Nationals Sign Xavier Nady
9:22am: Nady's contract doesn't have any outs and the veteran will start the season with Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
8:49am: The Nationals have signed Xavier Nady to a minor league deal, a source tells Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (via Twitter). Nady will only attend minor league camp this spring and won't be involved with the Nats' major league camp.
Adding Nady to the minor league mix gives the Nationals additional insurance in the wake of injuries to Mike Morse and Adam LaRoche. The 33-year-old appeared in 82 games for the Diamondbacks last season and hit .248/.287/.359 with four homers.
The veteran was linked to the Giants over the winter as both clubs were said to have interest in a minor league deal. For his career, Nady owns a .275/.328/.438 slashline across ten seasons.
Poll: Best Trade Package For A Young Pitcher
When the offseason started, we figured it would be headlined by a pair of MVP caliber bats (Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder) and a Japanese import (Yu Darvish). While those three certainly garnered their fair share of attention, the winter was mostly dominated by trades involving young, high-upside pitchers with multiple years of team control remaining.
The Doug Fister trade seemed to get it all started. The Mariners sent him and David Pauley to the Tigers for Francisco Martinez, Casper Wells, Charlie Furbush, and Chance Ruffin at the trade deadline. Four similar young, high-upside starters with multiple years of contractual control remaining were traded this offseason. Here are those deals, presented chronologically…
- Athletics trade Trevor Cahill (and Craig Breslow) to the Diamondbacks for Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill, and Ryan Cook.
- Padres trade Mat Latos to the Reds for Edinson Volquez, Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso, and Brad Boxberger.
- Athletics trade Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals for Brad Peacock, A.J. Cole, Tom Milone, and Derek Norris.
- Mariners trade Michael Pineda (and Jose Campos) to the Yankees for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi.
Each trade involved multiple young players going the other way, including at least one top 100 prospect according to Baseball America. Which team got the best return for their young hurler?
Which team received the best return for their young pitcher?
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Padres for Latos 44% (8,892)
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Mariners for Pineda 30% (6,046)
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Athletics for Gonzalez 20% (4,090)
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Athletics for Cahill 6% (1,255)
Total votes: 20,283
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Montero, Desmond
Four teams have won the NL West since 2006 and the Rockies, the lone team never to win the division, have made the postseason twice in that six-year period. Here are the latest links on the NL West…
- The leaders of two failed bids for the Dodgers will appeal MLB's decision to a mediator, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times writes.
- Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com hears from sources who expect the Dodgers to bid aggressively on free agents once a new ownership group is in place.
- The Diamondbacks had been hoping to lock Miguel Montero up for $8MM per season, but he may cost $12MM now that Yadier Molina signed a deal worth $15MM annually, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reports (all links go to Twitter). Towers is already eyeing catchers in the minors and Majors, Bowden reports.
- The Diamondbacks are considering moving Josh Collmenter to the bullpen if and when a starting pitching prospect such as Trevor Bauer or Tyler Skaggs is ready, Bowden reports.
- GM Kevin Towers told Bowden the Diamondbacks have no interest in Ian Desmond. They were linked to the Nationals shortstop earlier this week.
NL East Notes: Reyes, Utley, Vizcaino, Perez
Here's the latest from the NL East…
- Jose Reyes told reporters (including WFUV's Amit Badlani) that he signed with the Marlins because of the team's potential to contend, not just because of the money, as recently stated by Marlins president David Samson.
- Chase Utley's chronic right knee tendinitis "is not going away. More than likely, it might never go away," says Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told reporters, including CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. Utley has yet to play during Spring Training and the Phillies are known to be looking for infield depth for not only Utley, but also Ryan Howard and Placido Polanco. Prospect Freddy Galvis has seen a lot of time at second this spring, and Manuel thinks he could potentially handle the position should Utley miss significant time during the season.
- Braves right-hander Arodys Vizcaino will visit with Dr. James Andrews on Monday, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Vizcaino has been suffering from ulnar neuritis in his right elbow and could potentially face Tommy John surgery if Andrews feels the ailment is serious enough. Vizcaino is one of Atlanta's several top-tier pitching prospects and was recently ranked as the 40th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America.
- The Nationals optioned Eury Perez to Double-A today but some front office officials think he could be eventually be their answer in center field, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Adam Jones, B.J. Upton and Gerardo Parra are just a few of the many names that have been connected to Washington's search for a long-term center fielder. The 21-year-old Perez is coming off a .283/.319/.321 season for Class A Potomac in 2011 but he turned a lot of heads with an impressive Spring Training performance.
- For more Nationals news, check out this collection of Nats links from earlier today.
Nationals Notes: Wang, Lannan, Harper
Stephen Strasburg says he'll have to learn when to pitch to hitters and when to overpower them in order to develop further as an MLB pitcher, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. Here are some more notes on the Nationals…
- Nationals starter Chien-Ming Wang had to be helped off of the field after straining his left hamstring in today's Spring Training game against the Yankees. If Wang misses time with an injury, the Nationals may need trade candidate John Lannan in their Opening Day rotation after all.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com both reported today that Lannan's trade value isn't very high right now.
