Nationals Rumors

Red Sox, Francona, Epstein Links: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | October 1, 2011 at 3:56pm CDT

The Red Sox and manager Terry Francona parted ways following Boston's September collapse yesterday, ending an eight-year run together. Soon after, we learned that White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper was pushing for Francona (after Ozzie Guillen's departure), and that the Red Sox will conduct a thorough search for their next skipper. Let's keep track of the latest regarding the Sox, Francona, and GM Theo Epstein right here throughout the day, with the latest up top…

Epstein is interested in becoming the Cubs GM, tweets Peter Gammons, and it remains to be seen whether Red Sox owner John Henry can perhaps convince Esptein to stay in Boston as co-CEO and promote assistant GM Ben Cherington. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently interviewed Cherington as part of MLBTR's GM Candidates series, so be sure to check that out to learn more about him.
After speaking to a few people familiar with the Nationals' thinking, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post doesn't think the Nats will pursue Francona.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link) has spoken to many executives over the last two days who believe Epstein will be granted permission to interview for the Cubs' GM opening, and that he'll end up in Chicago. No one in the Red Sox organization has given a definitive "no" when discussing Epstein to the Cubs, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe notes.
The White Sox continue to focus on their original short list for managerial candidates, even with Francona now available, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle hears that the Red Sox have interest in Mariners manager Eric Wedge, but there is no indication that the Mariners would be willing to let him go (Twitter link).
Bobby Valentine has support in at least "one important corner" of the Red Sox front office according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter), and he will presumably be brought in for an interview.
In another tweet, Olney reminds us that Epstein is the x-factor because he may not be with the team next month as the Cubs GM job continues to loom.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier looked at everything we learned from the Francona situation and the fallout of Boston's collapse in a must-read piece for Red Sox fans.
The Boston Globe listed five potential candidates for the Sox's now vacant managerial job.

Nationals Notes: Johnson, Werth, Hernandez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 28, 2011 at 7:08pm CDT

Stephen Strasburg struck out ten Marlins without allowing a run over six innings of work in Washington's season finale this afternoon. Here are the latest links on the Nationals, who finish the season with an impressive 80-81 record…

Nationals manager Davey Johnson told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he hopes to be managing the team again in 2012 (Twitter link). "I know I'm the best candidate," he said. Jon Heyman of SI.com has been reporting for a while that Johnson can have the Nationals' job if he wants it, though GM Mike Rizzo is expected to go through with a complete search.
Jayson Werth bristles at the idea that 2011 was a lost season for him and the Nationals, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Werth feels that he's helped the team improve by working with other veterans to change its culture. Within Kilgore’s piece, Werth says he's not particularly good at dealing with failure and offers other insights into his first season with Washington.
Livan Hernandez declined to say whether he and the Nationals have discussed a contract for next year, but he repeated his interest in re-signing with Washington, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

NL East Notes: Cora, Ankiel, Igarashi, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 26, 2011 at 9:42pm CDT

The big off-field news of the night is that the Marlins are working to acquire manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox. On the field, the Phillies picked up their 100th win of the season at the expense of the Braves, whose struggles continued. Here are the latest NL East links…

Nationals utility player Alex Cora told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he intends to continue playing in 2012 and, potentially, beyond. Kilgore notes that teams inquired about Cora's interest in managing last offseason and adds that GM Mike Rizzo has interest in the 35-year-old as a future coach.
Rick Ankiel, a free agent after the season, told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he wants to return to D.C. next year since he believes the organization is headed in the right direction. The Nationals entered the day with 78 wins, the most they've had in any season since 2005.
Ryota Igarashi wants to pitch for an MLB team in 2012 and the Mets will release him if they don't reach a deal by a certain date, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin (Twitter links). Rubin doubts that the 32-year-old will return to the Mets in 2012.
The Marlins interviewed hitting coach Eduardo Perez along with third base Joe Espada and Nationals coach Bo Porter for their managerial opening today, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). For more on the Marlins, click here.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Buehrle, Draft

