Knorr returns to the dugout after a two-year break

Knorr returns to the dugout after a two-year break
A change of managers at the Triple-A level may not sound like a big deal. And from a pure baseball standpoint, it's probably not. Still, the news that Randy Knorr will be managing the Nationals' top minor league affiliate - news that had been reported 2 1/2 months ago but was officially announced by the club on Friday - is significant for many people within the organization. An organization that doesn't have very many remaining links to its pre-Washington days has an especially popular one...
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Nats fans' guide to spring training: The town

Nats fans' guide to spring training: The town
The primary purpose of any trip to spring training is to, you know, watch baseball players doing baseball things on baseball fields, all while soaking up the warm South Florida sun while all your friends back north are wearing parkas and shoveling snow. But there is more to a spring training trip than baseball. After all, you do have to eat. And baseball only takes up a portion of your day. So today we offer Part 2 of our Nats Fans' Guide to Spring Training, focusing on everything outside The...
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Nats fans' guide to spring training: The complex

Nats fans' guide to spring training: The complex
It may be tough to envision right now, what with white stuff coating the ground and wind chills still in the teens this morning, but spring training is fast approaching. In fact, it's only four weeks away. Yes, in a mere 29 days there will be actual Nationals pitchers and actual Nationals catchers wearing actual practice uniforms and participating in actual drills in West Palm Beach, Fla., the first official workout of 2018. I'll be there, obviously. But I know some of you plan to be there as...
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If there's a trade to be made, Nats have outfielders to spare

If there's a trade to be made, Nats have outfielders to spare
Though he has spent the majority of his career at second base, Howie Kendrick really has morphed into an outfielder over the last two seasons. Kendrick started 79 games in left field for the Dodgers in 2016, more than three times as many as he started at second base. And last season with the Phillies and Nationals, he started 57 games in the outfield, only 16 in the infield. We'll see where Kendrick winds up spending most of his time with the Nationals this year - there could be a need at...
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With Kendrick back in fold, Nationals bench looks complete

With Kendrick back in fold, Nationals bench looks complete
For all the star power and success within their everyday lineup and starting rotation, the Nationals know they would not have won 97 games and run away with a division title last season if not for the performance of their bench. When injuries knocked Bryce Harper, Adam Eaton, Jayson Werth, Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor out for a minimum of five weeks apiece, how did the Nationals manage not only to stay afloat but continue to thrive? Thanks to the fill-in work of Adam Lind, Howie Kendrick,...
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Source: Kendrick returning to Nats on two-year deal

Source: Kendrick returning to Nats on two-year deal
Turns out the Nationals' midseason acquisitions last summer weren't rental players after all. One month ago, they were able to re-sign reliever Brandon Kintzler. And now they're bringing back veteran utilityman Howie Kendrick. Kendrick and the Nationals have agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract, a source familiar with the deal confirmed, ensuring the club has a valuable bench piece - not to mention a backup plan at both second base and in the outfield - returning for 2018 and 2019....
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What would the Nats have needed to offer for Gerrit Cole?

What would the Nats have needed to offer for Gerrit Cole?
The Astros pulled off one of the biggest trades of the winter this weekend, finally snagging Gerrit Cole from the Pirates in exchange for four young players. The initial reaction from most: Houston didn't give up a whole lot. Joe Musgrove, Colin Moran and Michael Feliz have all spent time in the big leagues in the last two seasons, but none is considered a top-tier prospect. And the fourth player, Jason Martin, is a Double-A outfielder who was left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft and wasn't...
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Turner, Rendon rate high on MLB Network "Top 10 Right Now!"

Turner, Rendon rate high on MLB Network "Top 10 Right Now!"
MLB Network trotted out the first two episodes of its annual "Top 10 Right Now!" series last night, revealing its picks for the best shortstops and third basemen in baseball entering the 2018 season. And it shouldn't surprise you that the Nationals starter at each position wound up high on each list. Trea Turner rated as the fourth-best shortstop in the game, according to the all-encompassing computer formula known as "The Shredder" used for these shows. Only the Astros' Carlos Correra,...
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Why it won't cost Nats that much if they have to pay luxury tax

Why it won't cost Nats that much if they have to pay luxury tax
In striking one-year deals with all three of their arbitration-eligible players yesterday, the Nationals also got some more clarity on their total team payroll - and its luxury tax implications - heading into the 2018 season. Obviously these numbers could still change depending on other moves the Nats make along the way, from potential free agent signings to potential trades both before and during the season. But what does appear pretty clear at this point is that this is going to be the...
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Nats avoid arbitration with Rendon, Roark and Taylor (updated)

Nats avoid arbitration with Rendon, Roark and Taylor (updated)
The announcement was delayed a bit, but the Nationals did agree to terms with all three of their arbitration-eligible players before today's 1 p.m. deadline, avoiding hearings with Anthony Rendon, Tanner Roark and Michael A. Taylor. All three players agreed to one-year contracts, the club announced more than an hour after Major League Baseball's deadline passed. Given the overload of similar deals being struck around the sport at the same time, it's not uncommon for the formal announcement...
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Nats face arbitration deadline with three key players

