Nationals Rumors

Extension Updates: Zimmerman, Bourn, Phillips

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 22, 2012 at 3:56pm CDT

Extension season generally continues well into Spring Training and the regular season. For example, teams and players agreed on nine extensions between this date last year and the end of April. Let's check in on some ongoing extension talks:

Ryan Zimmerman said he doesn't want to discuss a new extension after this Friday, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Zimmerman had already set the official start of Spring Training as a soft deadline for talks, since he doesn't want to let contract talks become a distraction. Agent Brodie Van Wagenen was in Nationals camp today.
Michael Bourn says the Braves haven't approached him about an extension so far, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Bourn will earn $4.4MM in 2012 and hit free agency after the season unless the Braves lock him up.
Brandon Phillips said he's not looking for "Prince Fielder money" in extension talks with the Reds, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I just want what other second baseman got," he said. "I want to be in my city." Phillips is not under contract beyond 2012.
Check out MLBTR's Extension Tracker for information on previous deals.

Antony On Cuddyer, Kubel, Young, Nathan, Span

By Mark Polishuk | February 20, 2012 at 10:24pm CDT

Twins assistant GM Rob Antony discussed the team's offseason moves, players who signed elsewhere over the winter, plans for 2012, and more in an interview with Jesse Lund of the Twinkie Town blog. Here are some of the highlights…

Michael Cuddyer was the Twins' "number one priority all off-season" but moved on once it became clear that the team wouldn't be able to re-sign him. Antony "always believed he wanted to be a Twin for his entire career" and thinks Cuddyer was "disappointed" to ultimately leave the team for Colorado.
Jason Kubel shared his concerns with Antony about how Target Field is a tough stadium for power hitters, and the assistant GM believes this was a factor in Kubel leaving the team.
The Twins dealt Delmon Young to the Tigers last season simply because the team put a priority on re-signing Cuddyer and Kubel, so they wanted to get some return for Young rather than possibly non-tender him after the season.
Joe Nathan didn't give the Twins a chance to match the $14.75MM contract he received from the Rangers. Antony said there were no hard feelings about Nathan leaving, since the veteran closer was focused on playing for a contender. We heard in November that Minnesota's best offer to Nathan was "a bit less" than Texas' offer.
The Nationals were "definitely interested" in Denard Span at the trade deadline last summer, but Antony doesn't "think we were ever close to doing anything."
Antony said that some internet rumors about players on the trade market often lead to exploratory conversations between GMs about said players. "There are a lot of names that pop up where we do a lot of that same thing. 'Look, if you're looking to move this guy, he could be a fit over here. I don’t know what’s fact and what’s rumor, but if you are serious in trading a player we’d like to be kept in mind, we have some interest,' " Antony said. He brought up this point in regards to a question about Martin Prado, which would seem to hint that the Twins and Braves perhaps had such a conversation about the utilityman.
Antony thinks Tsuyoshi Nishioka will give Alexi Casilla a strong battle for the starting second base job and that Nishioka "deserves a mulligan" for his tough 2011 season. Nishioka suffered a broken leg in his first season in the Major Leagues.
"We have had more meetings with our training and medical staff this season than in the ten years prior to," Antony said in regards to how the Twins responded to last year's injury-riddled season. Still, Antony doesn't lay blame on the training staff: "These are the guys who were in place the year before, and the year before, and the year before that, so it’s not like all of a sudden they don’t know how to do their job. And last year, it was a perfect storm of everything that could do wrong, did go wrong."

Nationals Notes: Zimmerman, Rendon, Strasburg, Harper

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2012 at 3:32pm CDT

It's time for some Nationals notes, courtesy of Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.

"I think I want to play third base until someone is better than me at it," Ryan Zimmerman explained to Kilgore. The topic comes up because last year's first-round draft pick Anthony Rendon is a third baseman by trade, and if Zimmerman were to be extended, someone would have to change positions if Rendon proceeds to the Majors and is not traded. On Rendon specifically, Zimmerman said, "If he comes up and plays third and plays second or whatever, then I’m going to be his best friend there. In the end, he’s going to help us win games. That’s the most important thing."
Rendon is in big league camp because of his draft contract, but Kilgore thinks he may begin his pro career at Class A Potomac. The Nationals intend to play Rendon at third base, second base, and shortstop, at least during spring training, but manager Davey Johnson downplayed the extra infield positions, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. Rendon was deferential to Zimmerman in his comments.
The Nationals intend to use Stephen Strasburg until he hits his innings limit and then shut him down, GM Mike Rizzo told reporters. There's an expectation of a 160-inning cap, and Rizzo doesn't seem to be considering a six-man rotation or skipping Strasburg's starts. I imagine skipping Strasburg starts while he's in good health could upset some fans who buy tickets specifically to watch him pitch.
Super prospect Bryce Harper says he intends to "keep my mouth shut and play," but certainly aims to make the team out of spring training. Kilgore mentions Super Two considerations for the team, and it's worth noting that the new collective barganing agreement will result in more players getting that designation than in years past.
A potential Mike Cameron replacement will come internally, said Rizzo. Mark DeRosa could play right field if Jayson Werth is in center, while Jason Michaels and Brett Carroll are in camp in minor league deals. Roger Bernadina may have a leg up as an out of options player, in my opinion. Here's MLBTR's full list of players who are out of minor league options.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Wright, Mets, Blanton

