Barrett takes first step toward completing three-year journey back

Barrett takes first step toward completing three-year journey back
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It was just a 15-minute bullpen session, and he was just one of four pitchers in the last of six groups to take the mound over the last two mornings at Nationals camp. This is the most routine and mundane of activities, and just about every pitcher who went through the drill treated it as such. None of those pitchers, though, had to endure what Aaron Barrett did over the last three years just to get back on that mound this morning. It's quite possible no pitcher in...
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Martinez's plan for catchers and No. 5 starters

Martinez's plan for catchers and No. 5 starters
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Most teams have to find ways to give their No. 1 catcher days off without losing too much in production. Davey Martinez is going to have to find ways to play two No. 1 catchers as much as possible this season. The Nationals' winter acquisitions of Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki leave their manager in an enviable position. Few teams can boast two front-line catchers of this stature, but general manager Mike Rizzo felt it was the smart play after seeing minimal production from...
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Hellickson glad to be back, hopes to pitch deeper into games

Hellickson glad to be back, hopes to pitch deeper into games
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Jeremy Hellickson knew he pitched well for the Nationals last season. He knew he was sick of bouncing around from team to team every year. He knew the Nats wanted another accomplished starter for the back of their rotation. Hellickson's return to Washington made all the sense in the world. But he, like so many other free agents during this winter of discontent, had to sit at home and wait for the call. "I really wasn't expecting this offseason to be like last, but it...
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Scherzer speaks out on baseball's growing free agency issue

Scherzer speaks out on baseball's growing free agency issue
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Max Scherzer had been through this before, four winters ago, and though his free agency saga still ended with a huge contract from a franchise he embraces, he also knew the process took longer and included more frustrating developments than he believed it should have included. So when the subject of Bryce Harper's ongoing slog through free agency comes up, Scherzer has no trouble speaking both passionately and intelligently about the situation. And what does he have to...
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The spring plan for Kendrick and Zimmerman

The spring plan for Kendrick and Zimmerman
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals most definitely did not report for spring training last year with a fully healthy roster. Adam Eaton and Daniel Murphy were still rehabbing from major knee surgeries. Joe Ross had only recently resumed throwing after Tommy John surgery. Koda Glover had to be shut down with shoulder soreness. The team that reports to camp this spring appears to be in much better physical shape. All 15 pitchers slated to throw in this morning's position groups did so without...
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Highlights from today's opening workout

Highlights from today's opening workout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The first workout of the spring featured an extended "Circle of Trust," some serious talk, some laughter, a moment of silence, a bunch of bullpen sessions, and plenty of grunts and curse words out of Max Scherzer. Suffice it to say, the Nationals ran through the full gamut during the nearly two-hour session outside FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, and there was an extra bounce in their steps. "I got here a little early because I was ready, biting at the bit,"...
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First workout schedule, plus uniform number changes

First workout schedule, plus uniform number changes
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - After Wednesday's soft landing start to spring training, camp really opens for business this morning. Pitchers and catchers reported for duty Wednesday, but all they did was take their physicals and in a few cases play some light catch in the rain just outside the clubhouse. That will change today when the entire group takes the field together and holds its first official workout. It'll help that it's supposed to be 75 degrees and partly cloudy after Wednesday's...
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After first winter in D.C., Strasburg hopes he's found key to puzzle

After first winter in D.C., Strasburg hopes he's found key to puzzle
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg stayed in Washington this winter for the first time in his career. Yes, as alluring as San Diego may be, Strasburg didn't want to uproot his family for only a few months. "When you have a family and the kids start to get older, you want to establish roots," said the father of two young girls. "It's kind of hard to be bi-coastal every year, so we stayed on the East Coast this year." Which was no big deal for Strasburg, provided he had access to a...
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With one eye on Harper, Eaton focused on healthy 2019

With one eye on Harper, Eaton focused on healthy 2019
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Adam Eaton could've dodged the question, insisted he's not paying attention to the never-ending Bryce Harper saga. That would be disingenuous, though. Everyone knows Eaton's status with the Nationals is directly tied to Harper's status with the Nationals. So the veteran outfielder isn't trying to pretend it's no big deal. "It affects me, for sure," he said this morning inside the Nationals clubhouse. "Definitely affects me. I train to play 162. That's all I can...
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Gott traded to Giants for cash considerations

Gott traded to Giants for cash considerations
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Trevor Gott already knew he wouldn't be reporting to Nationals spring training this morning with the rest of the club's pitchers. Now he knows he'll be reporting to the other side of the country. The Nats traded Gott to the Giants for cash considerations today, officially ending the reliever's disappointing stint with the organization five days after he was removed from their 40-man roster. Gott had been designated for assignment Friday when the Nationals needed to...
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Live from West Palm Beach, it's reporting day