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 26, 2011 at 6:05pm CDT

On this date in 1998, 39-year-old Rickey Henderson stole his 66th base of the season, Mark McGwire hit home runs #67 and 68 and Dennis Eckersley appeared in the final game of his career, breaking Hoyt Wilhelm's all-time appearances record by pitching in his 1071st game. Will today be as eventful? It's doubtful, but there are still 15 games on the schedule. Here are today's links…

MLBTR will be holding a free agent prediction contest shortly after the World Series ends. If your company would like to contribute a cool prize or prizes for the contest, please email mlbtrsponsors@gmail.com. There will be one MLBTR post outlining the prizes, for which each bullet will be for a sponsor and will include one link to a website related to the product contributed.
Bo Porter, the Nationals' third base coach, interviewed for the Marlins' managerial opening today, according to Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Porter, who interviewed for the opening last year, has another shot at the job, since Jack McKeon is set to retire.
Mark Buehrle told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that the White Sox haven't discussed a new deal with his agent (Twitter links). The left-hander, who hits free agency after the season, confirmed that he's looking to play for a few more years.
Though it doesn't appear that commissioner Bud Selig will get draft slotting in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, it does seem likely that the signing deadline (currently August 15th) will be moved up in 2012, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Callis' sources say an earlier signing deadline is a "slam dunk."

Gomes Would Likely Accept Arbitration Offer

By Tim Dierkes | September 26, 2011 at 2:42pm CDT

When the Nationals acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes from the Reds on July 26th, one consideration was the possibility of a supplemental draft pick. Gomes projected as a Type B free agent then, and still did as of a few weeks ago. However, Gomes wants to remain with the Nationals, and he told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that if the team offers arbitration, "I'll probably take it."

In Gomes, Rick Ankiel, and Laynce Nix, the Nationals have three veteran free agent oufielders. In the opinion of GM Mike Rizzo, "all three of them have had good solid seasons." Gomes, 30, is hitting .209/.325/.389 with 14 home runs in 372 plate appearances this year for the Nationals and Reds. He's shown an improved inclination to draw walks, though his power has been lacking. As a pinch-hitter Gomes has one hit and six walks in 43 plate appearances, but as a starter he's hitting .233/.347/.436 in 329 PAs.

NL East Notes: Nats, Pelfrey, Mets, Strasburg

By Steve Adams | September 25, 2011 at 6:39pm CDT

The Phillies have already clinched the NL East, while the Braves cling to a two-game lead in the NL Wild Card race entering play today. Here's some news that focuses primarily on a couple of other teams in the Senior Circuit's Eastern Division…

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo expects a relatively quick resolution to the open managerial situation, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Rizzo said he will interview candidates both inside and outside the organization.
In addition to targeting an impact starting pitcher (mentioned below), the Nationals would like to add a high-OBP outfielder to hit atop their lineup, writes Ben Goessling of MASNsports. Previous targets have included Denard Span, Michael Bourn, and B.J. Upton. Goessling says Washington is once again a logical landing place for Upton.
The Mets will not renew the contracts of Wayne Krivsky and Bryan Lambe when they expire on October 31, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Both front office executives date back to Omar Minaya's time as GM. Krivsky, a former Reds GM, was responsible for bringing Justin Turner to the organization.
It's likely that the Mets tender Mike Pelfrey a contract, but the right-hander is still searching for a new pitch after a disappointing 2011 season, writes Andy McCullough of the New Jersy Star-Ledger.
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says the club is targeting an impact starting pitcher and another bat this offseason, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Earlier this week we heard they were scouting C.J. Wilson.
According to an AP report (via the Boston Herald), the Nationals will have Stephen Strasburg on an innings limit in 2012.

NL East Notes: Wang, Rollins, Nunez, Capuano

By Mark Polishuk | September 23, 2011 at 7:32pm CDT

The Nationals have won nine of their last eleven games, including a four-game sweep of the Phillies. They'll try to keep their hot streak alive tonight against the struggling Braves, who hold just a two-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL wild card race. Some news from the NL East….

