Nationals Rumors

Giants Haven’t Contacted Other Teams About Catchers

By Mark Polishuk | May 27, 2011 at 7:04pm CDT

Giants GM Brian Sabean said he hasn't contacted any other clubs about finding a replacement behind the plate for Buster Posey, though several teams have made contact with him, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. For now, Sabean said the Giants are content to give backup catcher Eli Whiteside a chance to prove himself as an everyday player.

"[Whiteside has] been around the block," Sabean said. "And quite frankly, I don’t think anyone will trade us a catcher who’s any better than Whiteside. If someone is an all-around catcher, you’re not going to get that player in a trade."

Whiteside, 31, has been the backup in San Francisco for the last three seasons and has a career slash line of .229/.281/.363 in 316 plate appearances. While Whiteside's numbers aren't impressive, Sabean has a point about the shallow catching market and the lack of clear upgrades available. Washington is one of the few teams with catching depth, and the Giants reportedly contacted the Nationals about Ivan Rodriguez. As Baggarly notes, it may have been the Nats who made first contact if Sabean indeed hasn't made any calls.

Stark On Giants, Padres, Pence

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 27, 2011 at 4:30pm CDT

Now that Buster Posey is on the disabled list for the foreseeable future, the Giants are looking around for catching, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Ivan Rodriguez, a player the Giants have asked about, and Bengie Molina, a player who would like to return to San Francisco, are the team’s most viable options at this point. Here are the details from Stark, plus other notes from around the league:

The Nationals have been shopping Rodriguez since Spring Training and one executive says they would love to move him.
The Padres are starting to give indications that they’ll be willing to move Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick and Chad Qualls in a few weeks.
However, rival teams say the Padres are “not motivated” to talk about players who are under control through 2012 or later, such as reliever Mike Adams.
The Astros keep saying that they imagine Hunter Pence on Houston’s next winning team, which would presumably make him difficult to obtain this summer.

Nationals Notes: Rodriguez, Coffey

By Zachary Links | May 26, 2011 at 7:09pm CDT

The Nationals may have the day off but they're in the news thanks to interest in two players..

In the wake of Buster Posey's injury, the Giants have already asked the Nats about Ivan Rodriguez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Nats have received interest in Pudge from other teams including the Red Sox this season. The club has plenty of catching depth to work with if they do decide to deal Rodriguez.
The Rangers have inquired about Nationals right-hander Todd Coffey, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. While it's known that Texas is looking for a setup man, Ladson cautions that the two clubs are not in serious talks at the moment and it's not known whether the Nats would trade Coffey. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently highlighted Coffey as a non-tender from last offseason that is now exceeding expectations with a new ballclub.

Nationals Notes: Harper, Rodriguez, Werth

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 26, 2011 at 3:31pm CDT

The latest on the Nationals, who rest today before hosting the last-place Padres this weekend…

Top prospect Bryce Harper is hitting his way through the South Atlantic League with the help of his coaches and teammates and as Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes, last year's number one pick is just beginning his baseball odyssey.
As Adam Kilgore points out at the Washington Post, Ivan Rodriguez could appeal to the Giants, who lost Buster Posey to the disabled list, possibly for the rest of the season. The Nationals are one of few teams with catching depth to spare.
Jayson Werth, who signed a $126MM contract with Washington over the winter, has raised his OPS above .800 for the first time since April 14th and he tells Kilgore that he's feeling good. “I’m working in the right direction," he said. "I’m hitting balls hard, and I’ve got some confidence. I like where I’m at.”

Nationals Rumors: LaRoche, Ramirez, Bernadina

By Mike Axisa | May 24, 2011 at 7:11pm CDT

Livan Hernandez threw out the first pitch in Washington Nationals history, and tonight he's taking on the Brewers in his 456th career start. Let's recap the latest from the nation's capital…

MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that Adam LaRoche has a large tear in his labrum and some tearing in his rotator cuff (Twitter links). He'll rehab for two or three weeks, but won't swing a bat or throw.
GM Mike Rizzo told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that his team is "playing terrific baseball except for the fact that we’re struggling with runners in scoring position." He's not looking for scapegoats though, and he's satisfied with the work of manager Jim Riggleman and hitting coach Rick Eckstein. As a team, the Nats are hitting .223 with runners in scoring position, fifth worst in baseball.
Washington returned Rule 5 Draft pick Brian Broderick to the Cardinals yesterday, and Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says they won't have to make a decision on their other Rule 5 pick, reliever Elvin Ramirez, for a while. The former Mets' farmhand had shoulder surgery and will be out for the season. The Nats can keep him through the offseason, but the Rule 5 Draft rules will still apply in 2012.
Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wrote about the team's outfield logjam now that Rick Ankiel has come off the disabled list. They need to figure out if and how Roger Bernadina fits into their long-term plans.

