to leave, many Nats plan to stay and work out

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Though Major League Baseball officially announced the immediate suspension of all spring training operations this evening, many Nationals players intend to remain here and conduct informal workouts during baseball's coronavirus-induced hiatus. MLB and the MLB Players Association, after meeting earlier today, jointly informed clubs that players are being encouraged to travel to either the team's home city or their own hometowns, though anyone who wants to stay in their...