Nationals Rumors

Many Teams In On Roy Oswalt; No Deal Close

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 21, 2011 at 5:11pm CDT

Roy Oswalt is believed to have drawn some interest from the Red Sox, Nationals, Marlins, Blue Jays, Yankees, Rangers and Twins, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. However, Oswalt is waiting for trade candidates such as Gio Gonzalez to be dealt before agreeing to a contract.

Interest in the 34-year-old right-hander spiked with yesterday’s news that he’s looking for a one-year deal. However, the Rangers won the bidding for Yu Darvish and already have a full rotation, so their interest in Oswalt may be fading. The Yankees seem to have prioritized others and the Twins may not be able to afford the Bob Garber client.

Nationals Pushing Hard For Gio Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 21, 2011 at 4:48pm CDT

4:48pm: The Nationals are believed to be willing to include multiple top prospects for Gonzalez, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are obviously off-limits, but prospects such as Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, Destin Hood, Eury Perez and A.J. Cole could be available.

WEDNESDAY, 11:57am: Trying to trade for Gonzalez is the Nationals' top priority, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson. According to Ladson, Brad Peacock and Derek Norris are two of the players the Athletics are looking at in a possible four-for-one deal. Nothing is imminent yet, as the Blue Jays and Red Sox are also "heavily in the mix."

MONDAY, 7:22pm: The Nationals are pushing hard for Gio Gonzalez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A's and Nationals are discussing a possible four-for-one deal involving the left-hander. The Marlins, Red Sox and Rangers are also showing strong interest in Gonzalez, according to Rosenthal.

The Nationals, who have Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan and Chien-Ming Wang in their projected 2012 rotation, are poised to contend before long. The addition of Gonzalez would give manager Davey Johnson someone who has reached the 200 inning plateau in each of the past two season without posting an ERA over 3.23 in that time. However, obtaining him from the A's won't be easy. Gonzalez has many suitors and Oakland's asking price remains high.

MLBTR projects a $4.2MM salary for Gonzalez in 2012, the first of his four seasons as an arbitration eligible player. While most teams –the Nationals included — can stomach a $4.2MM salary for an established, young left-handed starter, the penny-pinching A's won't necessarily be able to afford Gonzalez through 2015 unless they resolve their stadium situation soon.

Nationals Claim Carlos Rivero

By Dan Mennella | December 21, 2011 at 12:56pm CDT

The Nationals announced that they have claimed third baseman Carlos Rivero off waivers from the Phillies. The move gives Washington 37 players on its 40-man roster.

Rivero, 23, spent 2011 in the Phillies' organization, mostly with Double-A Reading, hitting .275/.331/.440 with 15 homers with the R-Phils. The former shortstop was originally signed by the Indians as a non-drafted free agent in 2005 before being claimed off waivers by the Phillies in November 2010.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Wednesday

By Luke Adams 2 | December 21, 2011 at 9:39am CDT

With Carlos Beltran expected to make a decision soon, the gap between Prince Fielder and the second-best hitter on the free agent market could grow even wider by the end of the week. Yesterday's rumors described varying levels of interest in the slugger from the Mariners, Cubs, Orioles, and Rangers. We'll follow today's Fielder items here…

The Nationals have Fielder on their radar, though they've been keeping a low profile in the process, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. According to Heyman, the Nats are one of about a half-dozen teams still eyeing the first baseman, and some of those clubs have either made offers or indicated "where they'd be willing to go monetarily."
Heyman also hears from people close to Fielder that the 27-year-old may prefer to stay in the East or Central time zones as opposed to playing on the West Coast.

Quick Hits: Oswalt, Andruw, Dobbs, Cuddyer

By Dan Mennella | December 20, 2011 at 11:31pm CDT

A few notes to pass along as Tuesday becomes Wednesday …

The Red Sox haven't ruled out signing Roy Oswalt, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, although sources say the right-hander is not a priority for them. Earlier today we heard that interest in Oswalt has spiked significantly since he's been telling teams he's willing to sign for a one-year deal.
It seemed inevitable that Yankees would re-sign Andruw Jones earlier this offseason, but Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports the camps have not made much progress and that the outfielder is garnering interest from other teams, including the Red Sox.
The Nationals are among the final three suitors for free agent pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com, who adds that the Marlins are reported to be in the mix, as well.
Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer told reporters, including Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities radio, that he and the Twins never had discussions about re-signing once they reached agreement with Josh Willingham (Twitter link).
The Braves thought they may have been close to trading Jair Jurrjens to the Reds last weekend until Cincinnati instead acquired Mat Latos from the Padres, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman in a mailbag.
In an interesting thinkpiece at Baseball Prospectus, Ben Lindbergh examines why it's becoming increasingly difficult for a GM to stand out from his peers.

Nationals To Sign Tracy, Carroll, Paul

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 20, 2011 at 8:55am CDT

The Nationals announced that they agreed to sign Chad Tracy, Brett Carroll and Xavier Paul to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. The team also confirmed minor league deals for Jeff Fulchino, Waldis Joaquin, Carlos Maldonado, Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Jason Michaels. The Nationals will also invite right-hander Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Corey Brown to Spring Training.

Tracy, 31, owns a .278/.337/.445 line in seven big league seasons, but hasn't produced much at the plate since 2007. The corner infielder spent the 2011 season with the Hiroshima Carp, posting a .235/.293/.336 line in 164 plate appearances. Carroll, 29, has big league experience in each of the past five seasons and can play all three outfield positions. In 322 career plate appearances, he has a .203/.281/.322 line. Paul spent the 2011 season with the Pirates and Dodgers, posting a .255/.292/.346 line in 262 plate appearances.

