Good morning, everyone. Hope you all had a safe and healthy holiday weekend. And hope you had a little time to read about the Nationals' trade for Josh Bell and the subsequent reaction and analysis that followed. After an awfully quiet start to the offseason, the Nats have now acquired a much-needed big bat. The question is, will they attempt to go get another significant bat to further bolster the top half of their lineup? We know they still need a corner outfielder. And they could still...

So long, 2020. Don't let the door whack your backside on your way out. The general consensus seems to be that the year that draws to a close tonight at midnight can't be over soon enough. As if social and political turmoil and a deadly virus sweeping the globe weren't awful enough, the pandemic also screwed up the baseball season. With new vaccines approved and inoculations begun, we're all crossing our fingers in hopes that we can kick COVID-19 to the curb in 2021, and that spring training...

It was a sad anniversary to note recently. But when you think about the man himself, and what he meant to the Orioles for 37 of his 45 seasons in pro baseball, you can't help but smile. Elrod Hendricks was born on Dec. 22, 1940 in the Virgin Islands. He died on Dec. 21, 2005 - just one day shy of his 65th birthday. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame as a coach in 2001 and he spent 28 seasons as the club's bullpen coach. His baseball record notes that the Orioles acquired him from...

It was a throwaway line at the end of his opening statement introducing Josh Bell on Saturday afternoon, but a four-word phrase from Mike Rizzo might have carried more weight than he realized at the time. Rizzo referred to Bell as "our new first baseman." That's not something the Nationals general manager has said in some time. The last time Rizzo acquired a first baseman with the intention of starting him on opening day was 2011. The player's name was Adam LaRoche, and he would hold the...

In searching for the big bat his club was missing this season and he had openly identified as his No. 1 goal of this offseason, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had no shortage of options to consider. He could've gone big in the free agent market and tried to sign one of the pre-eminent (but pricey) players available. He could've gone after a second-tier (and thus less expensive) free agent and hoped that would be enough. Or he could've explored trade possibilities, recognizing that type...

The Christmas Eve acquisition of Josh Bell gives the Nationals a much-needed, middle-of-the-order bat. General manager Mike Rizzo said that was his No. 1 priority of the winter, and the general manager even dropped a hint last week it could come in the form of a first baseman. But where exactly does Bell - who is tentatively scheduled to speak to reporters this afternoon, by the way - figure to bat in the Nats lineup? The idea all along was to provide protection for Juan Soto, who sorely needed...

Here is a list of the young outfielders (and their ages) that were in attendance at Nationals instructional league workouts in October: Andry Arias, 20Gage Canning, 23Justin Connell, 21 Jeremy De La Rosa, 18 Braian Fernandez, 21 Jorge Hurtado, 20 Daniel Marte, 18 Ricardo Mendez, 20 Roismar Quintana, 17 Jake Randa, 22 Cody Wilson, 24 Outfield/baserunning coordinator Gary Thurman worked with these players on the fundamentals the Nats want every outfielder to master as they make their way through...

Today we revisit a few topics recently discussed on the blog. Time to address them further and discuss them further. Skipping levels on the farm: We recently looked at the possibility of players skipping levels in the farm system for the 2021 season. Without any games to track player performance or for players to use to make progress during 2020, how will the organization place minor league players next year? Do they just send them to the level they would have begun at in 2020? No, not...

The initial reaction to the Josh Bell trade was overwhelmingly positive. A Nationals club that desperately needed to acquire a big bat did so without spending gobs of money and without dealing away top prospects. What's not to like about that? Well, as with all trades, it's best not to jump to any conclusions just yet. Let's see how this plays out. There's a good chance Bell proves to be everything the Nationals need him to be, and that neither Wil Crowe nor Eddy Yean amounts to much with...

Well, if Santa can work on Christmas, I guess I can, too. Even though I'm writing this on Christmas Eve. But it's the thought, not the timing, that really counts. Or something like that. Can you tell I'm not sure what makes for a good Christmas Day baseball blog? So just a short note today to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy holidays, and I hope you have a great few days with family and friends. As best as this year and a pandemic will allow. This time last year, in looking ahead to...