Mark Zuckerman
Mark Zuckerman

Nats hire longtime scout De Jon Watson as special assistant

Nats hire longtime scout De Jon Watson as special assistant
The Nationals have made an addition to their pro scouting staff, hiring De Jon Watson as a special assistant to the general manager. Watson spent the last two seasons as senior vice president of baseball operations for the Diamondbacks, overseeing the club's scouting and player development programs. Arizona let him go in September, electing not to pick up his contract option for 2017, one of several moves the franchise made in a front office shakeup. A veteran of 31 seasons in professional...
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Mark Zuckerman

Has the Nats lineup improved from last year?

Has the Nats lineup improved from last year?
Though the Nationals' offseason is only about two-thirds complete at this point - for these purposes we're talking about from when the postseason ended until the day pitchers and catchers report for spring training - barring a surprising turn of events, they already know who's going to be in their opening day lineup. Of course things can change between now and then, whether injuries or trades or late signings, but the Nationals by all accounts aren't actively seeking anybody at this point...
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Mark Zuckerman

Thursday morning Nats Q&A

Thursday morning Nats Q&A
It's been an awfully slow-news couple of weeks for the Nationals, who haven't announced a roster transaction since Dec. 13, when they signed Emmanuel Burriss and three pitchers to minor league contracts. They haven't made a move involving a member of the 40-man roster since the Dec. 10 trade of Danny Espinosa to the Angels. This isn't unprecedented. Most major league clubs go mostly silent over the holidays, and there hasn't been much news made anywhere in the sport since late December....
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Mark Zuckerman

Let the countdown to spring training begin

Let the countdown to spring training begin
It may not feel like it, not with bitter cold temperatures coming later this week, but we actually aren't all that far away from baseball season. We're only 41 days away, to be precise. Yes, only 41 days from now, Nationals pitchers and catchers will officially report to their new spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., the club announced yesterday. That's Feb. 14, for those who have trouble counting. Not a bad way to spend Valentine's Day, though my wife may beg to...
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Mark Zuckerman

After injury-plagued 2016, Ross seeks consistency in 2017

After injury-plagued 2016, Ross seeks consistency in 2017
There was no shortage of domino effects from last month's trade for Adam Eaton, which cost the Nationals three top pitching prospects, including two hurlers who figured to be the club's first options for rotation depth in 2017. In dealing Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the White Sox, general manager Mike Rizzo thinned his organization's pitching ranks in order to acquire a dynamic outfielder who could make a major impact on a daily basis. But the Eaton trade also puts added pressure on...
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Mark Zuckerman

Will D.C. sports finally get over the hump in 2017?

Will D.C. sports finally get over the hump in 2017?
And so 2017 has officially arrived at last. And not a moment too soon for many people who won't have fond memories of 2016. Leaving politics, celebrity deaths and other topics aside, 2016 was a particularly frustrating year for Washington sports fans, who once again had countless opportunities to get their hopes up only to have those hopes dashed in cruel fashion. The Nationals, of course, enjoyed another fantastic regular season, winning 95 games and a division title. Then they were knocked...
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Mark Zuckerman

Before looking ahead to 2017, looking back on an eventful 2016

Before looking ahead to 2017, looking back on an eventful 2016
First of all, a public service announcement: I'm heading out of town (actually, out of the country) for the next week. Byron Kerr and Pete Kerzel will have you covered, though, so be sure to keep checking the site for any Nationals news over the holidays. Since you won't be hearing from me again until 2017, this seems like an appropriate time to take a step back and view 2016 in its entirety. This was an eventful year, to say the least. (And we're only talking about baseball here, let alone...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nationals still being held out of Sunday night spotlight

Nationals still being held out of Sunday night spotlight
If you missed it yesterday, ESPN announced its "Sunday Night Baseball" schedule for most of the first half of the 2017 season. It includes one game involving the Nationals: April 23 against the Mets at Citi Field. And that's the only game involving the Nationals so far on ESPN's slate. That could change, of course, because only 12 of the 26 scheduled Sunday night tilts have been announced at this point. But it does continue a surprising trend that has left the Nats very much on the outside...
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Mark Zuckerman

Why isn't Shawn Kelley in the mix to be the Nationals' closer?

Why isn't Shawn Kelley in the mix to be the Nationals' closer?
Any and all talk of the as-yet-undetermined identity of the Nationals' 2017 closer has boiled down to two conclusions: Either the Nats need to acquire an experienced reliever who has a track record of success pitching the ninth inning, or they should give one of their young, in-house relievers (most notably Koda Glover) the opportunity to seize the job. Along the way, though, we seem to have glossed over one other potential resolution to this problem. It's another in-house candidate, but one...
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Mark Zuckerman

Who is the Nationals' sixth starting pitcher at this point?

