Nationals Rumors

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.

Nationals Designate Maldonado For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2012 at 2:38pm CDT

The Nationals announced that they designated catcher Carlos Maldonado for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for recently-acquired catcher Kurt Suzuki.

Maldonado, 33, appeared in four games for the Nationals this May. He has spent most of the season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he has a .223/.343/.405 batting line in 146 plate appearances. Maldonado has a .254/.329/.359 line over the course of 17 minor league seasons.

Nationals Acquire Kurt Suzuki

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2012 at 1:31pm CDT

The Athletics traded catcher Kurt Suzuki and cash considerations to the Nationals for catcher David Freitas, the teams announced. It sounds like the A's are picking up most of Suzuki's 2012 salary and a bit of next year's salary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter).

The move provides the Nationals with Major League catching depth to complement Jesus Flores and Sandy Leon. Washington manager Davey Johnson said Suzuki is a "number one catcher" who will bring a "veteran presence" to the Nationals, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter).

Suzuki has posted a disappointing .218/.250/.286 batting line in 278 plate appearances so far in 2012. To his credit, he has prevented 38% of stolen base attempts against him this year (23 of 60) and the Athletics have an American League-best 3.43 ERA. The A's are now likely to rely more heavily on rookie catcher Derek Norris and recently-acquired backstop George Kottaras.

The 28-year-old Suzuki earns $5MM in 2012 and $6.45MM in 2013. His contract includes a $8.5MM club option for 2014 ($650K buyout). Evidently no American League team placed a claim on him when he hit the waiver wire. Every National League team but the Reds had to pass up chance to claim Suzuki for him to become available to Washington.

Freitas, 23, has a .271/.374/.407 batting line in 321 plate appearances at Class A Potomac this year. The Nationals selected him in the 15th round of the 2010 MLB draft.

Olney On Dempster, Athletics, Lee, Castro

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2012 at 11:23am CDT

At least one baseball person wonders if Ryan Dempster hurt his free agent stock by agreeing to join the Rangers, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. The American League, referred to by one general manager as "the big boy league," features some high-powered offenses that could have impact Dempster’s numbers and diminish his leverage in offseason contract talks. Here are more notes from Olney…

The Dodgers were interested in Dempster, but they never pushed for him, Olney reports. The Dodgers didn’t want to trade from their core of good prospects and they didn’t waver when the Cubs asked about their top minor leaguers.
Olney suggests teams like the Red Sox and Orioles could have interest in Brandon McCarthy if the Athletics place him on waivers when he returns from the disabled list.
Before the trade deadline, the Phillies made it clear that they would not pick up any of Cliff Lee’s salary in a trade and would also want prospects in return for the left-hander. Olney suggests it’s highly unlikely Lee will be moved in a waiver deal this month.
Starlin Castro’s name came up in conversations between the Cubs and Diamondbacks leading up to the trade deadline, Olney writes. However, both sides moved on quickly and a deal was never close.
Olney wonders if the Nationals could pursue in Derek Lowe given their interest in adding pitching leading up to the trade deadline.

Red Sox, Orioles Could Have Interest In Lowe

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 2, 2012 at 6:24pm CDT

6:24pm: The Red Sox are "still gathering info" before deciding whether or not to pursue Lowe, reports Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald. Meanwhile, the Nationals have no interest in the veteran right-hander according to Amanda Comak of The Washington Times (on Twitter).

3:20pm: Derek Lowe told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he just needs "a tuneup" before resuming his MLB career (Twitter links). The right-hander, who was officially designated for assignment today, would love to return to the Red Sox, where he pitched from 1997-2004. Boston GM Ben Cherington hasn't ruled out Lowe, but hasn't made a decision yet, Cafardo writes.

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests we shouldn’t be surprised if the Orioles make a big push for Lowe. “It makes a whole lot of sense,” one Orioles official told Connolly. Orioles executive Dan Duquette acquired Lowe for the Red Sox in 1997. Baltimore has been seeking starting pitching depth this summer.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Nationals Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect