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Acta acknowledged that the 35-year old will be "strictly out of the 'pen if he makes the club."

Just being in a Major League camp is all that Tavarez wanted. He said he received calls from other clubs to be a non-roster invitee, but turned them down. It wasn't until the Nationals called that he decided to take the team up on offer.

"I got the call from the Nationals saying they were looking for somebody like me to be here in Spring Training as a non-roster player trying to make the team," he said. "I wake up sometimes thinking that I'm going to be in the Major League level this year. I was just thinking positive all the time that someone is going to give me a shot and I appreciate the Nationals giving me a call."

Tavarez is here on a tourist Visa so he can't pitch in a Grapefruit League game until he gets his working Visa. He will pitch in an intersquad game on Tuesday, but that doesn't mean he's coming in to camp with the Nationals not having pitched.

He was on the Dominican Republic roster in the World baseball Classic, tossing 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. Prior to the WBC, Tavarez was working out at home.

"I wasn't facing ML hitters, but I was working out," he said.

The big question is why he chose the Nationals over any other team.

"Why did I sign with the Nationals?" Tavarez said. "When you go to a club until 4 a.m. and just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. And to me this is Jennifer Lopez right here. Its 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. All the girls look hot. So, the Nationals are Jennifer Lopez to me."

When the obviously funny Tavarez was asked if he preferred to be a starter or reliever, he gave this brain food.

"I would like to be a starter," he said. "But like my father said, you want Jennifer Lopez but does she want you? No. I'll just take what ever they give to me."

If Tavarez makes the team this season, expect much more of this throughout the season.