Nationals Rumors

Outrighted to Triple-A: Atahualpa Severino

By edcreech | August 12, 2012 at 2:22pm CDT

Today's outright assignments:

The Nationals have outrighted left-hander Atahualpa Severino to Triple-A Syracuse, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (both on Twitter). Severino had been designated for assignment last Monday when the Nationals acquired Cesar Izturis on waivers from the Brewers. Severino has spent the entire 2012 season at Triple-A with a 2.72 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 in 40 relief appearances.

Quick Hits: Padres, Cubs, Bourn, Sheets, Braves

By Zachary Links | August 10, 2012 at 9:52pm CDT

Earlier today, the Indians released right-hander Derek Lowe after designating him for assignment earlier this month. The veteran is willing to start or relieve and there's reportedly a sense that he'll return to the National League. While we keep an eye on where the veteran might land, here's tonight's look around baseball..

As first reported by Jim Callis of Baseball America, Padres scouting director Jaron Madison is leaving the organization to join the Cubs. The 36-year-old will take over as Chicago's scouting director while Tim Wilken has been reassigned to the role of Special Assistant to president Theo Epstein, the team announced.
One Braves official believes that if Michael Bourn had an agent other than Scott Boras he might already have a new contract with the club, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. People who know Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believe that Bourn has always been at the top of his wish list and the Phillies, Reds, and Marlins are also potential suitors this winter.
Ben Sheets wasn't entirely confident about his return to the big leagues, but the veteran has looked tremendous so far, Knobler writes. The 34-year-old isn't sure how long he'll continue pitching but he says that he wants to leave on his own terms as opposed to being forced out by injury.

NL East Notes: Bourn, Reyes, Stanton

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 8, 2012 at 12:42pm CDT

The Braves and Nationals have positioned themselves as likely playoff teams for 2012 with less than two months to go before the end of the regular season. Baseball Prospectus calculates that the Nationals have a 96.4% chance of making the postseason and gives the Braves a 78.5% chance of being in the playoffs. Here are today's NL East links…

One MLB official told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that the Phillies would like to re-acquire a player they once drafted and developed. "You know who they want, right?" the official asked Olney. "They love Michael Bourn." Bourn also figures to draw interest from the Nationals when he hits free agency this offseason, and the Braves will likely have some interest in retaining him. Bourn and agent Scott Boras might have tremendous leverage as the three NL East teams bid for his services. Olney suggests Bourn figures to get a multiyear deal in the $16-22MM per season range, and I agree.
Both Jose Reyes and the Marlins seem happy with the six-year contract they agreed to last offseason, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. "I'm happy in Miami," Reyes said. "No regrets for me." The Marlins seem satisfied with Reyes and are unlikely to trade him, Knobler reports.
Though they have a policy of listening to trade offers for any player, the Marlins seem to like the idea of building their lineup around Reyes and Giancarlo Stanton, according to Knobler.

Quick Hits: Victorino, Greinke, Longoria, Nats

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 6, 2012 at 11:07pm CDT

The Indians have lost nine games in a row, but they don’t plan on reacting to their struggles by making a managerial change. General manager Chris Antonetti said Manny Acta will return as the team's manager in 2013, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter). The team already exercised Acta's 2013 option last September. Here are today’s links…

Shane Victorino hasn't been with the Dodgers long, but he'd like to stay there long-term, in part because of the proximity to his parents in Hawaii and family home in Las Vegas, writes ESPN's Mark Saxon.
The Dodgers and Angels could bid against one another for Zack Greinke when the right-hander hits free agency this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. The Angels intend to keep Greinke, and the Dodgers are prepared to spend on elite pitching, as evidenced by their claim of Cliff Lee.
Olney points out that Kyle Lohse is positioning himself for a solid free agent contract, and suggests he could approach Mark Buehrle’s four-year, $58MM contract. Lohse is older than Buehrle and doesn’t have the same history of durability, so I will personally be surprised if Lohse gets a four-year deal or an annual salary of $14MM.
Matt Kemp, Carlos Gonzalez and Andrew McCutchen provide their respective teams with considerable value, relative to their contracts, but Evan Longoria has the most team-friendly contract in MLB, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes (Passan's not considering pre-arbitration eligible players). The Rays announced that they will activate Longoria from the disabled list for tomorrow’s game.
The Nationals announced that they agreed to sign four international free agents: right-hander Ramses Rosario and outfielders Aldrem Corredor, Darryl Florentino and Luis Guzman.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Carlos Maldonado

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 6, 2012 at 3:33pm CDT

The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

The Nationals announced that they outrighted catcher Carlos Maldonado to Triple-A Syracuse. Maldonado, 33, appeared in four games for the Nationals this May and was removed from the team’s 40-man roster three days ago. He has spent most of the season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he has a .223/.343/.405 batting line in 146 plate appearances.