Live from West Palm Beach, it's reporting day
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - And a very pleasant good morning to you from the Sunshine State! Yes, the day has come at last. After a long, cold winter of discontent, the Nationals officially are reporting for spring training. Which means your trusty beat writer has reported as well. This is my third spring in West Palm Beach, which of course followed 12 springs in Viera. Some of the routine stays the same year to year, and yet there are always new twists and turns and changes to keep you on your...
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Spring training storylines as Nats prepare to report

Spring training storylines as Nats prepare to report
This is it, folks: It's the final day of the offseason. After 4 1/2 months waiting for Bryce Harper to make his decision, the Nationals finally are ready to report for spring training, with Harper ... er, well, even though that decision still hasn't been made, Nats pitchers and catchers still are going to report tomorrow morning in West Palm Beach, Fla. One of these days - hopefully soon, but honestly who really knows? - Harper will officially be a Giant or a Phillie or a White Sox or a...
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Despite lack of roster holes, Nats could add more players this spring

Despite lack of roster holes, Nats could add more players this spring
The Nationals are better positioned than most clubs as the countdown to spring training reaches its final days. Having addressed all of their major needs during the offseason - most of those coming early in the offseason, for that matter - they'll gather in West Palm Beach with no gaping roster holes. But does that mean the Nats are going to sit idly by while everyone else signs all of the remaining free agents after camp opens? Perhaps not. There's the Bryce Harper situation, of course, and...
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Is there a pre-spring favorite in the NL East?

Is there a pre-spring favorite in the NL East?
There hasn't been a legitimate, down-to-the-wire pennant race in the National League East more than a decade now, not since the Phillies hung on to top the Mets during the final weekend of the 2008 season. The division hasn't been decided by fewer than seven games since 2012, when the Nationals finished four games ahead of the Braves (but were never seriously threatened in September). Is this the year that finally changes? There's certainly an argument right now that the NL East is the best...
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Report: Nats under consideration for 2020 series in London

Report: Nats under consideration for 2020 series in London
Could the Nationals be headed across the pond for one summer series in 2020? It appears to be a legitimate possibility. Major League Baseball is considering two potential matchups for its planned London Series in June 2020, either the Nationals vs. the Mets or the Cubs vs. the Cardinals, according to the Associated Press. The report, citing two people familiar with the discussions, suggested an announcement on the final matchup is expected after opening day this year. In its attempt to spread...
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Gott designated for assignment to clear spot for Hellickson

Gott designated for assignment to clear spot for Hellickson
The Nationals have designated reliever Trevor Gott for assignment, clearing a spot on their 40-man roster for Jeremy Hellickson, whose signing was officially announced by the club. Hellickson agreed earlier this week to terms on a one-year, $1.3 million contract that also includes up to $4 million in incentives. The deal was contingent on the right-hander passing a physical, which he has now done, and on the Nationals clearing a roster spot for him. They chose to make Gott the odd man out, a...
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Barraclough loses arbitration case

Barraclough loses arbitration case
Kyle Barraclough lost his arbitration case against the Nationals, a panel of three independent judges ruling the recently acquired reliever will earn $1.725 million this season instead of the $2 million he sought. Barraclough and the Nationals presented their respective cases before the panel Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla., the second and final member of the roster to go to a hearing this month. Michael A. Taylor also lost his case last week, with the arbitrators deciding his salary will be...
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Deep down, The Intimidator was really an Old Softie

Deep down, The Intimidator was really an Old Softie
He was The Intimidator, the fearsome presence who commanded a room the moment he walked in, the baseball icon who played and managed his entire career with a chip on his shoulder. That was the Frank Robinson most of the world knew, the version of himself he wanted most of the world to know. But he was also The Old Softie, the jovial uncle who cared deeply about those who managed to crack his outer visage, whether teammates, players of his or reporters who covered him. This was the Frank...
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With or without Harper, Nats outfield has talent and star power

With or without Harper, Nats outfield has talent and star power
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series concludes today with the outfield ... You would think that, with only six shopping days left until pitchers and catchers report, the Nationals would have long since known which three outfielders would be taking the field for opening day 2019. You, of course, would be wrong. Sure, the Nats have prepared all along to enter the coming season without Bryce Harper. But as...
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Hellickson returning to Nats on major league deal

Hellickson returning to Nats on major league deal
Given how effective he was for them last season - when healthy and when used strategically - Jeremy Hellickson always loomed as an enticing pitching option for the Nationals to bring back in 2019. Sure enough, the two sides have worked out a deal to reunite. And more than a month earlier than they worked out last year's deal. Hellickson has agreed to terms on a one-year, major league contract that guarantees him $1.3 million, with an additional $4 million possible via incentives, according to...
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