Nationals Rumors

Padres Acquire Alberto Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 28, 2011 at 4:57pm CDT

The Padres acquired Alberto Gonzalez from the Nationals for right-hander Erik Davis and cash considerations, the teams announced. The Padres, who had been working to upgrade their bench, were looking hard at Gonzalez this week. The A's, Astros and Braves were also eyeing the infielder over the weekend.

Davis split the 2010 campaign between three levels, posting a 3.52 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 143 1/3 innings as a starter. The 24-year-old right-hander has made just eight starts above Class A, where he spent the first two seasons of his pro career. Davis, who played at Stanford with Nationals reliever Drew Storen, led all minor league pitchers with 30 wins in 2009-10.

Gonzalez, 27, played in 114 games last year, appearing at every infield position and in right field. He hit .247/.277/.301 last year in his fourth MLB season.

The move boosts the chances that Mets infielder Luis Hernandez goes unclaimed while on waivers.

Nationals Notes: 40-Man Roster, Rule 5 Picks

By Tim Dierkes | March 28, 2011 at 2:21pm CDT

The Nationals host the Braves on Thursday, when Livan Hernandez and Derek Lowe will face off. The latest on the club…

The Nationals currently have 37 players on their 40-man roster after putting pitchers Chien-Ming Wang and Elvin Ramirez on the 60-day DL. The move buys the Nats extra time with Ramirez, a Rule 5 pick from the Mets who has little experience above High-A.
The team's lone remaining 25-man roster decision is Alex Cora versus Alberto Gonzalez for a backup infield job, reports Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com. Cora would need a 40-man spot, as will Laynce Nix, Chad Gaudin, and Matt Stairs.
Rule 5 pick Brian Broderick, a righty taken from the Cardinals, made the team according to Goessling (Twitter link). For much more on Broderick, check out Buster Olney's blog if you have ESPN Insider.

Alberto Gonzalez Drawing Interest

By Luke Adams 2 | March 27, 2011 at 10:57am CDT

At least four teams have "serious interest" in the out of options Alberto Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter). Ladson names the Athletics, Astros, Padres, and Braves as teams who are eyeing the Nationals' infielder.

Last Sunday, we heard the Padres were "looking hard" at Gonzalez, who has the ability to play an array of defensive positions. Though the 27-year-old posted just a .578 OPS in part-time duty for the Nationals a year ago, he has played well this spring, hitting .365/.400/.404. Still, with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Alex Cora on board, there may not be room for Gonzalez on the Nats' Opening Day roster.

Ryan Zimmerman Talks Next Contract

By Luke Adams 2 | March 27, 2011 at 10:04am CDT

Since being drafted fourth overall in 2005, Ryan Zimmerman has evolved into a cornerstone of the Nationals and one of the game's best all-around players. Zimmerman signed an extension in 2009 that will delay his free agency until after the 2013 season, and he'd like to stay in Washington even longer. Speaking to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, the 26-year-old said he doesn't want to be a player who leaves via free agency after years of losing.

"That’s the dire, last-minute decision if I didn’t think we were going to win," Zimmerman said. "I have a lot of confidence that we’re really close to becoming good…. I don’t think we’re as far away as everyone thinks…. That’s kind of another one of the reasons I want to be here for so long."

While there's no rush for either side to work out a new contract yet, Zimmerman suggested he'd test free agency if an extension wasn't in place by the end of the 2012 season:

"If you get to two years left [before] free agency, you can talk. But if nothing works out, if you have one year before free agency, you might as well play your year out and see what happens…. I think the whole point of the baseball system is, you put your time in, you stay with a team, and you get rewarded with being able to be a free agent."

Zimmerman says he'd prefer not to negotiate during the regular season, though a source indicated to Kilgore that the Nationals would open extension discussions sometime in the coming months. For his part, Zimmerman says he "would take care of it whenever they want to take care of it." Of course, negotiations likely won't be easy. Several baseball people who spoke to Kilgore believe Zimmerman could command an extension worth approximately $200MM.

Brewers Acquire Nyjer Morgan

By Luke Adams 2 | March 27, 2011 at 8:50am CDT

Nyjer Morgan said on Friday he didn't expect to be a National by Opening Day, and the team didn't waste much time validating that prediction. The Nationals have sent Morgan to the Brewers in exchange for Cutter Dykstra, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Brewers will also send $50K to the Nats in the deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Morgan, 30, was unlikely to crack the Nationals' roster, and told Ladson earlier this weekend, "Maybe I'm not a fit here anymore. It's time to move on." The Brewers, meanwhile, were keeping an eye on Morgan after trading Chris Dickerson to the Yankees on Friday. GM Doug Melvin had denied interest, saying the club was willing to enter the season with in-house options Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed, but suggested today that the Nats changed their asking price (Twitter link). Morgan will now take Boggs' spot on the roster, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter).

Dykstra, the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra, was selected by the Brewers in the second round of the 2008 draft. The 21-year-old hit .312/.416/.411 in 353 plate appearances at Class A Wisconsin in 2010.