Brian Broderick Returned To Cardinals

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 23, 2011 at 4:23pm CDT

The Cardinals accepted Rule 5 selection Brian Broderick back from the Nationals, according to Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). The Nationals get $25K back from the Cardinals to complete the transaction.

Broderick pitched 12 1/3 innings for the Nationals this year and allowed 16 hits and three walks while striking out four. Manager Jim Riggleman has not used the 24-year-old right-hander since May 13th. The Nationals claimed Broderick after a 2010 season in which he posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 150 innings as a starter in Class A and at Double-A.

Quick Hits: Holliday, Twins, Astros, Nats, Red Sox

By Steve Adams | May 22, 2011 at 1:47pm CDT

Some links to browse through on your Sunday afternoon…

The Matt Holliday contract is looking better every day, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Miklasz compares Holliday's deal to several other outfielders, including Alfonso Soriano and Jason Bay, in pointing out the early returns on the Cardinals' investment in Holliday.
Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press looks at some of the biggest trades to date from Twins GM Bill Smith as the trade deadline approaches. The Twins figure to be full-fledged sellers for the first time under Smith's watch.
Neither the Astros nor the Rockies are looking like winners of the Clint Barmes–for-Felipe Paulino swap this past offseason, writes the Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine. The Rox just DFA'ed Paulino while Barmes is hitting .191 in Houston. As Levine points out, the Astros' bigger loss to the Rockies was former closer Matt Lindstrom.
Zach Berman of the New Jersey Star Ledger takes a look at Nationals third base coach Bo Porter and his quest to become a Major League manager.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports opines that the Red Sox are a great team, but not yet complete as their bullpen has been overworked and exposed by a struggling rotation. He wonders if Boston will be in the hunt for an elite upgrade to its rotation prior to July 31 to take some of the pressure off the bullpen.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, DeRosa, LaRoche

By Dan Mennella | May 20, 2011 at 9:01pm CDT

Some items of note on Friday night as Danny Espinosa looks to collect a double to complete the cycle in the slugfest between the Nationals and Orioles …

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti admitted that he is exploring trade opportunities to help boost his sagging club, but he cautioned that it's tough to complete deals at this time of year without overpaying, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Giants utility man Mark DeRosa will see a specialist about his injured left wrist, for which he's already undergone two surgeries, but he's not considering retirement if doctors think he can make a full recovery, writes Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche said offseason negotiations with the Orioles never got serious enough that his decision to sign with Washington was especially tough, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Not to pile on the O's, but Mark Teixeira echoed a sentiment similar to LaRoche's a couple days back.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Inglett, Broderick

By Zachary Links | May 14, 2011 at 8:59pm CDT

Saturday evening linkage…

Frank McCourt told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers' roster would look the same even if the team didn't have financial problems. He was also vague about future payroll plans if the multi-billion dollar deal with FOX were to be approved (Twitter link).
B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com points out that the Cardinals will have to make room for Brian Tallet when the lefty comes off the disabled list next week (Twitter links). He doesn't think they'll cut ties with the struggling Ryan Franklin, but he says it's "debatable."
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that Joe Inglett has accepted his outright assignment and will join the Astros' Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Inglett could have elected free agency after clearing waivers earlier in the week.
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believes that pitcher Brian Broderick has a bright future in the big leagues, despite being DFA'd by the club earlier today, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
Manager Dusty Baker is curious to see if the newly activated Jose Arredondo can provide the Reds with the kind of pitching they expected upon signing him.
Dave Gershman of Beyond The Box Score examined the market for Padres pitcher Dustin Moseley.

Nationals Designate Brian Broderick For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | May 14, 2011 at 9:34am CDT

The Nationals have designated Brian Broderick for assignment according to the team's Twitter feed. The move clears a roster spot for Cole Kimball, who was called up from Triple-A.

Broderick, 24, was a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Cardinals this past offseason. He appeared in 11 games for the Nats, pitching to a 6.57 ERA in 12 1/3 relief innings. He allowed 16 hits, walked three and struck out just four, though his 60% ground ball rate is impressive. As a Rule 5 pick, Broderick must first clear waivers and be offered back to St. Louis before Washington could send him to the minors.

Kimball, 25, was rated as the Nats' seventh best prospect by Baseball America thanks to his "heavy fastball," splitter, curveball, and "fierce mound presence." They project him to be a set-up man in the future. Kimball did not allow a run in 13 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year, striking out 14 but walking eight.

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