- Bryce Harper explained that he’s definitely hoping to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster, Kilgore reports. There was some confusion about Harper's expectations earlier in the week, but he still intends to break camp with the big league team.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains why it might make sense for the Nationals to play Harper in center field. "As far as I'm concerned, anybody that can throw and run like he can should have experience at all the outfield positions," manager Davey Johnson said. Harper, who played center field in last night’s exhibition game, could provide the Nationals with stability at a position they’ve had trouble solidifying.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Harper, Mets
The latest from the NL East…
- The Phillies are looking for infield help, so David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News explores the trade market for infielders. Alberto Callaspo of the Angels and Robert Andino of the Orioles could be available.
- Braves third baseman Chipper Jones tells Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post that he can see similarities between himself and top Nationals prospect Bryce Harper. However, Jones doesn't expect Harper, a fellow first overall draft pick, to approach him. "Let’s just say he doesn’t seem to me to be the type of kid who wants to walk up to me and pick my brain,” Jones said.
- An AL executive doubts the Nationals would get much in return if they trade John Lannan, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets.
- The Mets maintain interest in signing C.J. Nitkowski, but only if he has no physical issues, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo tweets. The club is in no rush to complete a deal.
- Josh Thole, Gaby Sanchez, Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Ian Desmond, Jason Heyward, Roger Bernadina, Chris Coghlan, Giancarlo Stanton, Tommy Hanson, Jonathon Niese, Stephen Strasburg, Bobby Parnell, Cristhian Martinez, Antonio Bastardo, Jonny Venters, Ryan Webb, Ross Detwiler and Henry Rodriguez are among the NL East players who could be arbitration eligible a year from now.
Rizzo: Lannan Not Actively Being Shopped
The Nationals have an excess of starting pitching and other teams are calling about left-hander John Lannan, but GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that he is not actively shopping the club's two-time Opening Day starter…
"I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of interest," said the GM. "I haven’t made any calls. I’ve fielded several calls. … But, again, this is way too early to say we have too much starting pitching."
"I am not actively shopping him," Rizzo added. "I haven’t actively shopped him all year, all winter."
Kilgore says the team is adamant about not trading Lannan for anything less than what they consider fair value, and they're fully prepared to option him to Triple-A if necessary. The 27-year-old southpaw will earn $5MM in 2012 after losing his arbitration hearing, and a competing GM told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the Nats should expect little in return if a new team absorbs his entire salary (Twitter link). Lannan can remain under team control as a arbitration-eligible player in 2013 before hitting the free agent market.
The Nationals added Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson to holdovers Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg this offseason. They also re-signed Chien-Ming Wang and have the out-of-options Ross Detwiler available as well. The Red Sox, Tigers, and Astros are said to be among the clubs with an eye on Lannan, who Tim Dierkes profiled as a trade candidate earlier this month.
Olney On Diamondbacks, Ackley, Cardinals
Some GMs believe the White Sox have set an extraordinarily high asking price for right-hander Gavin Floyd, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported last night. Olney passes on more rumors in today’s Insider-only column; here they are:
- Stephen Drew will likely miss Opening Day as he recovers from last summer’s ankle injury, and the Diamondbacks have started evaluating other long-term solutions at short. They’ve scouted Ian Desmond of the Nationals and could have interest in Cliff Pennington of the Athletics. Drew’s contract includes a $10MM mutual option for 2013, so replacing him isn’t a top priority just yet.
- Scouts say Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley looks “exceptional” this spring.
- The Cardinals could pursue free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt aggressively if Chris Carpenter isn’t ready for Opening Day.
AL Central Notes: Lannan, Pauley, Dotel, Floyd
Here's a look at some items on the Tigers and White Sox..
- The Tigers are keeping an eye on Nats pitcher John Lannan but have yet to have detailed talks involving him, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- In the end, Monday’s release of David Pauley had the feeling of a mercy move, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com. By releasing him now, the Tigers give the 28-year-old a better chance to hook on somewhere before pitching staffs are set.
- Octavio Dotel is set to pitch for his 13th club in 13 big league seasons, making him the ultimate nomad, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Mike Morgan, Ron Villone, and Matt Stairs were all close, having played for a dozen teams.
- There has been concern with Jacob Turner's drop in velocity this spring, but Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) spoke with execs with other clubs who say that scouts spotted this in late 2011 as well. The Tigers have said that they are not looking to trade the right-hander but he can reportedly be had in the right deal.
- Rival executives say that the price tag for White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd was huge over the winter, tweets Olney.
Latest On Gerardo Parra
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told reporters, including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, that he's had "no discussions" about trading outfielder Gerardo Parra this spring (Twitter link). The Diamondbacks view Parra "as very much a part of [the] club," Towers said.
The 24-year-old posted a .292/.357/.427 line in 493 plate appearances last year, winning a Gold Glove for his play in left field. This season, he figures to back up Jason Kubel, Chris Young and Justin Upton in the outfield and provide manager Kirk Gibson with a left-handed bat off of the bench. However, Danny Knobler of CBSSports heard that Parra is a possibility for the Nationals (Twitter link), who seek a long-term solution in center field.