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Arbitration Eligibles: Washington Nationals

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The Nationals are next in our arbitration eligibles series…

The Nationals have to make decisions on a dozen players prior to the December 2nd non-tender deadline.  They're known for their willingness to go to hearings.

Lannan got the Opening Day start for the Nats, but elbow issues surfaced in May and he was optioned to the minors in June.  He posted a 3.42 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 11 starts after his recall, improving on his career peripherals and probably earning a contract for 2011.  A couple of other starters, Olsen and Wang, will probably hit the free agent market after shoulder injuries wrecked their seasons.  Wang didn't pitch in the pros at all.  Olsen started out strong but could not recapture his success after returning from the DL. 

The Nationals have four arbitration-eligible relievers in Slaten, Peralta, Burnett, and Walker.  Slaten was designated for assignment in February, but he went on to have a strong season and dominated lefties.  Peralta and Burnett were effective as well, with the latter even getting a few save chances.  All three lefties should be tendered contracts.  Walker went down with a shoulder injury in June and will be non-tendered.

Gonzalez and Nieves are expendable role players.  They're not expensive, but the Nationals still may let one or both go.  Flores, 26 this month, missed the entire year after having elbow and shoulder surgeries during the offseason.  Wilson Ramos is now the team's catcher of the future, but Flores could be retained for little or no raise upon this year's $750K salary.

Morse, 28, earned a role on next year's club with a .289/.352/.519 performance in 293 plate appearances.  The more expensive Josh Willingham will handle an outfield corner, barring a trade.  Willingham will earn more than $6MM in his third arbitration year.

Odds & Ends: Gross, Cubs, Dunn, Ellis, Pujols

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Links for the final day of the 2010 regular season…

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Cubs, Valentine, Dunn

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Ken Rosenthal's weekly Full Count video is up over at FOX Sports; here are your highlights:

  • The Cubs would be taking a risk if they choose to wait for the Yankees' season to end to interview Joe Girardi for their managerial opening. Given that six to ten managerial openings may arise, other candidates such as Eric Wedge and Bob Melvin (who's interviewing today), as well as their internal candidates (Mike Quade and Ryne Sandberg) could find work elsewhere.
  • Boston pitching coach John Farrell's contractual clause that prevents him from interviewing for managerial openings expires this offseason. Rosenthal says he's likely to interview with at least one club. He turned down a chance to interview with the Mariners years ago, but may be a fit once again.
  • Seattle, meanwhile, is also looking at Ted Simmons, Joey Cora, and others. They ultimately may prefer someone with more experience than Farrell.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Mets will hire a new GM before a new manager. Bobby Valentine could indeed return, but everyone involved would need to determine exactly what his responsibilities would be. Wally Backman could also be a candidate to manage the Mets, but his managerial experience comes in A-ball. If hired, the team would need to put a strong coaching staff in place around him.
  • Valentine is still a candidate for the Marlins' managerial opening, as is interim manager Edwin Rodriguez, Jim Fregosi, Tim Wallach, Bo Porter, and Simmons. 
  • There's still a chance that the Nationals could sign Adam Dunn to an extension, and the two sides will speak at least once more before the slugger hits the open market. At this point Dunn would require a deal at market value to return, which Rosenthal suggests could be four years, $60MM. As bad as his defense is, several metrics rate him better than Ryan Howard and Miguel Cabrera with the glove.

Nationals Rumors: Outfield, Maxwell, Morgan, Darvish

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Adam Kilgore from the Washington Post provides us with some info on the Nationals as their season draws to a close this weekend:

  • The quartet of Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina, and Mike Morse have seen the majority of the outfield time this season, and Kilgore says it's likely that those four do the same in 2011. It would be tough for the Nationals to land a top outfielder like Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, and beyond that there's not many attractive free agent options. Personal speculation, but if they do choose to look for free agent offense in the outfield, they could try to buy low on Magglio Ordonez.
  • Manager Jim Riggleman says that despite Justin Maxwell's offensive struggles this season, the soon to be 27-year-old is too talented to give up on. Riggleman thinks everything will click for Maxwell next season and hopes he'll be a part of the club. He says there's no "last chance" situation with Maxwell.
  • GM Mike Rizzo also said they're committed to Nyjer Morgan in 2011. That may have been in question with some fans as a result of his behavior and multiple suspensions this season.
  • The Nationals are known to be looking for front-line starting pitching, and have Japanese phenom Yu Darvish on their radar. Darvish wouldn't be cheap, but he'll likely be more affordable than the market's only proven Major League ace — Cliff Lee. Kilgore says it would be "speculative" to gauge Washington's interest, but notes that their scouts have seen him pitch in person at least nine times and recommended him to the front office.

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Orioles, Nationals, Darvish

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Friday night links, as Jered Weaver takes over the AL strikeout lead in Texas….

Mutual Interest Between Webb, Nationals?

