Dan Kolko

Nats rank ninth in ESPN's list of top farm systems

Nats rank ninth in ESPN's list of top farm systems
The Nationals might have graduated a number of their top prospects to the major leagues in recent years (see: Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon), but they still have one of the more talented minor league systems in baseball, according to one analyst. ESPN.com's Keith Law ranks the Nats ninth in his list of the top farm systems, and places six Nats minor leaguers on his list of the top 100 prospects in baseball entering the 2015 season. Because the Nats have seen a number of their...
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Dan Kolko

MASN announces Nationals spring training broadcast schedule (with website news)

MASN announces Nationals spring training broadcast schedule (with website news)
Three weeks from tomorrow, Nationals pitchers and catchers will report to Viera, Fla., to kick off spring training. Just over than two weeks after that, the first Nats spring training broadcast will air on MASN HD. MASN has announced its spring training broadcast schedule, which will feature seven games during the Nats' 2015 Grapefruit League campaign. The first broadcast will be Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m., when the Nats host the Cardinals at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. Two days later, on...
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Dan Kolko

Nats sign reliever Casey Janssen to one-year deal (updated)

Nats sign reliever Casey Janssen to one-year deal (updated)
The Nationals might have just found their replacement for Tyler Clippard in the eighth inning. The Nats have signed former Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen to a one-year, $5 million deal with a mutual option for 2016, a source confirmed. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal was first to report the signing. Janssen, 33, became the Blue Jays' full-time closer in 2012, and posted 81 saves in 91 opportunities over the last three seasons. The right-hander had a very strong three-year run with Toronto...
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Dan Kolko

Could Stammen find his role changing slightly?

Could Stammen find his role changing slightly?
We've talked about how Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano's departures create a hole at the back end of the Nationals bullpen, and how roles might have to be adjusted this upcoming season. There are certainly guys who could be used in higher leverage situations, should they prove they are capable of handling the load. We've mentioned Casey Janssen, Matt Thornton, Aaron Barrett, Blake Treinen and others as possibilities, with Janssen looking like the most likely eighth-inning option. Should...
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Dan Kolko

What can realistically be expected of Giolito?

What can realistically be expected of Giolito?
Lucas Giolito's stock was high when the Nationals selected the Harvard-Westlake High School product with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. Giolito's stock has only risen since then, even with the 6-foot-6 right-hander needing Tommy John surgery just a couple of weeks after he was signed. The 20-year-old is the top pitching prospect in baseball, according to the prospect gurus at MLB.com. He sports a fastball that has reached triple digits in the past, a power...
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Dan Kolko

A couple of intriguing non-roster invitees

A couple of intriguing non-roster invitees
Seemingly every year, there's at least one non-roster invitee who makes a major impression in spring training, and ends up surprising people and cracking the opening day roster. Sometimes, it's a veteran who had been signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training. Guys like Chad Tracy, who are looking to find their way back into the fold in the majors after an injury, time in Triple-A or a year playing abroad. Other times, it's an under-the-radar minor...
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Dan Kolko

Taking a look at the remaining free agent relievers

Taking a look at the remaining free agent relievers
The Nationals don't currently have a need, per se, for another reliever. Tyler Clippard has departed, going to Oakland in the trade that brought Yunel Escobar to D.C., but the Nationals could look to fill Clippard's eighth-inning role in 2015 with some combination of Aaron Barrett/Matt Thornton/Blake Treinen. All three posted strong numbers in 2014 and all three are highly thought of within the organization. But if the Nats are indeed looking to add another reliever from the free agent...
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Dan Kolko

Matt Williams' message to Tanner Roark

Matt Williams' message to Tanner Roark
We all know the situation Tanner Roark is in. After winning 15 games last season and posting a stellar 2.85 ERA in a breakout year, Roark, almost unfathomably, will likely start the season in the Nationals' bullpen. That is, of course, assuming that the Nats don't trade any of their starting pitchers before opening day. There's always the chance of injury when it comes to pitchers, however, and even if Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez are all...
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Dan Kolko

How far things have come

How far things have come
When listening to Max Scherzer explain his reasoning for signing with the Nationals a couple of days ago during his introductory press conference, one thing stood out to me above all others, and that's that this franchise has come a long way in the last handful of years. From 2008-10, the Nats lost a total of 298 games. Their winning percentage was .386 during that three-year span. The Nats finished last in the National League East all three years. It was tough to get free agents who...
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Dan Kolko

Rizzo, Williams have a history with Scherzer (Meek, Ka'aihue sign minor league deals)

Rizzo, Williams have a history with Scherzer (Meek, Ka'aihue sign minor league deals)
Mike Rizzo's history with Max Scherzer is well-documented. The Nationals general manager was the scouting director in Arizona in 2006 when the Diamondbacks selected the hard-throwing Scherzer with the No. 11 pick in the first-year player draft. Rizzo scouted Scherzer, and loved what he saw out of the young right-hander. And when it came time for the Diamondbacks to make their first-round pick, Rizzo had to convince the others in the Arizona war room that Scherzer was the best guy on the...
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Dan Kolko

Video: Scherzer discusses what brought him to D.C. (with Rizzo, Williams interviews)

Video: Scherzer discusses what brought him to D.C. (with Rizzo, Williams interviews)
After getting a brief tour of the home clubhouse at Nationals Park and signing his contract early this afternoon, it became official - Max Scherzer is a Washington National. Scherzer met with reporters today, discussing the process that he went through this offseason as he waited to see where he'd end up and what eventually lured him to D.C. The $210 million sure doesn't hurt, but Scherzer said there was more to his decision than just that. "You can offer as much money as you want, but if...
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Dan Kolko

Getting a chance to hear from the newest National

Getting a chance to hear from the newest National
What a banner year it's been for the NFL. Oh, wait. Did I say "banner year"? I meant disastrous year filled with public relations nightmare after public relations nightmare. The latest NFL issue deals with the ESPN report that came out late last night saying that 11 of the Patriots' 12 footballs used in the AFC championship game were significantly underinflated. I don't know about you guys, but I'm now a bit less pumped up about the Super Bowl two Sundays from now. This controversy has...
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Roark's role set to change in 2015

Roark's role set to change in 2015
While I'm sure those on the Nationals roster are excited about the addition of Max Scherzer, with the right-hander joining an already-loaded rotation, Scherzer's reported seven-year, $210 million deal has a major impact on one National in 2015. That player is Tanner Roark. Roark won't publicly come out and complain about how his role will change if the Nats decide not to trade one of their starters after Scherzer's addition, but you have to imagine he isn't thrilled. Roark worked his way...
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Dan Kolko

So what now?

So what now?
Good morning, Nationals fans. Your team just made the biggest move of the offseason. Max Scherzer is coming aboard, according to multiple reports, on a seven-year contract that will pay him upwards of $180 million. This is without a doubt the biggest move of the baseball offseason, a signing that would have brought a 100-loss team into the national conversation. The difference here is that it takes a team that won the most games in the National League last year and only ups its standing as we...
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Dan Kolko

Reports: Nats to sign Max Scherzer to seven-year deal

Reports: Nats to sign Max Scherzer to seven-year deal
The Nationals are closing in on a deal with right-hander Max Scherzer, the top free agent available this offseason, according to multiple reports. Update: Reports have the Nats signing Scherzer to a seven-year contract, and FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the deal is worth more than $180 million. A first-round pick of the Diamondbacks in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft when Nats general manager Mike Rizzo was Arizona's scouting director, Scherzer has emerged as one of the top right-handed...
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Dan Kolko

A big spring ahead for Taylor

A big spring ahead for Taylor
From a developmental standpoint, 2014 was a massive year for Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor. Selected out of high school as a sixth-round pick back in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, Taylor was viewed as a potential center fielder at the big league level early on because of his speed and defensive ability. He made his way through the low levels of the Nats minor league system delivering on that reputation, but also struggling somewhat with the bat. In 2010, his first taste of...
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Another option to consider in the late innings

Another option to consider in the late innings
When discussing possible in-house replacements for Tyler Clippard in the eighth-inning role, the names of Aaron Barrett and Blake Treinen have been thrown around by myself and others. Both are young and still relatively inexperienced at the big league level, but both have shown promise in their limited major league action. There's a far more experienced option in the organization that we haven't talked much about since the trade that sent Clippard to the A's, however. That option is Matt...
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Dan Kolko

What's left to do? (Nats avoid arbitration with Strasburg, Storen, Fister)

What's left to do? (Nats avoid arbitration with Strasburg, Storen, Fister)
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the Nationals had eight arbitration-eligible players with whom they still needed to finalize contracts for the 2015 season. As of this morning, that number is down to four. As my colleague Pete Kerzel noted last night, catchers Wilson Ramos and Jose Lobaton, right-hander Craig Stammen and second baseman Danny Espinosa all have agreed to terms on deals for 2015, avoiding arbitration. This leaves just right-handers Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Drew Storen and...
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How to fill the eighth-inning role?

How to fill the eighth-inning role?
Last night's trade that sent Tyler Clippard to the Athletics in exchange for Yunel Escobar probably was tough for a lot of people in the D.C. area to take. Clippard was beloved by many fans for his walk-out music, his pleasant nature and his consistency. He was highly regarded by those in the organization because of how genuine and stand-up he was, and his willingness to take the ball every single day if need be. He was greatly appreciated by reporters because of his honesty, patience and...
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Dan Kolko

Nats acquire Yunel Escobar for Tyler Clippard (updated)

Nats acquire Yunel Escobar for Tyler Clippard (updated)
The Nationals and Athletics have agreed to yet another trade. And this one involves more than just prospects or players that can fill out the back end of a roster. The Nats have acquired shortstop Yunel Escobar, and will send popular reliever Tyler Clippard to Oakland in exchange for the 32-year-old infielder. CBSsports.com first reported the Nats had acquired Escboar, and MLB.com first reported Clippard was heading to Oakland. This is now the ninth trade completed between the Nats and A's...
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