Who is the Nationals' sixth starting pitcher at this point?
We conduct a poll every spring, asking Nationals beat reporters to make a bunch of predictions for the upcoming season, and the results are always fun to track throughout the year. One of the most interesting predictions, I think, is guessing who the Nats' sixth different starting pitcher will be in a given season. Basically, it's trying to predict when one member of their opening rotation will go down and who will take his spot. And that could be an awfully tricky thing to predict for...
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Mark Zuckerman

After "disappointing" season, Taylor has new outlook on 2017

After "disappointing" season, Taylor has new outlook on 2017
After so much time spent wondering who the Nationals would acquire this winter to become their new center fielder in 2017, it's easy to forget the organization thought it knew the answer to that question a year ago. The Nationals had a promising, young center fielder with all kinds of skills. And had Michael A. Taylor put those skills together the way many hoped, this month's trade for Adam Eaton might never have been necessary. Alas, 2016 was not kind to Taylor, who despite ample...
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Mark Zuckerman

What Nats development do you wish could be granted?

What Nats development do you wish could be granted?
It's the time of year for wishful thinking, right? If ever you were hoping for something big, something you desperately want even if it seems unreasonable, now's the time to ask for it. You never know, a certain somebody from the North Pole might decide you've been nice enough to deserve it. So why not extend some of that wishful thinking to your favorite ballclub? Here's your opportunity. Pick one pie-in-the-sky holiday wish for the 2017 Nationals, something you know might be too much to...
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Mark Zuckerman

Another closer out of the picture after Ziegler signs with Miami

Another closer out of the picture after Ziegler signs with Miami
Another potential late-inning relief option for the Nationals is now off the board after Brad Ziegler reportedly signed a two-year contract Friday night with the Marlins. Ziegler, 37, will earn a guaranteed $16 million during the course of the deal, according to reports, plus incentives. It's unclear whether the Nationals ever made an offer to the veteran right-hander, but he was one of the few remaining free agent relievers with closing experience. Ziegler has 85 career saves, 52 of those...
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Mark Zuckerman

Friday morning Q&A

Friday morning Q&A
We last held one of these Q&As during the week leading up to Thanksgiving, and considering how much has happened to the Nationals since then, this feels like a good time to hold another one. The Winter Meetings have come and gone, as has Nats Winterfest. Adam Eaton is the new center fielder. Derek Norris is the new catcher. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are now White Sox. Mark Melancon is a Giant, Aroldis Chapman is a Yankee and Kenley Jansen remains a Dodger. Which means the Nationals...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats still seeking candidates to fill bench vacancies

Nats still seeking candidates to fill bench vacancies
For all the attention paid - and rightfully so - to the Nationals' ongoing search for a new closer, that's not the only significant roster hole they still need to fill. Saturday night's trade of Danny Espinosa created an opening on their bench, one that they probably prefer to address from outside the organization rather than from within. Had Espinosa remained with the club - and that seemed unlikely, given his dissatisfaction with a reserve role - the Nationals would have been in good shape...
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Mark Zuckerman

How do 2017 Nationals avoid another odd-year regression?

How do 2017 Nationals avoid another odd-year regression?
No matter what happens from this point forward, the Nationals will enter the 2017 season with lofty expectations, both internally and externally. A 95-win team from the previous year will be expected to win again, considered among the favorites to come out of the National League. Whether they can live up to those expectations remains to be seen, but if the last half-decade is a sign of things to come, they better be careful not to simply assume all will be well in 2017. Each of the previous two...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nationals sign Burriss, three pitchers to minor league deals

Nationals sign Burriss, three pitchers to minor league deals
The Nationals added some pitching depth to the organization Tuesday - and brought a local favorite back to the franchise, as well - during a series of minor league signings. Right-handers Jacob Turner and Michael Broadway, left-hander Tim Collins and infielder Emmanuel Burriss all agreed to minor league deals with invitations to big league spring training. None would appear at this point to be strong contenders to make the opening day roster, but all will be given an opportunity to make a case...
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Mark Zuckerman

Where do the Nationals turn now in search for a closer?

Where do the Nationals turn now in search for a closer?
First Mark Melancon signed with the Giants. Then Aroldis Chapman signed with the Yankees. Then the Cubs acquired Wade Davis from the Royals. And then yesterday, the Dodgers managed to retain free agent Kenley Jansen with a reported five-year, $80 million offer. All of which leaves the Nationals right back where they started at the beginning of the offseason, still needing a closer, now with far fewer options available to them. So where do they turn now? There do remain several second-tier free...
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Mark Zuckerman

Scherzer on his Cy Young, pitching in WBC and Rizzo's trades

Scherzer on his Cy Young, pitching in WBC and Rizzo's trades
When last we saw Max Scherzer, he was on a boat in the British Virgin Islands, watching the National League Cy Young Award announcement on his iPad, doused with champagne by friends upon learning he had won the hardware. It was truly a unique way to celebrate such an occasion, and it made for a wonderful visual for anyone watching from the boring comforts of a living room on dry land. For Scherzer, it was a remarkable experience, one he'll never forget. In the month that has passed since,...
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Mark Zuckerman

Mike Rizzo: "I have no beef ... with Danny Espinosa"

Mike Rizzo: "I have no beef ... with Danny Espinosa"
Mike Rizzo said he had been working on a trade that would send Danny Espinosa to the Angels for the last week and that the deal that was finally consummated Saturday night wasn't a response to anything the infielder had said or demanded about his role with the Nationals in 2017. Espinosa was in position to lose his starting shortstop job after the Nationals traded for outfielder Adam Eaton on Wednesday, a move that in turn pushes Trea Turner to his natural position on the left side of the...
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