The Nationals are in the "preliminary stages" of negotiations with Chien-Ming Wang about an extension, Wang's agent Alan Nero tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link).
C.C. Sabathia thinks Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins may sign with the Giants in the offseason, reports Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Sabathia and Rollins are long-time friends and, as Heyman notes, Rollins was the first to predict that Sabathia would sign with the Yankees in the 2008-09 offseason.
The Marlins may have been unable to deal Leo Nunez at the trade deadline due to the ongoing saga of Nunez's true identity, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Within that same link, Dan LeBatard is reporting that Major League Baseball (who must've been aware of Nunez's issues, as the Marlins were) nixed a deal involving Nunez last July.
Chris Capuano is interested in returning to the Mets next year but said he prefers to be a starting pitcher whenever he goes, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
Jose Reyes likes playing for the Mets but isn't sure how his free agency will play out this winter, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. "This is the only team that I played [for] so far in my whole career," Reyes said. "I feel comfortable here. I feel good with the ownership. I feel like we are family and stuff like that. At the same time, this is a business. And to be honest with you, I don't know what's going to happen.
Davey Johnson wants the Nationals to add some outfield depth this winter, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
Tyler Kepner of the New York Times explores the possibility that southpaw Mike Zagurski (dealt from the Phillies to the Diamondbacks earlier today) could end up returning to Philadelphia as the player to be named later in the deal, a rare "traded for himself" move.

East Notes: Blue Jays, Marlins, Nationals

By Dan Mennella | September 22, 2011 at 9:00pm CDT

Here are a few items of note regarding the offseason plans for teams that reside in MLB's East divisions …

The Blue Jays will be more active on the trade market than in free agency this offseason, GM Alex Anthopoulous tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. “Philosophically speaking, if we want to improve the club, free agency is the last area I want to go to,” says Anthopoulos. Still, some in the organization feel the Jays need another starter, according to Davidi, and Yu Darvish remains a possible target. The Jays will also look to improve their bullpen.
The Marlins will interview Nationals third-base coach Bo Porter for their managerial vacancy this offseason, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Porter, 39, is considered a "rising star" among future managerial candidates, according to Kilgore, and could take over in Washington if Davey Johnson does not return as Nationals skipper in 2012.
As mentioned above, the Nationals could have a managerial vacancy of their own this offseason. Among the candidates to replace interim manager Johnson are first-base coach Trent Jewett, Triple-A Syracuse manager Randy Knorr, and Porter, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Quick Hits: Willingham, Rivera, Royals, Wilson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 21, 2011 at 9:06pm CDT

Links for Wednesday, as the Cardinals, Rays and Angels try to make improbable surges into the playoffs with some late-season magic…

It appeared that Manny Ramirez was going to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic, but he is ineligible to play there because he has "unresolved drug program violations" with MLB, which is an affiliate of the Dominican League, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
Josh Willingham, a free agent after the season, told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that manager Bob Melvin's extension helps make Oakland an appealing destination (Twitter link).
Joel Sherman of the New York Post chronicles the obstacles that Mariano Rivera had to overcome before throwing a single MLB pitch. The Yankees left Rivera unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft and nearly traded him in 1995.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney predicts that a wide variety of teams including the Marlins and Nationals will be interested in C.J. Wilson this offseason (Twitter link). We heard earlier today that the Nationals are scouting the Rangers left-hander.
The Royals intend to trade for a starting pitcher this winter, but they don’t intend to trade Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas or Danny Duffy and probably won’t part with Jake Odorizzi or Mike Montgomery, either, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. They are one of the many teams with interest in Wilson.

Nationals Scouting C.J. Wilson

By Tim Dierkes | September 21, 2011 at 11:10am CDT

The Nationals will have a scout at C.J. Wilson's start tonight in Oakland, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ladson takes this as a sign that the Nationals will "more than likely" have interest in signing Wilson as a free agent after the season.

Wilson, 31 in November, is putting the finishing touches on a fantastic regular season. He has a 2.97 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9, and 49.5% groundball rate in 215 1/3 innings. The lefty has been tough to hit as well.

A 2012 rotation led by Wilson, Stephen Strasburg, and Jordan Zimmermann could make the Natioanals contenders. They'll have to ante up, as Wilson has a strong case for a contract bigger than the five-year, $82.5MM deals given to John Lackey and A.J. Burnett.

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