Some Nationals news from SIRIUS XM'S MLB Home Plate Channel and Bill Ladson of MLB.com…
- In an interview with Rob Dibble and Steve Davis, Kris Benson said that he and the Nationals were "still talking." There's been word of the Nats' interest in the 35-year-old as of late, though Benson says he's not in a rush to sign anywhere.
- Ladson writes that Washington has not had any recent conversations with John Smoltz. The Nationals are reportedly one of ten teams that have expressed interest in the 42-year-old.
- On his blog, Ladson writes that the Nationals are trying hard to add another veteran starter after striking out on Chan Ho Park and Braden Looper. It should be noted that the Nationals did not confirm extending offers to either pitcher.
The Nats should go after Jarrod Washburn.
Livan Hernandez is still out there.
Brandon Backe?
assburn would be a good pick up for the right price
livan is still out there your right so lets go
and backe is still out there for a reason he is allway injured and he isnt productive and Rizzo is trying to make the nats better not worse
ashburn would be a decent pick up… but he wants to much money so unless he drops the price, not gonna happen. Livan is a good innings eater but thats it.
That’s a good analysis. Washburn wants to get paid way too much. I think the fans in DC would love to see Livan out there again but he’s not exactly in his prime anymore. I just hope our bullpen isn’t the clusterf*** it was last season. I needed a heart transplant after last season.
no, livan *WAS* a good innings eater. now he’s a 6ip at 5.5+ ERA guy. that’s #5 fodder if you’re under 30 and useless when that’s your upside.
people need to look at what livo is *now* and not what he was in 2007.
Looper and his 48.3 Career GB% belongs on a great defensive team such as the Seattle Mariners. I say give him 1YR/2M and put Figgins, Wilson, Lopez and Kotchman to work : )
you are 100 % right on that i never thought about it that way
i would love to see livan on the mound next season with the nats he is a good inning eater and yeah he isnt in his prime anymore but he can still put up some decent numbers here and there and i still think it will be a up and down season but with the new players and staff i think there will be more ups then downs as we are use to seeing.
id rather not have him take up space from our younger pitchers such at mock, martin, martis, and all. I also think it would be a bad idea because Wang and Detwiler will be ready to come back the same time and i would REALLY like to see them both in the rotation. And for a third point, whether he makes it out of camp with the team or not, Strasburg will be in the majors this year. So id rather not pay livan anything to just eat innings.
see above^
livo isn’t a good innings eater any more. and if you think 5.5+ ERA is “decent numbers,” well i don’t know what to say to that. he’s trending downward and may not even hit the mid 5 era again this year.
let go of 05-07 and let’s get into this decade. livo would be a step backward for the nats, not the right direction to go.
“though Benson says he’s not in a rush to sign anywhere. ”
I don’t think he’s ever been in a rush to do anything. His wife was his only contribution to the game.
Whatever team Benson signs with should also just hire his wife to walk around the top of the dugouts in a bikini in between innings holding up the number of what inning is coming up.
I thought teams signed Anna Benson and Kris comes along for the ride?
We need to break camp with pitchers that can go 200 IP. Lannan and Marquis only. WE need another veteran who will plow ahead and eat innings. Livan will go 6.2 IP 125 P 11H 4 or 5 ER. Ugly. BUt now we have some offense to win these games and Livan won’t wear out bullpen.
Remember last year? All the young starting pitchers were fried and so was bullpen by May. Let’s make it to All Star break with consistent solid, not flashy pitching. save bullpen, stretch out young pitching, get Wang and Detwiler back, and then at end of year Strasburg. Too many injuries and questions between Chico, Olsen, Martis and others to start year with them. Let their health kick out the old bull Livo.
Or bring back Odalis Perez with his chip on his shoulder and something to prove to pitch well enough to trade when we are healthy.
and bring in Blalock for backup to DUnn and Zim while we are swinging for the fences!
come on, let’s stay away from the scrap heap, ok? let’s avoid the old “bowden” way of doing things and move forward.
My question is why would the Nationals even want to add such mediocrity?
They already have Lannan, Olsen, Marquis, Detwiler, Stammen, Mock, Martin, and Balester, not to mention Strasburg of course.
I’d argue that they’re better off just going with those guys getting the starts than wasting them on guys like Benson and Livan.
the only good thing about getting benson is getting his wife in the deal as well