Revamped rotation will need to return to elite form this year

Revamped rotation will need to return to elite form this year
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series begins today with the starting rotation ... It's no secret how the Nationals have attempted to build a championship-caliber roster over the last seven seasons: with a dominant rotation leading the way. Trouble is, the 2018 version of that rotation didn't come close to holding up its end of the bargain and proved to be perhaps the No. 1 reason this team...
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Backpacks now banned at Nats Park, ESPN picks up May 19 game

Backpacks now banned at Nats Park, ESPN picks up May 19 game
Citing a need to "enhance ballpark safety," the Nationals announced Friday a new policy that prohibits fans from bringing backpacks into Nationals Park for the upcoming season. Fans previously had been allowed to enter the ballpark with backpacks, which, like other bags, were screened by security personnel at all gates. The team will no longer allow them, though, except in cases of backpack diaper bags or backpacks used for medical reasons or for devices covered by the Americans with...
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Taylor loses arbitration case, will earn $3.25 million this season

Taylor loses arbitration case, will earn $3.25 million this season
Michael A. Taylor lost his arbitration case against the Nationals, with a panel of three independent judges ruling the outfielder will earn $3.25 million this season instead of the $3.5 million he was seeking, a source familiar with the decision confirmed. Taylor and the Nationals presented their cases before the panel Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla., the first of 13 arbitration hearings between major league clubs and players currently scheduled to take place over the next two weeks. Kyle...
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What are we to make of Padres' reported interest in Harper?

What are we to make of Padres' reported interest in Harper?
Here we are on the first day of February, various players around baseball are already starting to make their way to Florida and Arizona to get a jump start on spring training, and the news involving Bryce Harper isn't that he has signed with anyone but that he's meeting in Las Vegas with officials from the Padres. Yes, it's been an awfully strange winter. And the Harper Free Agent Extravaganza hasn't followed a script anyone saw coming. With the market for the star outfielder apparently...
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2018 contributors Holland, Reynolds sign with NL West clubs

2018 contributors Holland, Reynolds sign with NL West clubs
A pair of veterans who enjoyed some success with the Nationals found new homes Wednesday when Greg Holland reportedly agreed to a deal with the Diamondbacks and Mark Reynolds reportedly signed with the Rockies. Holland's contract, first reported by The Athletic, guarantees the reliever $3.25 million with an additional $3.5 million possible in incentives. It's a massive drop in salary for Holland, who despite waiting until March 31 to sign with St. Louis last spring still earned a guaranteed...
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Frank Robinson, Hall of Famer and first Nats manager, dies

Frank Robinson, Hall of Famer and first Nats manager, dies
Frank Robinson, the talented and tenacious Hall of Fame outfielder who broke barriers as baseball's first African-American manager and who led the Nationals through their first two seasons in Washington, has died. He was 83. Robinson died this morning at his home in California, surrounded by family and friends, Major League Baseball announced. He had reportedly been in failing health in recent weeks. After working for Major League Baseball in a variety of roles over the last decade, Robinson...
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Nats hire former manager, GM McKeon as senior adviser

Nats hire former manager, GM McKeon as senior adviser
Always eager to add more experienced baseball lifers to his scouting staff, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has hired former big league manager Jack McKeon as a senior adviser. McKeon's hiring, which has not yet been announced by the organization, was confirmed by a club source. It was first reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The 88-year-old McKeon has enjoyed a life full of notable baseball achievements, including 16 seasons as a major league manager and a decade as GM of the...
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How Nats pitchers are projected to perform in 2019

How Nats pitchers are projected to perform in 2019
Yesterday, we looked at FanGraphs.com's' Steamer projections for the Nationals' primary position players, an interesting assortment of optimism and pessimism, depending on the individual. Today we'll look at those projections for the Nationals pitching staff. Fair warning: This one trends more toward the pessimistic end of the spectrum. Here we go ... MAX SCHERZER Actual 2018 stats: 18-7, 2.53 ERA, 220.2 IP, 300 SO, 0.91 WHIP, 7.2 WAR Steamer 2019 projection: 15-8, 3.13 ERA, 208 IP, 271 SO,...
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How Nats position players are projected to hit in 2019

How Nats position players are projected to hit in 2019
As spring training draws closer and closer, it's reasonable to start wondering what kind of seasons individual players are likely to produce. No, we still don't know every player who will be part of the Nationals' 2019 roster, but we do know the vast majority of them at this point. Projecting stats from year to year is a tricky business, but there are no shortage of analytical formulas out there that attempt to do just this. One of the most popular is FanGraphs.com's Steamer projections,...
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Looking at the Nationals' current depth chart

Looking at the Nationals' current depth chart
We've examined how the Nationals' 25-man roster might look if it was assembled today, a useful exercise during the winter to gauge what, if any, holes still remain. But as you well know, it takes a lot more than 25 players to get through a major league season. The Nationals used 53 players last year, their highest total since 2009 and only four shy of the club record. So it's also useful to look at the organization's depth chart beyond the projected 25-man roster. Who do the Nats have...
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Two more lefty relievers come off the board