Nats face arbitration deadline with three key players
There has been precious little news this winter, but there was some news yesterday with Edwin Jackson's return on a minor league deal. And there will be news today. Not huge news, but at this point, who are we to complain? Today marks the deadline for all major league clubs and all arbitration-eligible players to either agree to terms on their 2018 contracts or else formally file competing offers to league headquarters, which then will set arbitration hearing dates to settle their cases. What...
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Nats bringing back Edwin Jackson on minor league deal

Nats bringing back Edwin Jackson on minor league deal
The Nationals are bringing back Edwin Jackson on a minor league contract, with a chance to compete for the final spot in their rotation this spring. Jackson and the Nats have agreed to terms on a deal that would pay the veteran right-hander $1.5 million if he makes the major league roster, with another $1.4 million possible in incentives, a source familiar with the contract confirmed. Though he'll get a chance to make the opening day rotation this spring, Jackson isn't guaranteed any money or...
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Thursday morning Nats Q&A

Thursday morning Nats Q&A
It continues to be a quiet offseason for the Nationals. (Though to be more accurate, it continues to be a quiet offseason for nearly every franchise in the sport.) The good news is that we are inching closer to baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach in a mere 34 days. So let's take some time this morning to answer your burning questions about the Nats. Ask about what moves they still may make before the start of spring training. Ask about players already on the...
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Nats need to figure out in 2018 if Robles is part of plan in 2019

Nats need to figure out in 2018 if Robles is part of plan in 2019
Fifteen games and 28 plate appearances is hardly enough sample size to make legitimate evaluations of a young ballplayer. And yet even in his brief, end-of-season stint with the Nationals, Victor Robles turned a whole lot of heads. It was impossible not to notice the 20-year-old outfielder, who dazzled in his performance, in his athleticism and in his composure following his September promotion from Double-A Harrisburg. Heck, the Nationals were so impressed themselves that they included him on...
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Nats still need bullpen help beyond the big three

Nats still need bullpen help beyond the big three
The Nationals bullpen will enter the 2018 season in far better shape than it did a year ago. Lest anyone forget the open competition to be the closer between Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover. That won't be an issue this time, not with Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler all back in the late-inning roles they inherited (and thrived in) following their July acquisitions. But the Nats bullpen doesn't exactly look pristine beyond that trio. The loss of Matt Albers - who...
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Do the Nats need a No. 5 starter - or a No. 3 starter?

Do the Nats need a No. 5 starter - or a No. 3 starter?
The Nationals need a fifth starter. Or do they? It's easy to look at the current state of the rotation and conclude there's a gaping hole behind the otherwise strong quartet of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark. Joe Ross won't return from Tommy John surgery until July at best. Erick Fedde and A.J. Cole are unproven and/or uninspiring from what we've seen of each so far. And Edwin Jackson is an unsigned free agent, not to mention the ultimate journeyman who keeps...
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What other franchises can match Nats' playoff heartbreak?

What other franchises can match Nats' playoff heartbreak?
There are many different kinds of miseries in sports. There's the misery that comes from repeated losing year in and year out, as any fan of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns can attest. There's the misery that comes from repeatedly coming oh-so-close to winning the big one, as any fan of the Buffalo Bills can attest. And then there's the misery that comes from repeatedly reaching the playoffs and then finding new ways to squander those opportunities, as any fan of the Kansas...
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Soccer stadium opening sets up big All-Star week in D.C.

Soccer stadium opening sets up big All-Star week in D.C.
The Nationals have known for a while now they'd be getting new neighbors down the street from their ballpark. Now they know when those neighbors officially will move in: One day before the beginning of All-Star festivities on South Capitol Street. D.C. United will play its first Major League Soccer game at the brand-new Audi Field on July 14 after spending the season's first 4 1/2 months traversing the country playing 12 road matches and two home matches at other venues in the Washington area...
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Nats like Realmuto, but not if Miami asks for top prospects

Nats like Realmuto, but not if Miami asks for top prospects
It's no secret the Nationals want to get better production from their catchers in 2018 than they did in 2017. Not that it would be easy to get worse production. Nationals catchers - which means almost entirely Matt Wieters and Jose Lobaton - collectively hit .208 with a .275 on-base percentage, .319 slugging percentage and .594 OPS last season. They ranked 28th, 29th, 30th and 30th in the majors in each of those categories, respectively. So there's basically nowhere to go but up. The issue at...
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Nats pitchers and catchers set to report Feb. 14

Nats pitchers and catchers set to report Feb. 14
Need a little something to warm you up on this most frigid day of the winter? Here's some news that might do the trick: Spring training begins in 41 days. The Nationals announced their official reporting dates this afternoon, at which point we learned there are fewer than six weeks to go until we'll be seeing and hearing the sights and sounds of the spring in West Palm Beach. Pitchers and catchers will report to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Feb. 14, with position players set to report...
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