Federal Baseball 8 hours ago
Wire Taps: Cubs won’t get Bryce Harper; Brian Dozier loves Washington; Looking at 25-man...
Catch up on the last 24 hours in Nationals news while we all wait for Bryce Harper to pick a dang team already... This government shutdown may be approaching the Strasburg shutdown in terms of the headaches Washington residents have endured because of it. (In all seriousness: all the best to any furloughed government employees following along with us — here’s hoping they figure this out quickly.) Here’s the scoop from South Capitol: MLB rumors: Will the Dodgers be a finalist for Bryce Harper? (SI.com)"But given the opportunity to land Harper for just money this winter, the Dodgers...
Federal Baseball 18 hours ago
Nationals’ hitting coach Kevin Long on how Bryce Harper turned his season around in 2018...
Bryce Harper struggled in the first-half of the 2018 campaign, but some changes he and hitting coach Kevin Long made helped turn things around... In mid-August last season, when Bryce Harper had turned things around and was hitting like the Bryce Harper that Washington Nationals fans, and baseball fans in general, had come to know, Nationals’ hitting coach Kevin Long talked to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal about what the then-25-year-old outfielder had done to get back on track after a rough first half. “When your numbers say .209 at the All-Star Break, and you end up hitting .250, do...
Federal Baseball Jan 15, 2019
Brian Dozier talks signing with the Washington Nationals; bouncing back after injury issue in 2018...
In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, new Nationals’ second baseman Brian Dozier discussed the decision to sign on in Washington and the injury which resulted in a down year offensively in 2018. After insisting all winter that he was happy with the options at second base both on the 40-man roster and in the organization as a whole, Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo did say at the Winter Meetings that he would be open to the possibility of adding an infielder to the mix if he could find the right fit on either the free agent or trade market. “With numerous offers and...
Federal Baseball Jan 15, 2019
Wire Taps: More Bryce Harper rumors; Nationals’ upgrade at second base + more...
Congrats, you made it through another day of persistent Bryce Harper rumors. Your reward? A bunch of links that mention more Harper rumors!!! Washington’s Nationals have added to the rotation, the bullpen, the bench, the infield, and they’ve got some depth behind the plate now as well, but those Bryce Harper rumors really have kind of overshadowed all of that this winter, and it won’t end until the 26-year-old free agent outfielder picks a home for the next decade or so. Tired of the Harper drama? You’re not alone, but you’re also going to have to deal until he picks a...
Federal Baseball Jan 15, 2019
Anthony Rendon ranked 4th on MLB Network’s list of the Top 10 Third Basemen Right Now!
Anthony Rendon was ranked 4th on the MLB Network’s list of the Top 10 3B in the game ... RIGHT NOW!!! In a preview of the pitch interested teams will likely hear should Anthony Rendon reach the free agent market next winter, super-agent Scott Boras told reporters the 28-year-old third baseman has become one of the top players in the game over the course of his six seasons in the majors. “He’s been really one of the top 10 players in the game for the last three or four years,” Boras said at the Winter Meetings last month, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. “I think for...
Federal Baseball Jan 14, 2019
Nationals Rumors: Bryce Harper free agent drama nearing an end?
After the Phillies met with Bryce Harper, they were suddenly considered the “clear-cut” frontrunners to land the 26-year-old free agent, though they haven’t (at least publicly) put an actual offer on the table yet... So, depending on whose sources you believe, the Washington Nationals are either a “long shot” to sign Bryce Harper at this point, which they seemed to be before reports of a follow-up meeting before Christmas and an increased offer surfaced earlier this month, or they are still, “... a possible landing spot for the 26-year-old outfielder,” who hit free agency...
Federal Baseball Jan 14, 2019
Wire Taps: Phillies enamored with Harper; Nats officially sign Dozier; Robles’ defense
Catch up on the last 24 hours in Nationals news while you recover from the weekend... So, here we are. After an offseason of doubt, after seven years of wondering: it looks like a team that isn’t the Washington Nationals might sign Bryce Harper. Maybe it won’t pan out; maybe he’ll end up in Seattle. But prepare yourselves now for 18 Harper rematches a year. Here’s the news from Nationals Park: Bryce Harper: Philadelphia Phillies are front-runners after meeting (USA Today)"The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing negotiations, but the Phillies have become the...
Federal Baseball Jan 14, 2019
Aníbal Sánchez talks 2018 adjustments; joining the Nationals’ impressive rotation + more...