Nationals Designate Severino For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 6, 2012 at 1:42pm CDT

The Nationals announced that they designated left-hander Atahualpa Severino for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Cesar Izturis, who was claimed off of waivers from Milwaukee. The Nationals created room for Izturis on the 25-man roster by placing Mark DeRosa on the 15-day disabled list.

Severino appeared in six games on last year's Nationals team, but has spent the entire 2012 campaign at Triple-A Syracuse. The 27-year-old has a 2.72 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 in 40 relief appearances so far this year. He has generally had high strikeout and walk totals in his seven-year minor league career: 9.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.

Nationals Claim Cesar Izturis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 6, 2012 at 1:19pm CDT

The Nationals announced that they have claimed infielder Cesar Izturis off of waivers from the Brewers. The team placed Mark DeRosa on the 15-day disabled list in a related move.

Izturis has a .235/.248/.333 batting line in 169 plate appearances this year. The 32-year-old has played all four infield positions with Milwaukee, and his versatility will prove useful in Washington. The Nationals needed infield depth with Ian Desmond and DeRosa on the disabled list. Izturis earns $875K this year and will hit free agency this offseason.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post first reported that the Nationals had acquired Izturis (on Twitter).

Beltway Notes: Orioles, Chavez, McLouth, Nats

By Zachary Links | August 4, 2012 at 6:09pm CDT

Here's a quick look at items on the Nationals and Orioles..

Endy Chavez was designated for assignment earlier today but Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't expect him to stay idle for long, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. "Endy will end up on his feet shortly. I know Dan's going to explore some things with him," the manager said. The outfielder was DFA'd in order allow for the promotion of Nate McLouth.
Showalter went on to note that McLouth had to be promoted due to his impending opt-out date, Kubatko tweets. According to the manager, other teams asked about McLouth's ability but the O's opted to promote him instead.
Even though the Nationals are welcoming Kurt Suzuki with open arms, the catcher's arrival will have a significant impact on the club's depth chart beyond this year, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. Jesus Flores told reporters that he was "shocked" by the news but is now on the same page with the club after meeting with manager Davey Johnson.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Suzuki, Bell, Bay

By Mark Polishuk | August 3, 2012 at 9:58pm CDT

The Braves became the latest team to beat the struggling Astros tonight, winning a 4-1 result on the back of 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball from Tim Hudson. With the Braves' win and the Nationals' split of a double-header with the Marlins today, Washington is only two games up on Atlanta in the NL East. Here's the latest from around the division…

With the Phillies looking to keep payroll under the luxury tax threshold, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News looked at Reed Johnson, Jonny Gomes and Scott Hairston as right-handed hitting free agents who could be paired with lefty bat Nate Schierholtz for a productive outfield platoon that would come at a much cheaper cost than what the Phillies would have paid Hunter Pence in 2013.
The Nationals don't see new catcher Kurt Suzuki as a "rental," GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including CSN Washington's Mark Zuckerman). Suzuki is under contract through 2013 and the Nats plan to keep him along with regular catcher Wilson Ramos, who will be recovered from a torn ACL suffered in May.
Fangraphs' Eric Seidman looks at how a Jason Bay for Heath Bell/John Buck trade would benefit both the Marlins and Mets in terms of salary relief and filling lineup holes. The two clubs had some discussions before the trade deadline about such a deal, though talks went nowhere at the time.

Minor Moves: Neshek, Wise, Mock, Hill

By Mark Polishuk | August 3, 2012 at 5:48pm CDT

Some minor transactions from around the league…

The A's acquired right-hander Pat Neshek from the Orioles in exchange for cash, according to the Athletics' official Twitter page. Neshek will report to the A's Major League bullpen, according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter). Neshek signed a minor league deal with the O's last winter and has a 2.66 ERA, a 7.00 K/BB ratio and 49 strikeouts in 35 relief appearances (44 innings) for Triple-A Norfolk this season. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) was the first to report the deal.
The White Sox agreed to terms with Dewayne Wise to a minor league deal, reports CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes (via Twitter). Wise had a .262/.286/.492 line in 63 plate appearances for the Yankees this season before being released on Wednesday. This is Wise's second stint with the White Sox, as he played for Chicago in 2008-09 and earned a place in team history with an outstanding ninth-inning catch that saved Mark Buehrle's perfect game in 2009.
The Astros acquired Garrett Mock from the Red Sox in exchange for future considerations, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. Mock last pitched in the Major Leagues with Washington in 2010. Mock, a Houston native, posted a 3.33 ERA, a 9.8 K/9 rate and a 2.3 K/BB ratio in 48 2/3 innings as a reliever for Triple-A Pawtucket this season after signing a minor league deal with the Sox last winter.
The Nationals released catcher Koyie Hill, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Hill appeared in 11 games with the Cubs this season before being designated for assignment and choosing free agency, upon which he signed with the Nats in June.

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