Interpreting Rizzo's comments on bolstering Nats' bench options (with minor league note)

SAN DIEGO - The dance between reporters seeking information and team executives reluctant to part with it is the crux of many conversations at the Winter Meetings. Whether it's an informal chat in the hotel bar or the packed lobby, or every afternoon's formal interview session, the tango begins anew with every conversation. We want information. They want us to have only the information they want to share. We ask, they answer. We ask again, they rephrase the original response - or scowl, since they know full well what's going on. Sometimes there's misdirection or doublespeak. So it helps when you can interpret what's really meant by what's being said. In yesterday's session with the D.C. media, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was asked how he was going to go about improving his bench. Nats pinch-hitters batted a league-low .144 in 2014 and posted a dreadful .476 OPS. It didn't matter the pedigree that guys like Scott Hairston or Kevin Frandsen brought to the table; they didn't get the job done on a regular basis, and the Nationals certainly didn't have the kind of thumper in reserve that makes opposing managers game-plan a few innings ahead, their stomachs churning in tight games. "Matt (Williams) and I are looking for the type of guy that could be maximized in different game situations," Rizzo said. "Matt and I are in communication and trying to find the right fit, the right skill set, the right specialty set maybe to increase our production and our capabilities when a guy comes off the bench." What's that mean? Luckily for you, I speak Rizzo and I can translate. What Rizzo is saying is this: Yes, we're looking to bolster bench production, which was woeful last season and won't be in 2015. We want guys who can deliver and we'll find them. Simple enough. Infielder/outfielder Frandsen has already avoided arbitration, signing a one-year deal worth $1 million with $300,000 in incentives. Outfielder Nate McLouth will be in the second year of a two-year, $10.75 million deal signed last December. Infielder Danny Espinosa's glove is a valuable commodity even if he continues to struggle at the plate, though the Nats could move him in the right deal. Jose Lobaton is slotted in as the backup catcher. Both Espinosa and Lobaton are eligible for arbitration, but it's more likely both will settle at a midpoint salary once figures are exchanged between the Nats and their representatives, which avoids a contentious hearing. Figuring a five-player bench, that leaves one spot open. Tyler Moore can play first base and corner outfield, and could be useful as a late-inning defensive replacement for Ryan Zimmerman, who moves from third base to first base. But Moore has to hit consistently, which he hasn't done since 2012. Steven Souza Jr. has little left to prove at Triple-A after a breakout year. The Nats like the speed/defense combination Michael A. Taylor brings to the outfield. There's your spring training battle, three guys competing for one spot. But December prognostications mean little to Rizzo. What we see today may or may not be the way things play out in Viera, Fla., once spring training commences in mid-February - or even how the reserves will be configured come April 6, when the season commences at Nationals Park against the Mets. History lesson, anyone? Before the 2012 season, Chad Tracy was one of those ubiquitous guys who signed a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp. He'd flamed out after hitting 47 homers over two seasons with the Diamondbacks in 2005-06 and was trying to resuscitate his career after playing one unproductive season in Japan. He looked out of place, and he didn't seem to have a spot on a team that seemed built for playoff contention. All he had was a guarantee from Rizzo and then-manager Davey Johnson that he'd have the opportunity to compete. Well, he opened enough eyes to force his way onto the 25-man roster, captained the "Goon Squad" of productive reserves, hit .269 (and .261 as a pinch-hitter) and earned a $1 million extension for 2013. Last year, Frandsen wasn't even a National until March 26, the day after he was surprisingly released by the Phillies. Five days before the season began, he signed a $900,000 deal with the Nats. He became a valuable guy off the bench and his versatility bailed out his new team when injuries struck early in the season, forcing Frandsen to the outfield, where he'd played 14 games in seven previous seasons. The point here is that while Rizzo, Williams and company will continue to keep an eye out for better bench options, that may be a decision that's not made until deeper into the offseason, perhaps even until spring training. Maybe someone is cut loose by another team and brought in to compete in camp. Maybe someone catches Rizzo's eye and is a throw-in in a deal. Maybe Espinosa is dealt or the Nats decide to eat the last year of McLouth's contract, presuming he's healthy enough to go in February and March (which could open one or two more bench spots for the current search). The Nats will improve their bench. It's one of the few tweaks they need to accomplish before the 2015 campaign starts. But that's not to say it's on the top of Rizzo's to-do list. Rizzo's past movements show a propensity to create competition for bench roles in spring training or look for useful guys cast off by other organizations. I don't suspect it will be different this time around. Note: The Nationals announced this morning that they have added Tommy Shields to the organization as co-minor league field coordinator. He will share the role with Jeff Garber. Shields, a native of Fairfax, Va., comes to the Nats from the Royals, where he spent the past three seasons as manage of Single-A Burlington. The 50-year-old Shields played parts of eight minor league seasons in the Pirates, Orioles and Cubs chains. He made his major league debut with the Orioles in 1992, but did not bat, and played 20 games with the Cubs in 1993, hitting .176.