What's still left on the Nationals' shopping list?

What's still left on the Nationals' shopping list?
The Nationals have made three significant acquisitions so far this offseason, and they addressed unquestionably the club's three biggest needs. They needed a first baseman, and they got one in Josh Bell. They needed a corner outfielder, and they got one in Kyle Schwarber. And they needed a No. 4 starter, and they got one in Jon Lester. But that's not all the Nationals needed to do this winter to bolster their roster. They had a longer list of priorities, and though they've now crossed off...
Continue reading

Sutton left lasting impression across baseball, including D.C.

Sutton left lasting impression across baseball, including D.C.
To Dodgers fans, he was the stalwart member of a championship-caliber pitching staff in the 1970s. To Braves fans, he was the soothing and smart voice who shared his exceptional insight on the air throughout the 1990s and 2000s. To Orioles fans, he was the Brewers' Game 162 starter who dashed their dream of a miracle final weekend surge to the 1982 American League East title. And to countless other baseball fans, he was the Hall of Fame right-hander who never let up during a 23-year career, a...
Continue reading

Nats are trying to go for it again behind an elite rotation

Nats are trying to go for it again behind an elite rotation
The Nationals' opening day starter against the Mets is 36 and entering his 14th big league season. The pitcher who will start the season's second game is 32 and needed wrist surgery last summer after throwing only five innings. The club's No. 3 starter is 31 but coming off a career-worst season in which he had the highest WHIP in the majors. And the guy who was just signed to serve as the No. 4 starter is 37 on the heels of back-to-back rough seasons. This is the rotation general manager...
Continue reading

Nats finalizing deal with five-time All-Star lefty Lester

Nats finalizing deal with five-time All-Star lefty Lester
The Nationals' search for a No. 4 starter appears to have landed on a former ace and postseason hero with ties to the manager and pitching coach. Jon Lester, the three-time World Series champion with the Red Sox and Cubs, is finalizing a one-year deal with the Nats, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed. Though he still needs to pass a physical to make the deal official - that may not happen for several days - Lester will become one of the highest-profile No. 4 starters in the...
Continue reading

A modest proposal for a better postseason format

A modest proposal for a better postseason format
Among the pressing topics reportedly still being discussed between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association as the 2021 season inches ever closer is the possibility of keeping the playoff field expanded again. You'll recall that 16 teams made the postseason in 2020, six more than ever had before. It was an acknowledgment of the inability of a 60-game season to distinguish the best teams from the rest of the pack, and most folks accepted and understood why it was needed. But now...
Continue reading

If Nats desire another infielder, plenty of options remain

If Nats desire another infielder, plenty of options remain
Whether the Nationals were ever seriously interested in DJ LeMahieu isn't clear, but here's what is clear: They were never going to match the six-year, $90 million offer the veteran infielder reportedly accepted from the Yankees on Friday. Look, LeMahieu would've been a great fit for the Nats. He could've led off or batted second, creating an elite 1-2-3 trio with Trea Turner and Juan Soto. He could've played third base or second base, helped out at first base, or played some combination...
Continue reading

Suzuki, Difo find new homes for 2021

Suzuki, Difo find new homes for 2021
Not that either was expected to return to D.C. for another season, but a pair of notable Nationals players from recent years - Kurt Suzuki and Wilmer Difo - officially found new homes Friday. Suzuki signed with the Angels for one year and $1.5 million. Difo agreed to a minor league contract with the Pirates that will include an invitation to big league camp this spring. The Nationals had long since decided to part ways with both players, so the news didn't come as a huge surprise. But we'll...
Continue reading

Nats avoid arbitration with Soto, Turner and Bell (updated)

Nats avoid arbitration with Soto, Turner and Bell (updated)
The Nationals came to terms on 2021 salaries with Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Josh Bell today, avoiding arbitration with their three biggest offensive stars. Though the deadline for players and clubs to agree to salaries or file for arbitration was 1 p.m., it took hours for Major League Baseball to process the throng of cases that were submitted to league headquarters before many could be finalized. Turner, in his third of four seasons of arbitration eligibilty, got the biggest salary for the...
Continue reading

Nats' Latin American program has come a long way

Nats' Latin American program has come a long way
The Nationals have been linked to top Dominican prospect Armando Cruz for nearly a year and a half now, and today they're finally expected to announce they've signed the elite young shortstop for a reported $4 million bonus. It's a whopping total for a kid who turns 17 on Saturday, and it's perhaps the latest and most convincing evidence just how far the Nats' Latin American scouting program has come over the last decade-plus. Those who haven't followed the organization since the early...
Continue reading

Arbitration process is complicated for three Nats stars

Arbitration process is complicated for three Nats stars
The majority of arbitration cases are relatively simple. Players who have accrued between three and six years of big league service time and their clubs typically agree on a salary figure without ever needing to file for arbitration or have their cases heard before a panel. There are always a few complicated cases, though, usually involving big-name players whose salary requests go well beyond what the club has proposed. Now throw in the unprecedented nature of the 2020 season, and you've got...
Continue reading