Central Notes: Royals, Indians, Cubs, Brewers

By Luke Adams 2 | March 25, 2011 at 8:23pm CDT

It's been a busy Friday for baseball's Central divisions, which have already featured prominently in a pair of trades and a pair of retirements. But the day's not over yet….

In addition to acquiring John Whittleman, the Royals finalized two more minor league trades today. The team sent Gaby Hernandez to the White Sox and Alex Caldera to the Nationals, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links). The Royals figure to receive cash in return for both right-handers, according to Dutton.
The Indians made a few roster decisions, naming Jack Hannahan the Opening Day third baseman and reassigning Doug Mathis and Anthony Reyes to the minors, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the battle for the last spot in the Cubs' bullpen is down to Carlos Silva, Casey Coleman, and Marcos Mateo. Rosenthal figures that, considering his salary, Silva will get the first crack, but notes the Cubs have said they want to open with the best possible team. MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has more on Coleman's quest for the final bullpen opening.
Zack Greinke is confident that early-season injuries, including his own, won't set the Brewers back significantly, as he tells Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

Nationals Notes: Morgan, Broderick, Maya

By Luke Adams 2 | March 25, 2011 at 5:22pm CDT

Let's check out the latest news and rumors on the Nationals, who will open the season with $126MM man Jayson Werth hitting second….

Nyjer Morgan, who is reportedly being eyed by a few teams, doesn't expect to open the season with the Nationals. "I just think this place isn't for me," the outfielder told MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "I'm not saying there are bad people here. It's just that, maybe, I'm not a fit here anymore. It's time to move on."
In the same MLB.com piece, Ladson adds that Brian Broderick, a Rule 5 selection from the Cardinals, is expected to earn a spot on the Nats' Opening Day roster. Broderick figures to be used in short and long relief, though he can also start if needed.
Yunesky Maya was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse today, the team announced. Washington signed the Cuban pitcher to a four-year deal last summer.

Teams Eyeing Nyjer Morgan

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 25, 2011 at 2:29pm CDT

2:29pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he has no interest in Morgan (Twitter link). The Brewers will rely on their in-house outfielders.

1:15pm: Rosenthal hears that the Brewers passed on Morgan (Twitter link). They'll go with Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed as extra outfielders.

11:17am: The Brewers are one of the teams looking at Nyjer Morgan, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Milwaukee just traded Chris Dickerson away and could have interest in restoring outfield depth.

Scouts covering the Nationals told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that Morgan is very much available. However, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported two weeks ago that the Nationals weren't considering releasing the outfielder.

Beyond The Boxscore suggested the Marlins would be a fit for Morgan, whose on and off-field antics include memorable run-ins with Chris Volstad and the Marlins' fans.

Nationals Sign Oliver Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 25, 2011 at 9:19am CDT

The Nationals signed Oliver Perez to a minor league deal and assigned him to minor league camp, the team announced (on Twitter). This marks the second time this week that an NL East rival has picked up a discarded Mets veteran; the Phillies signed Luis Castillo Monday.

The Nationals will be responsible for the Major League minimum salary if Perez makes the team and the Mets will assume the rest of his $12MM salary. Southpaws Sean Burnett and Doug Slaten figure to pitch at the major league level, while Perez works in the minors. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter) that Perez will begin the season at Triple-A.

The Nationals signed Perez on the recommendation of Spin Williams, a pitching coordinator who knows Perez, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Perez will report to minor league camp and work with Williams, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter).

As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, the Nationals already have eight Scott Boras clients: Rick Ankiel, Alex Cora, Danny Espinosa, Alberto Gonzalez, Bryce Harper, Ivan Rodriguez, Stephen Strasburg and Jayson Werth. Boras appears to have a strong working relationship with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo.

Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported the deal.

Stark On Phillies, Marlins, Young, Morgan, Astros

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

As ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark points out, the Phillies’ decision to sign Luis Castillo suggests they aren’t overly optimistic about the timetable for Chase Utley’s return. According to Stark, the Phillies heard that there is no guarantee that surgery would make Utley healthy again, so they’re hoping rehab works. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors…

The Marlins have decided that Matt Dominguez isn’t ready for the majors, so they’re “actively exploring” outside options. Earlier tonight, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that the Marlins were “unlikely” to look outside of the organization for help at the hot corner.
Though the Pirates are still shopping Ryan Doumit, teams that have spoken to Pittsburgh say the catcher/outfielder is not drawing much interest.
Multiple teams, including the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs, appear to be eyeing Michael Young. None of those clubs can afford Young’s annual salary of $16MM and the Rangers expect a “massive” return if they’re going to eat a significant amount of Young’s salary.
Scouts covering the Nationals say Nyjer Morgan is very much available. “They're trying to give him away," one scout said, before suggesting that the Nationals could release him.
Scouts watching the Yankees expect the team to add a veteran catcher in the next week.
The Phillies are looking for a veteran outfielder who’s capable of playing center field.
Teams that have spoken with the Astros say they’d like to add a veteran catcher, but have very little money to spend.

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