By Zachary Links | February 19, 2012 at 9:57pm CDT

This morning we learned that Mike Cameron has decided to retire after 17 seasons in the majors. The 39-year-old played for eight different teams during his career and won three Gold Gloves. Here's more on the Nats and other notes from around the National League East..

Last week, the three-way trade the Phillies were looking to send Joe Blanton to the Angels for Bobby Abreu, then flip Abreu to the Yankees for A.J. Burnett, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Phillies' thinking was that two years of Burnett would have provided at least a bit of a safety net if they lost Cole Hamels to free agency, Olney tweets.
Cameron's retirement will force the Nationals to get creative in center field and possibly look for another right-handed hitter at the position, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider. Alternatively, Washington could let either Rick Ankiel or Roger Bernadina take the job outright or move Jayson Werth to center field and put Bryce Harper in right.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter) spoke with Cameron who said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo tried to talk the veteran out of retiring. The center fielder said that he made up his mind last Wednesday.
Third baseman David Wright's future with the Mets is likely independent of the club's performance, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The Mets hold a $16MM team option on the 29-year-old for next season, but Wright can void that option if he is traded.
Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton isn't worried about hearing his name in trade rumors, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies have reportedly shopped Blanton in order to create payroll flexibility and explored a three-way trade to land A.J. Burnett before he was traded to the Pirates.

Mike Cameron To Retire

By Zachary Links | February 19, 2012 at 10:24am CDT

Outfielder Mike Cameron has notified the Nationals that he will retire, according to the team's official Twitter account. Cameron also drew interest from the Indians this winter before signing a minor league deal with Washington in December.

The 39-year-old was designated for assignment by the Red Sox in June before being dealt to the Marlins. In total, Cameron hit just .203/.285/.359 in 269 combined plate appearances and saw his season come to an end when he was released by the Marlins for conduct detrimental to the team.

In 17 big league seasons, Cameron hit .249/.338/.444 with 278 home runs for eight different clubs. According to Baseball Reference, the centerfielder earned more than $76MM over the course of his career.

Poll: Who Had The Better Offseason, Marlins Or Nats?

By Mark Polishuk | February 17, 2012 at 1:28pm CDT

The NL East was the most improved division in baseball this winter and it was almost entirely due to the efforts of just two teams. The Marlins and Nationals both made big strides towards joining the Phillies and Braves in what could be a spirited pennant race this season. (Sorry, Mets fans.)

With their new ballpark opening this April, the Marlins decided to take the opportunity to overhaul the entire franchise, debuting new uniforms, a new logo and even a new name, as the Florida Marlins made way for the Miami Marlins. The first major move came when Ozzie Guillen was hired as the team's new manager and then the Fish took the free agent market by storm. Miami signed Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell for a combined $191MM — a stunning outlay for traditional small-payroll club. The starting rotation was further bolstered by trades for Wade LeBlanc and the controversial Carlos Zambrano. Between these moves and Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez looking to rebound from injury and a poor season, respectively, it's easy to see why some pundits have picked the Marlins to reach the playoffs this year.

The Nationals are also getting some love from the preseason analysts. Washington's offseason was a bit more low-key to start with, as the club focused on bolstering their minor league depth, re-signing Chien-Ming Wang and adding Ryan Perry to the bullpen. January, however, was much busier, as the Nats dealt four of their best prospects in order to acquire Gio Gonzalez from the A's and then promptly locked the left-hander up in a five-year extension. GM Mike Rizzo then completed his search for starting pitching by signing Edwin Jackson to a one-year contract, thus pairing Jackson and Gonzalez along with Wang, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann in what could be one of the strongest rotations in baseball.