Improved lineup or not, Nats need to pitch better in 2021

Improved lineup or not, Nats need to pitch better in 2021
The Nationals' stated No. 1 priority this winter was to acquire a big bat, and the recent acquisitions of both Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber each meet that criteria. But let's be honest here: The Nats' best path to contending in 2021 isn't via a more productive lineup, it's via a more effective pitching staff. As glaring as the hole in the heart of the batting order last season was, the Nationals still were an average to above-average offensive club. They ranked 10th in the majors in runs,...
Continue reading

Tuesday morning Nats Q&A

Tuesday morning Nats Q&A
Hey, what do you know, the Nationals actually made some news over the weekend. They acquired their second potentially big bat of the winter, signing left fielder Kyle Schwarber for one year and a guaranteed $10 million. This after trading for first baseman Josh Bell on Christmas Eve. It's a start, but the Nats are far from finished assembling their 2021 roster. There are more moves to be made, most notably acquiring a No. 4 starter, at least one more reliever, another catcher, a bench player...
Continue reading

Does bolstered Nats lineup still need another piece?

Does bolstered Nats lineup still need another piece?
The Nationals lineup, as currently constructed this morning, features three guys who hit at least 34 homers and drove in at least 92 runs during the last full major league season. It also includes another guy who hit 22 homers and drove in 86 runs that season, plus one who totaled 63 extra-base hits and yet another who totaled 53. That sounds like a pretty potent and deep lineup, does it not? It does. And yet it still feels like this group is lacking one more significant piece. And that's the...
Continue reading

For Schwarber, Nats were always "my No. 1 choice"

For Schwarber, Nats were always "my No. 1 choice"
Kyle Schwarber had been a Cub his entire professional life, since the North Siders made him the fourth pick in the country in 2014, back when they were still lovable losers and didn't dare dream of breaking the Billy Goat Curse. So when he learned a month ago the Cubs had non-tendered him, and he was suddenly searching for a new employer for the first time, Schwarber rightfully could've been upset. Instead, he embraced this unexpected opportunity to pick his next home one year before he...
Continue reading

Source: Nats adding another big lefty bat in Schwarber

Source: Nats adding another big lefty bat in Schwarber
The Nationals are acquiring another big left-handed bat and appear to be building a lineup capable of hitting a bunch of homers, drawing a lot of walks and hoping not to hurt itself too much in the field. The latest addition: Kyle Schwarber, the power-hitting former Cubs outfielder, who has agreed to a one-year deal worth $10 million, a source familiar with the terms confirmed. The signing, which was first reported by The Washington Post, is pending a physical. Schwarber, who turns 28 in March,...
Continue reading

Ranking the Nats' 19 home playoff games, from best to worst

Ranking the Nats' 19 home playoff games, from best to worst
There's a postseason game being played tonight in Washington. Er, Landover. But you get the idea. Remarkably, this is only the fourth time the Washington Football Team is hosting a playoff game in the last three decades. It hasn't won a home playoff game since its 27-13 victory over the Lions in the 1999 NFC wild card contest. The Nationals, on the other hand, have hosted 19 postseason games since 2012. Yes, eight of those came in October 2019 alone, but even prior to the World Series run...
Continue reading

Time for Turner to get his due (and his dollars)

Time for Turner to get his due (and his dollars)
Francisco Lindor is a superstar, perhaps the best shortstop in baseball, and that's why folks in New York were so ecstatic Thursday when they learned the Mets had just acquired the 27-year-old (plus right-hander Carlos Carrasco) from Cleveland in a blockbuster trade. Now for something that might surprise you: Lindor and Trea Turner have the exact same career OPS of .833. Yep, the rightly regarded superstar shortstop's career offensive output has been matched by the Nationals' current...
Continue reading

Remembering an uplifting event in the shadow of the Capitol

Remembering an uplifting event in the shadow of the Capitol
A terrible thing happened here Wednesday, and for the world, it was terribly difficult to watch. For those who actually live here, it was even worse. Because it happened in our own backyard, in a place where major events often take place but rarely produce the kind of anger and sadness this event did. And watching it unfold on television, I couldn't help but think about the familiar location it was all taking place in. We all know it, because we've all been there many times. And not that long...
Continue reading

Why aren't the Nats as aggressive as they were one year ago?

Why aren't the Nats as aggressive as they were one year ago?
On Jan. 2, 2020, the Nationals signed Will Harris to a three-year deal. On Jan. 3, 2020, they signed Starlin Castro to a two-year deal. On Jan. 6, 2020, they re-signed Daniel Hudson to a two-year deal. Roughly two hours later, they signed Eric Thames to a one-year deal. That's four significant free agent moves in a four-day span, an avalanche of news that feels oh-so-quaint to revisit right now, does it not? Look, we knew this was going to be a slow-developing market, even slower than we saw...
Continue reading

Could the Nats bring back any of their own free agents?

Could the Nats bring back any of their own free agents?
We spend a lot of time talking about free agents the Nationals might be interested in acquiring, newcomers who could help bolster their 2021 roster. But what about the possibility of re-signing free agents who played here in 2020? The Nationals already brought back one guy who could've departed: Josh Harrison, who signed a one-year deal very early in the offseason. Otherwise, they've stayed away from their own free agents so far. That, of course, could change as spring training inches closer....
Continue reading