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As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Tanner Roark, who labored throughout the first half of the season but then found himself again down the stretch.
PLAYER REVIEW: TANNER ROARK
Age on opening day 2018: 31
How acquired: Acquired from Rangers with Ryan Tatusko for Cristian Guzman, July 2010
MLB service time: 4 years, 55 days
2017 salary: $4.315 million
Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2018,...
The Nationals have never been confused for a progressive, analytics-first organization. These aren't the Astros or the Dodgers or the Cubs or the Rays.
But neither have the Nats been stuck in old-school ways. They may have taken the slow-and-steady route over nearly a decade, but they do utilize numbers and have implemented them into their daily and long-term decisions.
General manager Mike Rizzo, a scout's scout if ever there was one, is just as quick nowadays to mention a player's WAR,...
It was a terrible year for right-hander Chris Tillman last season. But from 2012 through 2016, he was a very solid starter for the Orioles and they won a great percentage of his starts.
It seems that five-year track record could be a big boost as Tillman hits free agency now. Even though he was one of the worst starters in the majors in 2017, yesterday MLBTradeRumors.com predicted that Tillman would sign a one-year deal for $10 million with the Tigers. He was ranked No. 47 on their projection...
Dave Martinez's inaugural staff with the Nationals will include at least one experienced, well-regarded coach. Kevin Long, who has a long list of supporters after a decade with the Yankees and Mets, has been hired as the Nationals' new hitting coach, the club announced this evening.
Long, 50, becomes the first member of Martinez's staff, bringing instant credibility and experience to the first-time manager's coaching roster, with other key positions expected to be filled over the next week...
The Orioles are one more day away, at the most, from receiving official word that catcher Welington Castillo is declining his $7 million option for 2018 and entering the free agent market. Nothing has happened over the last month that leads them to believe in a different outcome.
There's always the chance that everyone is floored by a reversal. Never say never. But it would be a huge shocker.
Castillo was more likely to return after batting .175/.230/.386 in June and .258/.298/.412 in the...
Mike Rizzo had the opportunity to hire Dave Martinez four years ago. The Nationals needed a new manager following Davey Johnson's planned departure, and the former major league outfielder - at that point still bench coach for the Rays - was among the candidates Rizzo interviewed before selecting Matt Williams.
Rizzo again had the opportunity to hire Martinez two years ago. The Nationals again needed a new manager following Williams' firing, and Martinez now had the experience of helping lead...
A key component that new Nationals manager Dave Martinez believes is important to a successful and cohesive clubhouse is how players feel before and after games. How he interacts with those players on the roster can go a long way in the final product put on the field.
"I'm actually excited to talk to all of them," Martinez said. "To me, there are 25 guys on the roster, I utilize all 25 guys. the 25th man has an important job. He's going to be put in a moment where he's going to help us...
Buried amid the Nationals' latest managerial change was the news that one of the club's most important players - Daniel Murphy - needed significant knee surgery at season's end. And though team officials believe the All-Star second baseman will be fully healed well before the start of the 2018 season, they can't definitively say that just yet.
Murphy had debridement and microfracture surgery two weeks ago to repair damage to the articular cartilage in his right knee. The procedure, which...
The conclusion of the World Series last night ignited the start of free agency, beginning with 149 players hitting the market earlier this afternoon.
The list, made available by the Major League Baseball Players Association, includes Orioles pitchers Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jiménez and Jeremy Hellickson, designated hitter Pedro Ãlvarez, outfielders Seth Smith and Craig Gentry, and utility infielder Ryan Flaherty.
Three more Orioles will join the group. Catcher Welington Castillo is expected...
The Orioles and the Mayors' Feed the Hungry Program are teaming up again this year to collect and distribute food to help people in need in Sarasota. The Orioles will collect non-perishable food items at Ed Smith Stadium beginning on Monday, November 6, and will host the charity's Thanksgiving Sorting Day at the ballpark on Friday, November 17. Non-perishable food items may be dropped off at Ed Smith Stadium, located at 2700 12th Street, on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The collection...