NL East Notes: DeRosa, Hamels, Martinez, Prado

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2011 at 9:41pm CDT

Ed Wade is heading back to the NL East after four years in Houston. Here are more links from the division, starting with Wade’s longtime team…

Mark DeRosa says he's interested in playing for the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links). However, other teams are interested and DeRosa is not close to making a decision.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says he's comfortable heading into Spring Training with the team he has, according to Paul Hagen of MLB.com. The Phillies have already made major free agent signings, added complementary players such as Laynce Nix, Jim Thome and Dontrelle Willis and signed players to minor league deals, as our Free Agent Tracker shows.
Those who know Cole Hamels doubt he would give the Phillies much of a discount on a potential extension, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. The 27-year-old John Boggs & Associates client posted a 2.79 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 52.3% ground ball rate in 215 innings this past season. He's set to hit free agency after the 2012 season (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $14MM salary for Hamels in his final season of arbitration eligibility).
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com shows that the Mets already have a projected payroll in the $90MM range. GM Sandy Alderson has suggested the team's payroll could be less than $100MM, so the Mets may not have much offseason shopping remaining.
The Mets are interested in catcher Luis Martinez, who was designated for assignment by the Padres on Sunday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (on Twitter). The 26-year-old hit .203/.309/.305 in 68 plate appearances with the Padres this past season.
The Braves and Rockies have continued discussing a possible deal that would send Seth Smith to Atlanta for Martin Prado, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Braves appear to be seeing what they can get for Jair Jurrjens first, however. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examined possible suitors for Smith earlier today, including the Braves despite their preference for a right-handed hitter.

Nationals Agree To Sign Mike Cameron

By Mike Axisa | December 19, 2011 at 4:28pm CDT

The Nationals have agreed to sign outfielder Mike Cameron to a minor league deal, the team announced (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (on Twitter).

Cameron, 39 in January, also drew interest from the Indians recently. His production took a big dip in 2011, when he hit just .203/.285/.359 in 269 overall plate appearances with the Red Sox and Marlins. The advanced metrics continue to rate his outfield defense very well, however. Washington figures to keep looking for a long-term solution in center field, but Cameron represents a solid stopgap player or bench piece.

Blue Jays Favored To Win Rights To Yu Darvish

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2011 at 10:03pm CDT

10:03pm: The Nippon-Ham Fighters are keeping information of the winning bid "very tight," tweets Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. A source tells Passan that Darvish himself doesn't know the price of the winning bid.

6:04pm: There are reports from Japan indicating the winning bid for Darvish was around $48MM, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Castrovince includes a Blue Jays hashtag on his tweet, but notes that nothing is confirmed about either the bid price or the winning team.

12:24pm: The Nationals did not bid on Darvish, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.

7:43am: The Blue Jays bid more than $40MM and possibly close to $50MM for Yu Darvish and are now favorites to win exclusive negotiating rights with him, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Multiple sources confirm the Post's report to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com, who says the Blue Jays "won the bidding" (Twitter link).

The Yankees also posted a bid on Darvish, but it's not expected to top Toronto's bid, according to King. The Rangers made a bid and there's a belief the Cubs made a large bid, the Post reports. Rogers Communications, which owns the Blue Jays, ordered the team to make a "monster" bid, King reports.

The Nippon Ham Fighters have until 4pm CDT on December 20th to accept or reject the high bid for Darvish. The Fighters don't know the identity of the MLB team that won the bidding on Darvish, but they're expected to accept the bid.

NL East Links: Oswalt, Davis, Cedeno, Cuddyer

By Mark Polishuk | December 16, 2011 at 5:41pm CDT

Here's the latest from the National League East…

The Nationals "have had little contact with" Roy Oswalt, a source tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson. We heard last week that Oswalt was the Nats' "plan B" once Mark Buehrle signed with Miami. The Nats didn't bid on Yu Darvish and won't meet Oakland's price for Gio Gonzalez, so the club may stick with its current rotation.
Ladson believes the Nationals will look for bench help before re-entering the pitching market. To that end, Ladson reports the team is maintaining interest in Mike Cameron, Mark DeRosa and Greg Dobbs. (Both links go to Ladson's Twitter account.)
The Marlins are interested in Rays right-hander Wade Davis, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. With Matt Moore, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson as untouchables and the Rays seemingly determined to keep James Shields, Davis and Jeff Niemann are the most likely Rays pitchers to be moved, if the club does indeed try to deal from its pitching surplus. The inter-Florida rivals have already completed one (lower-profile) trade this offseason, involving righty Burke Badenhop.
The Mets have talked to Ronny Cedeno and Jack Wilson, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Wilson has been linked to the Mets for a few weeks, but Cedeno is a new name in the mix for the Amazins. The Red Sox and Braves have also had interest in Cedeno this offseason.
Also from Heyman, the Phillies made Michael Cuddyer an early contract offer worth more than $25MM. The club lost interest in Cuddyer, however, after signing Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix. Cuddyer agreed to a three-year, $31.5MM deal today with the Rockies.
Dontrelle Willis sounded confident that he will play alongside his longtime friend Jimmy Rollins with the Phillies next season, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Jose Reyes has yet to speak to Hanley Ramirez since signing with the Marlins, according to The Associated Press. "As soon as I have the opportunity, I'm going to talk to him, because we are very good friends," Reyes said. "We're both here for one reason — to win the World Series. It doesn't matter where I'm going to play or where he's going to play."
The Braves will rely on several players aged 24 and under next season, but Fangraphs' Jason Roberts thinks the health of veterans like Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson are bigger concerns for the club.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Nationals Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect