Rizzo On Roster Holes, Depth, Pitching, Werth

Both CSNWashington.com's Mark Zuckerman and MLB.com's Bill Ladson conducted Q&A's with Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo on Sunday, so let's round up the news…

• "[We're] always looking to improve," said Rizzo when asked about specific needs before the season begins. "But we think we're pretty set, we're pretty solid in a lot of aspects of the club."
• The Nationals have built up some depth, and there's a chance teams will come calling as they look to fill holes on their roster. "From what I've heard and the phone calls I've gotten, I think we're going to be heavily scouted and heavily watched for that reason," said the GM.
• "Long-term, we want to keep them all in the pipeline," said Rizzo, referring to his catching depth. "We'd have to make a trade that really makes a lot of sense for us and really strengthens us in a position we're weakest at."
• When asked about the team's pursuit of an ace-caliber pitcher, Rizzo said: "We knew going into the offseason, it was a priority for us to improve our rotation. It was probably not the best move to announce to the world that it was our main goal, but that's me. I made the statement because that was what I thought. It was a need of ours. What I found out was, ace pitchers are very difficult to acquire. It's much better and much easier to develop your own. We are always looking and we are still trying to improve ourselves, but they are very difficult to get."
• Rizzo believes the Jayson Werth deal is the beginning of an era when really good players start coming to Washington. "What it did prove is, we are here to win games. We have an organization that is willing to spend money to acquire talent. We showed it, not only in the last two drafts, but in the free-agent market."

Rizzo also provided updates on the health of Stephen Strasburg and Chien-Ming Wang, the plan for Bryce Harper, and the expiring contract of manager Jim Riggleman.