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The Nationals are sending scouts to watch Brandon Webb pitch in instructional league games over the next week, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com. According to Ladson, Webb would have interest in playing in Washington if the Diamondbacks don't re-sign him, in part because of his relationship with Nats GM Mike Rizzo.

Rizzo, the former director of scouting for the D'Backs, drafted Webb in the eighth round of the 2000 draft. The right-hander has spent his entire career in Arizona's organization, but hasn't pitched in a big league game since Opening Day 2009 because of shoulder issues. Webb faced hitters for the first time in nearly two years earlier this week; though he reportedly topped out around 81 mph, the 31-year-old said his arm felt good.

Despite his lengthy layoff from the majors, Webb will be seeking a significant base salary this offseason, as agent Jonathan Maurer told MLBTR in August. The former Cy Young winner and his agent will be using contracts like those signed by Ben Sheets, Brad Penny, and Rich Harden as "conversation starters."

We know the Nationals will be targeting a front-line starting pitcher over the winter, and prior to 2009, Webb would have fit the bill. It's possible he could return to that form, but as we saw with Sheets, Penny, and Harden this season, high-upside arms aren't always prudent investments. Nonetheless, as MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out, the Nats are a team that could have interest in an upside starter like Webb on a short-term contract, particularly while Stephen Strasburg recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Odds & Ends: Darvish, Feliciano, D’Backs, Blue Jays

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As the Padres face a big uphill battle in San Francisco this weekend, we look at some news items….

Nationals Seek Top Starting Pitcher

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The Nationals would like to add a leadoff hitter and re-sign Adam Dunn this offseason, but their main priority is starting pitching. GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including MLB.com's Bill Ladson, that the team will be monitoring the pitching market this winter (Twitter link).

"We need a front-of-the-rotation guy to put everybody in their proper place in the rotation," Rizzo said. "That's the number one priority going into the offseason. We definitely have depth – prospect wise – to pull off a deal for a pitcher."

James Shields, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, Kenshin Kawakami, Derek Lowe and Carlos Zambrano are among the starters who could become available on the trade market this winter. Lowe and Kawakami can't be considered top-of-the-rotation pitchers at this point, but Shields, Garza and Greinke are hard to beat.

The Nationals seem likely to have some interest in Cliff Lee this offseason. Lee will be a free agent, along with Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and others.

The Nationals will start next season with some combination of Livan Hernandez, Jason Marquis, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan, Chien-Ming Wang, Craig Stammen, Luis Atilano, J.D. Martin, and Ross Detwiler in their rotation depending on trades and non-tenders. Stephen Strasburg, who wowed fans and opponents alike in his brief big league debut, will miss most or all of the 2011 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Poll: Will The Nationals Re-Sign Adam Dunn?

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Adam Dunn is what he is: one of the few hitters in baseball capable of reaching 40 homers annually and a consistently below average defender. He knows it, the Nationals know it and so do all of Dunn’s other potential suitors. His game hasn’t changed much recently and his strengths and weaknesses will likely remain constant for the next few seasons.

The Nationals would like to build a better defensive team and, with no DH slot, must find room for Dunn on the field if they re-sign him this offseason. Any team would love to add 40 homers to its lineup, but after two years, the Nationals realize that Dunn’s defense is a liability. They are said to like Carlos Pena, another powerful first baseman on the brink of free agency, partly for his glovework.

Despite Dunn’s defense, the Nationals have had interest in re-signing him all season long. At this point it seems likely that Dunn will reach free agency, but the 30-year-old could be a fit in Washington in 2011. Ryan Zimmerman wants the slugger back and so do the Nats fans who have been encouraging the team’s front office to keep him. But their wish won’t necessarily come true…

Will the Nationals re-sign Adam Dunn?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Cubs Rumors: Ramirez, Dunn, Payroll

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The Cubs are finishing up their first losing season since 2006; of course the focus is on next year.  The latest:

  • The Cubs "remain intent on taking a run at Joe Girardi," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Red Sox "have a lot of interest" in Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, reported ESPN's Bruce Levine in a chat yesterday.  It is assumed Ramirez will exercise his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the clubs would have to work around issues of a no-trade clause and an assignment bonus.  Plus, I imagine the Cubs would have to swing another trade to find someone to replace Ramirez at the hot corner.
  • Levine writes that "Adam Dunn is a top priority for the Cubs if they can afford him."  We learned last month that Dunn likes Wrigley Field and Jim Hendry, but the slugger made it clear yesterday he's tired of discussing his future.
  • Levine notes that Cubs ownership has indicated there will be a slight decrease in payroll for next year.  Hendry might have to move a current contract or two to create flexibility.
  • Cubs starter Ryan Dempster endorsed Mike Quade as manager, saying to CSNChicago's Patrick Mooney and others, "He’s done a great job and I hope that he’s here longer than just this year (and) managing for us next year because he deserves it."  Mooney also spoke to hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who's intent on honoring his three-year contract regardless of the team's manager changes.
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