Two more lefty relievers come off the board
If the Nationals intend to acquire another left-hander for their bullpen before spring training, they'd better hurry. The ranks of available arms are beginning to thin out. Two more southpaws came off the board Friday when Justin Wilson signed with the Mets and Oliver Pérez re-signed with the Indians. Wilson, owner of a 3.33 ERA and 1.268 WHIP in seven seasons with the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers and Cubs, reportedly agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Mets. The Nationals had shown...
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MASN to broadcast seven Nats exhibition games

MASN to broadcast seven Nats exhibition games
Seven Nationals exhibition games will be broadcast on MASN this spring, the network announced today, including contests against the Yankees, Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals. MASN will televise the club's Grapefruit League opener, Feb. 23 against the Astros, at 6:30 p.m. That marks the first of six home games at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches that will air live. The crew returns to West Palm Beach on March 5 for a 1 p.m. game against the World Series champion Red Sox. A pair of National...
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Nearly three months in, do we really know what's up with Harper?

Nearly three months in, do we really know what's up with Harper?
As "Harper's Bazaar" approaches the three-month milestone - yes, free agency began nearly three months ago! - resolution appears either to be coming much more into focus or has turned as cloudy as it's ever been, depending on your reading of the tea leaves. Did the Dodgers' surprise move to sign A.J. Pollock on Thursday quash any chance of Bryce Harper going to L.A.? Did Joe Maddon's simple but direct answer to a Harper question last week at the Cubs' annual winter fan fest - "Not going...
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Three position players (zero pitchers) make top 100 prospects list

Three position players (zero pitchers) make top 100 prospects list
The Nationals are well-positioned to fill long-term holes in the outfield and infield from within their own farm system. Top pitching prospects? Not so much, at least according to Baseball America. The industry's leading ranker of minor leaguers unveiled its annual top 100 prospects list Wednesday, and three members of the Nationals organization (Victor Robles, Carter Kieboom, Luis Garcia) were included. Robles, the dynamic young outfielder, was deemed the 11th-best prospect in baseball...
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Wednesday morning Q&A

Wednesday morning Q&A
It's late January. The Hall of Fame Class of 2019 has been announced. Pitchers and catchers report in three weeks. Bryce Harper still hasn't signed anywhere. Sigh, it's been a long offseason, to say the least. But the good news is that something has to happen soon, right? Harper is going to be playing for somebody in 2019. Let's take this opportunity to answer your questions. Questions about Bryce. Questions about anything else related to the Nationals. Questions about my Hall of Fame...
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My 2019 Hall of Fame ballot

My 2019 Hall of Fame ballot
The 2019 Hall of Fame class has now been announced, and it's quite a compelling class of inductees, huh? Mariano Rivera became the first player ever to be named on 100 percent of submitted ballots and permanently sealed the career Yankee's legacy as the greatest closer of all-time. Roy Halladay was elected in his first year on the ballot, a bittersweet moment for family and fans of the Blue Jays and Phillies ace, who tragically died in a plane crash a little more than a year ago. Edgar...
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What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night
The hot stove league may be tepid right now, but at least baseball is providing us something us to get excited about later today: the Hall of Fame election announcement. Yes, it's time to find out who's in the class of 2019 in addition to Lee Smith and Harold Baines (who were elected last month by what used to be called the Veterans' Committee but now has a confusing and completely unnecessary longer name). The announcement is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern time on MLB Network, after which...
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A request for MLB to keep extra-innings rules as-is

A request for MLB to keep extra-innings rules as-is
How should a sporting event that's tied at the end of regulation be decided? Just make the two teams keep playing until someone scores? Give both teams an opportunity before it's over? Create a whole new set of rules in an attempt to get a final result sooner? If you watched yesterday's NFL conference championships, surely you found yourself contemplating this very question. Was it fair that the Patriots, by virtue of winning a coin toss, were able to march down the field and score the...
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Host of 2018 Nationals still seeking jobs in tepid market

Host of 2018 Nationals still seeking jobs in tepid market
For all the attention lavished upon Bryce Harper and Manny Machado and their long, slow quest to sign with somebody before the start of spring training, there are a ton of other free agents still unemployed as we reach late January. And that includes a whole bunch of guys who played for the Nationals in 2018. Let's look at those still-unsigned free agents and figure out what it might take to get them in a uniform before pitchers and catchers report ... MATT WIETERS Wieters had to know he was...
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News on a couple of former Nationals pitchers

News on a couple of former Nationals pitchers
Joel Hanrahan and Micah Bowie were teammates on the 2007 Nationals pitching staff, after which their respective careers took very different paths. Hanrahan, after crashing and burning when the Nats tried to make him their closer in 2009, wound up a two-time All-Star with the Pirates. Bowie, the consummate journeyman left-hander, appeared in only 10 big league games after leaving the Nats following that 2007 season. Both wound up in the news on Friday, for very different reasons. Hanrahan was...
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