The Marlins are clearly trying to win now. The Nationals may still be looking to 2013 as their true "go for it" year, but with Strasburg recovered from Tommy John surgery and other impact players like Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse on board, it wouldn't be surprising to see Washington contend right now. With all this in mind, which team's offseason do you think was the most impressive?

Who Had The Better Offseason?

Marlins 45.76% (4,785 votes)

Nationals 41.10% (4,297 votes)

About equal 13.14% (1,374 votes)

Total Votes: 10,456

Quick Hits: Prospects, Soler, Zimmerman

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 13, 2012 at 10:30pm CDT

Yahoo's Jeff Passan presents the projected 2012 payroll for every MLB team, from the Yankees ($204MM) to the Pirates ($46MM). Those two clubs are currently working on a trade and, oddly enough, the Pirates would be the ones absorbing salary. Here are tonight’s links…

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus lists the game's top 101 prospects and Matt Moore, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Jurickson Profar and Julio Teheran lead the way. The entire list is worth checking out and it doesn't require a subscription.
ESPN.com's Keith Law presents a different kind of prospects list — one based on potential impact in 2012. Moore, Devin Mesoraco and Jesus Montero occupy the first three spots on Law's list.
The Marlins don't seem likely to pursue Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets. The Cubs appear to be willing to spend $27.5MM to land Soler and are the favorites to sign him.
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman remains open to an extension, but he hasn't changed his stance on the timeline for a deal and the start of Spring Training remains an informal deadline, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. There haven't been recent developments regarding a deal for Zimmerman.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports lists five teams that aren't going to make the World Series in 2012: the Mets, Astros, Mariners, Athletics and White Sox.

Minor Moves: Mitch Atkins, Steve Holm

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2012 at 5:36pm CDT

Let's keep track of the day's minor league signings right here…

The Nationals have signed right-hander Mitch Atkins, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Atkins, 26, allowed ten runs in 10 2/3 innings for the Orioles last season, and has thrown a handful of big league innings in each of the last three years.
The Rockies have signed catcher Steve Holm, tweets Eddy. The 32-year-old had two hits and a walk in 18 plate appearances for the Twins last year, his first big league action since 2009. Eddy notes that Holm is the sixth catcher Colorado has signed to a minor league deal this offseason.

Nationals Sign Mark Teahen

By Tim Dierkes | February 6, 2012 at 2:27pm CDT

The Nationals announced today they've signed infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen to a minor league deal. They also announced their deal with outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Teahen, 30, hit .200/.273/.300 in 177 plate appearances for the White Sox last year, appearing at the infield and outfield corners. The Blue Jays took Teahen and his contract from the White Sox last summer to facilitate their temporary acquisition of Edwin Jackson. The Jays ended up releasing Teahen last month. He's represented by CAA Sports.

The Nationals will also have Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Chad Tracy, Mike Cameron, Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels, and Xavier Paul in camp competing for part-time roles on the big league club.

Quick Hits: Ankiel, Kuo, Oswalt, Reds, Nationals

By Zachary Links | February 5, 2012 at 10:26pm CDT

On this date in 1983, the Blue Jays traded Leon Roberts to the Royals for a minor leaguer by the name of Cecil Fielder. Fielder made his Major League debut in 1985 and played for the Blue Jays through 1989 before having his contract sold to the Hanshin Tigers. Fielder returned to MLB with the Detroit Tigers in 1990 where he made three All-Star appearances in his first four years with the club. Here's a look at tonight's links..

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) points out that the Mets had been eyeing Rick Ankiel, who signed with the Nats earlier today. The Mets are in search of a left-handed bat off of the bench and have also been linked to Kosuke Fukudome, Raul Ibanez, and Johnny Damon.
Clubs that have been interested in Hong-Chih Kuo believe that he'll wind up signing with the Mariners, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Earlier today, agent Alan Chang told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that his client is close to deciding on a team.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that it would be tough to clear the payroll space necessary to sign Roy Oswalt. Fay writes that the only tradeable member of the Reds' rotation making significant money is Homer Bailey. Moving Bailey's $2.425MM contract to make room for one year of Oswalt would be risky, but the club has exhibited an all-in attitude recently.
If GM Mike Rizzo doesn't add another center fielder, Rick Ankiel should have a decent opportunity to win a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day lineup and perhaps platoon with fellow veteran Mike Cameron in center field, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider.
Earlier this offseason, sources said there was a feeling within the organization that Ankiel might not be able to maintain the offensive productivity he showed in spurts last season if he's primarily coming off of the bench, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times.

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