The Nationals plan to cut ties with left-handed starter John Lannan, catcher Jesus Flores and left-handed reliever Tom Gorzelanny, a source confirmed, declining to tender those players a contract.
Lannan was twice the Nationals' opening day starter, Flores was once viewed as the team's catcher of the future and Gorzelanny was a productive long reliever during the Nats' 2012 playoff run.
All three would be free agents if they are indeed non-tendered.
Teams have until 11:59 p.m. tonight to...
Sometime today, we'll learn whether John Lannan still could have a future with the Nationals or whether the team will cut ties with its two-time opening day starter.
The deadline for teams to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players is 11:59 p.m. tonight. The Nationals have 10 players up for arbitration, but only two are legitimate candidates to be non-tendered, which is a fancy term for the team declining the option to negotiate a contract through arbitration.
Ian Desmond,...
The Nationals could have easily gone out and dropped $75-85 million on a big-name free agent center fielder.
Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton were both out there for the taking until Upton landed with the Braves two days ago, and signing either would have turned heads and qualified as a big splash.
Instead of going in that direction and being on the hook for a monster five-year deal, the Nats took the creative route. They made a deal with the Twins for Denard Span, a 28-year-old center fielder...
Mike Rizzo has had his eye on Denard Span for quite a while now.
The Nationals' general manager scouted Span a decade ago back at Catholic High School in Tampa, Fla., followed him through the Twins' organization and was close to pulling off a trade for Span two years ago.
Today, Rizzo finally got his guy.
The Nationals acquired Span from the Twins for right-handed pitching prospect Alex Meyer this evening. Span will play center field and hit leadoff for the Nats, taking over a role that...
After a couple of years of searching, the Nationals have finally found their center fielder and leadoff hitter.
The Nats have acquired Denard Span in a trade with the Twins in return for minor league right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer.
Span, 28, hit .283 with four home runs, 41 RBIs and 17 stolen bases and a .342 on-base percentage in 128 games this season. He gives the Nats speed at the top of the order, will bring strong defense in center and provides another left-handed bat in the...
When the Winter Meetings begin in Nashville in four days, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo will sit in on dozens of meetings with agents and front office personnel from other teams, looking to upgrade his roster for the 2013 season and beyond.
Speaking this afternoon on 106.7 the Fan, Rizzo revealed that one of his top goals during these sessions will be to add a "dynamic" center fielder, which would allow Bryce Harper to move to a corner outfield spot.
"Circle back to months ago and...
The Braves had a shot to re-sign Michael Bourn, who had spent the last season and a half in Atlanta.
Instead they chose B.J. Upton, signing the former Tampa Bay Rays center fielder to a five-year, $75 million deal.
Not sure what that says about Bourn as he looks to get a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $80-90 million.
Upton certainly brings qualities that Bourn doesn't; he's nearly two years younger, has more pop in his bat and many scouts still feel he hasn't yet lived up to his...
Scratch B.J. Upton off the list of free agent outfielders.
And get ready to see him in the National League East for the next few years.
The Braves have signed Upton to a five-year deal worth a shade over $75 million, according to multiple reports.
That not only gives the Braves their center fielder and a middle-of-the-order bat, but it also pushes Michael Bourn out of Atlanta.
Bourn now has a benchmark contract off which to work and a host of teams which will be calling, looking to fill a...
With every deal signed by a prominent free agent reliever, Sean Burnett's price goes up a bit more.
As a result, his chances of returning to the Nationals could be decreasing.
The Reds have agreed to a three-year deal with right-hander Jonathan Broxton, a contract which will pay the hard-throwing reliever $21 million, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
The deal also includes a $9 million club option for 2016 with a $1 million buyout.
This comes after the Giants signed left-hander...
The Phillies had a rough 2012 season, but catcher Carlos Ruiz helped them fight through the tough patches, batting .325 and posting a .935 OPS, both career highs. He was arguably the Phillies' top position player over the course of the season.
This upcoming year, the Phillies will be without Ruiz for nearly the first month of the season.
Major League Baseball has announced that Ruiz has been suspended for 25 games for testing positive for amphetamines.
The suspension means that Ruiz has...
At one point, it seemed likely that the Nationals would switch spring training locations after the 2013 season, with the team looking to relocate its minor league facilities from Viera, Fla., to Fort Myers.
Apparently, the chances of that happening continue to decrease.
According to
Come playoff time, major leaguers aren't thinking about money.
They're thinking about the World Series. They're thinking about a ring. They're thinking about what they can do to help their team make a run deep into the postseason.
With that, however, comes money. The further your team advances in the postseason, the larger a monetary pool your team will receive from Major League Baseball, which gives playoff teams a percentage of the gate receipts from the postseason action.
The league...
We're getting close.
After weeks of chatter but minimal action, the hot stove is finally getting ready to heat up.
Things often develop slowly during the baseball offseason. Teams spend weeks kicking the tires on players, feeling out agents and determining where their priorities lie. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, all the talk will start to get put into action.
A week from today, the annual Winter Meetings will begin. I'll fly down to Nashville on Sunday afternoon, grab some good...
Throughout much of spring training last year, it appeared Craig Stammen was likely ticketed for the starting rotation at Triple-A Syracuse.
The Nationals looked like they had a full bullpen at the major league level and Stammen was still viewed as a guy who could provide organizational depth as a starter.
But thanks to a strong spring, Stammen ended up cracking the Nationals' opening day roster as a reliever, and almost immediately became a key contributor out of the 'pen.
Just a week into...
I've awoken from my food-induced coma, and in a little bit, it'll be time to go back for Round Two. Momma Kolko has given me plenty of leftovers to tackle, and I plan on doing just that this afternoon.
Speaking of tackling, watching the Skins push the Cowboys around yesterday kind of put the finishing touches on a nice Thanksgiving. This Griffin guy is decent, I guess.
Hope you all enjoyed your holiday.
If you happen to be a Major League Baseball free agent, your Thanksgiving probably was...
A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there from northern Virginia to D.C. to Baltimore and beyond.
Hope you all enjoy food, football and family today. This is my favorite holiday of the year for all those reasons.
Nationals fans have a lot to be thankful for today beyond the three F's above. They've got a team which is on the rise, a stable of young players who will be around for a while and an ownership group which doesn't plan on trading away every recognizable name on the roster....
In case you missed it, the Nationals made a couple of additions to their 40-man roster last night, selecting the contracts of right-handed pitchers Erik Davis and Nathan Karns.
Both Davis (a reliever) and Karns (a starter) are now protected from the Rule 5 draft which will take place in a little over two weeks. Come spring, they'll get to spend some time in big league camp and also get some personal satisfaction in knowing the Nationals value them enough that they didn't want to risk losing...
The Nationals announced tonight that they have added right-handed pitchers Erik Davis and Nathan Karns to their 40-man roster.
The moves protect the two players from the Rule 5 draft, which will be held on the final day of the Winter Meetings, on Dec. 6.
Davis, 26, went 8-3 with five saves and a 2.71 ERA in 48 appearances between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse in 2012.
He was acquired from the Padres in the Alberto Gonzalez trade in March 2011. Davis is also 3-0 with a 0.56 ERA...
General manager Mike Rizzo's Nationals made the playoffs for the first time in team history, posting the best record in the majors in the process.
His team's skipper won Manager of the Year. His teenage center fielder won Rookie of the Year. He had four players make the All-Star team, had three win Silver Sluggers and one win a Gold Glove.
Now Rizzo has gotten some national recognition himself.
Rizzo has been named Executive of the Year by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers'...
