Nationals Chatter: Strasburg offers advice, Zimmerman talks fatherhood, and more

Baseball games are being played. I repeat. Baseball games are being played. Who cares if the games are relatively meaningless? It's baseball and I'm happy. Check out below what other outlets are saying about the Nationals. * As everyone knows, Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010. The Nats then placed Strasburg on an innings limit in 2012, the first full season he pitched since having the procedure. The New York Post's Kevin Kernan recently asked Strasburg if he had any advice for the Mets' Matt Harvey, who like Strasburg, underwent Tommy John Surgery last year. Strasburg believes Harvey needs to take his recovery period slow. Interestingly enough, Strasburg and Harvey share an agent, Scott Boras. Strasburg reached out to Boras and said that he will answer any questions Harvey may have regarding the recovery. * Over the last two years, the Nats and Braves have each won an NL East title. The two teams are constructed very similar to each other, with each team having a young core group of players. In the last month, the Braves have signed five pieces of that core to long-term contract extensions. On the other hand, the Nationals have only locked up third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to a long-term deal. General manager Mike Rizzo has said numerous times that the team would like to lock up Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond to long-term deals. But what happens when Bryce Harper, Strasburg and Wilson Ramos are nearing the end of their contracts? The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore explores the scenario here. * ESPN's Buster Olney ranked every NL team's early strength of schedule. According to Olney, the Cubs have the toughest schedule. (Poor Cubs. The team still can't catch a break.) The Nationals rank in the middle of the pack, with the No. 9 ranking. Olney says the Nats have "very manageable travel all year." The Nats will play 19 of their first 40 games against teams who finished with records of .500 or better in 2013. * CBSSports.com's Matt Snyder provided his team preview for the 2014 Nationals. Snyder has left-hander Ross Detwiler winning the fifth starter's spot in the rotation. The team's biggest strength is its starting rotation, according to Snyder, who picked the Nationals to win the NL East over the Braves. * Zimmerman became a father last November. He and his wife, Heather, welcomed a baby girl named Mackenzie. Recently, Zimmerman sat down with WUSA's Britt McHenry to talk about how he's adjusting to spring training as a first-time father. Zimmerman shared this anecdote about Mackenzie with McHenry: "I was home one time and she started crying. You know, you change the diaper, she's fed, there's only so many things you can do." If you'd like to watch the video of Zimmerman's interview with McHenry, click here. And if you'd like to see an adorable picture of Mackenzie that Heather Zimmerman tweeted, click here. Warning: the adorableness may will make you smile. That's a wrap of this week's Nationals Chatter. Don't forget to come back to MASNsports.com daily for the latest on the Nationals.