In an MLB Network Radio interview last week, Aníbal Sánchez talked about what he changed in 2018 and deciding to join the Nationals’ rotation... According to a report by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal last week, Aníbal Sánchez received a three-year offer from the Oakland A’s before deciding to take a 2-year/$19M deal to join the Washington Nationals’ rotation, though the contract with the Nationals does include a club option for a third season in 2021 (at $12M). “The exact terms of the A’s proposal are not known,” Rosenthal wrote, “... but the proximity of Washington,...
Federal Baseball Jan 13, 2019
Wire Taps: Bryce Harper meets with Phillies; Will Nationals actually go to arbitration with Kyle Barraclough or MAT?
Catch up on the last 24 hours in Nationals news before you have to go back to work tomorrow and admit to your friends that you were watching football or something instead of reading up on the Nats... A contingent that included the Philadelphia Phillies’ GM and owner visited Bryce Harper in Las Vegas over the weekend, and the Philly folks came away thinking they knew the player better than they previously had, with John Middleton, the owner, who is on record saying that the Phillies plan to spend big this winter and might, “... even be a little bit stupid about it,” telling reporters...
Federal Baseball Jan 12, 2019
Wire Taps: Phillies meeting with Bryce Harper in Vegas; Nationals’ and Michael A. Taylor and Kyle Barraclough asks + more...
Catch up on the last 24 hours in Nationals news and enjoy your weekend whatever you’re doing... What’s going on? Philadelphia’s Phillies are in Las Vegas, Nevada, talking to Washington’s 2010 No. 1 overall pick about where he’s going to sign up for the next decade or so. What will it take for Bryce Harper to sign on in the City of Brotherly Love? Meanwhile, back in D.C., Mike Rizzo and Co. in the Nationals’ front office reached agreements on contracts with all but two of their arbitration-eligible players, and with the team’s history of avoiding going to arbitration, the...
Federal Baseball Jan 12, 2019
Signing Brian Dozier was a logical move for Nationals
Brian Dozier signing gives the Nationals an opportunity to win now, while looking ahead at the future. The Washington Nationals made another move on Thursday, signing second baseman Brian Dozier to a one-year deal. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Nationals will be giving Dozier nine million dollars during his time in D.C. The Nationals have been really active this offseason, acquiring Patrick Corbin, Matt Adams, Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki, Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough. This latest roster move by the Nationals, is a good deal for the organization and Dozier. Dozier, 31, is...
Federal Baseball Jan 12, 2019
Washington Nationals avoid arbitration with Anthony Rendon & Trea Turner; two arb-eligible players left...
There are two arbitration-eligible players whose salaries for 2019 were not announced today. Will the Nats actually go to arbitration with them? Washington’s Nationals started the winter with seven arbitration-eligible players, but the trade that sent Tanner Roark to the Cincinnati Reds and a 1-year/$850K deal with left-handed reliever Sammy Solis, (who was projected by MLBtraderumors.com to get $900K), left the Nationals with five players whose contracts for the 2019 campaign needed to be sorted out as Friday’s deadline for each side to submit their salary figures approached. Solis,...
Federal Baseball Jan 11, 2019
Nationals’ catcher Yan Gomes on the Nats’ starting staff; GM Mike Rizzo’s enthusiasm...
In an MLB Network Radio interview this week, new Nationals’ catcher Yan Gomes talked about getting to work with a solid starting staff in D.C. Catcher Yan Gomes told reporters in a conference call at Winterfest last month that he was excited to join the Washington Nationals’ rotation after the 3-for-1 trade that brought him to D.C. from Cleveland. Getting to catch pitchers like Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, Gomes explained, was the first thing he thought of when he learned he’d been dealt. “That was literally the first thing that I thought about,” the 31-year-old catcher...
Federal Baseball Jan 11, 2019
Wire Taps: Nationals sign Brian Dozier; Joe Ross settles at $1M; Is 10 years too many for Bryce Harper?
Catch up on the last 24 hours in Nationals news before the weekend... The Nationals made a signing, and it filled a much more gaping hole than anything else they’ve done this offseason beyond their early season bullpen acquisitions. Brian Dozier, for what it’s worth, represents the third straight lefty hitter at second for the Nats, following Murphy (L), and Espinosa (switch). Here’s the scoop from South Capitol: Nats agree to deal with veteran second baseman Dozier (MASN)Dozier has received MVP votes in the past while representing the Twins on multiple All-Star teams — but his...
WTOP Jan 10, 2019
AP source: 2B Dozier, Nationals agree to $9M, 1-year deal
Dozier, who played for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers last season, would fill Washington's need for a new starting second baseman and could help add some power to the lineup, particularly important if slugging outfielder Bryce Harper ends up leaving the Nationals as a free agent.
