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How has your role changed since Jim Bowden resigned?
"When Jim left I got elevated to the day-to-day acting general manager, so yeah my job description has changed drastically. There is much more responsibility for baseball operations, so in that venue it has changed a lot."

Is your role broadening?
"More so broadening and focusing in on the Major League team in Spring Training more so than I have in the past where I was, during Spring Training, focusing on the Major League team, but after Spring Training I would divert myself into the amateur draft, go into our farm system and look at our prospects down on the farm. That will change because I'll be with the big league club now for the whole time."

Is starting pitching or the bullpen the area that needs the most attention?
"Both. You never have enough starting pitching. We'll never stop acquiring starting pitching. We're always looking because that's where your bread and butter is. You always have to have an inventory, but the bullpen is probably a bigger need because we need to get a little more depth and a little more inventory there and maybe a little more veteran presence there. We're scouring the wires and we're talking to a lot of people to address, not only those issues, but a lot of issues along the ballclub."

Is the plan to get guys that can play right away or build the farm system?
"Stan [Kasten] has put together the plan, we've all heard it many times and we're continuing on that track. The decision we make will have short-term ramifications but there will be a long-term mindset."

Is Jordan Zimmermann ready to start this year?
"Manny [Acta] is ultimately going to make that decision, but in a more general case, when a guy is ready to be a big league pitcher, his age and experience level should not preclude him from being a Major League pitcher. If we think Jordan is our best chance of winning games at the Major League level, then he'll get serious consideration of making the club. With that said, you always have to be cognizant of his age and of his service time and his development. Sometimes, with certain people, it's not the best thing for their development to come to the big leagues and have failure and have to go back down to the Minor Leagues. If he's deemed to be one of our 25 and gives us the best chance to compete every night, then he will be seriously considered to make the club."

Can you compare Zimmermann to any other pitcher?
"Over the years I've been around players with his type of attitude and that type of thing. It is a genuine tool for him; its part of his DNA; its part of his mound presence, its part of making him what he is to be a successful pitcher. There's a lot of guys that have as good of stuff as he does or better; there's a lot of guys who throw strikes like he does; there's a lot of guys who are durable like he is; but his competitiveness and the way he's a bulldog on the mound really separates him, specifically from his peer group, but from a lot of pitchers throughout the league."

Obviously a crowded outfield, what is the plan?
"You do what's best for the 25-man roster and they are ultimately the manager's decisions. We are not going to base playing time and at bats based on what your paycheck says. I think that's detrimental to the ballclub as a whole. With that said, there's great competition as of March 10th, it's wide open and you've got guys like Kearns, who has come out of the chute since the blister problem was fixed in his hand; Wily Mo has shown good at bats and time will tell. Often a surplus of players at a certain position becomes not so much a surplus when you get a tweak here and an injury there."

Where does Adam Dunn fit, first or left field?
"Let's wait until we get Adam back he in camp where we can figure what the makeup of the ballclub is going to look like. It's a little early in the process for that just because, and it's kind of a unique Spring Training because we don't have a new player that we've acquired here in camp with us because he's playing for Team USA, so once he gets back, we'll really get a feel for the ball club and how the chemistry works and how the line-up is going to be carried out."

How is the Ryan Zimmerman contract extension going?
"I think Stan [Kasten], with his acumen and expertise as a negotiator, is as good as I've ever seen. It would be silly for him not to take the lead in that negotiation. I've been involved in it when Jim [Bowden] was here and I'll continue to be involved in it, but I think I will defer to the master and let him do the deal."

Manny Acta is in the last year of his contract, where does he stand?
"Manny Acta is one of the best young managers in the game, he's highly respected, and he carries himself in the way that makes the Washington Nationals a proud organization. About his future, it's way too early to think about that. He's an outstanding manager and he's got Mike Rizzo's full support."

Steven Strasburg is the clear No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, will the Nationals select him and does agent Scott Boras play a role?
"I've always taken the best player available and that's not going to change this year. I've dealt with Scott Boras many, many times and we have a good positive relationship and I don't see that changing. If Strasburg is the guy that we think he is and separates himself from the rest of the pack, then he'll certainly be the guy. We're going to take the best guy available; if it's Strasburg at the time, we'll take him; if it's a different guy, then we'll take him. The agent won't have anything to do with it."

What makes Strasburg so good?
"He's got great ability. He's a big physical pitcher like we like. He's got a great arm, throws a mid to upper 90's fastball, he's touched 100 MPH, he's got breaking pitches and he throws strikes. He's got a really good tool package and we've done a lot of work on his makeup and he's a great kid with a great work ethic and a professional demeanor."