Nationals Rumors

Nationals Exploring A Trade For Edwin Jackson?

By Mike Axisa | June 26, 2010 at 11:10am CDT

Edwin Jackson enjoyed the finest moment of his big league career last night when he no-hit the Rays, which coincidentally came at the same time MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling heard that the Nationals "were exploring a trade" for the righthander. Current Nats' GM Mike Rizzo has plenty of ties to the Diamondbacks, having joined the franchise when they were created in 1998 and serving as their scouting director from 2000-2006.

This year, the 26-year-old Jackson has been unable to replicate the success he enjoyed during in his breakout 2009 season. He's pitched to a 4.63 ERA in 107 innings, striking out 7.1 batters per nine innings while walking 3.8 per nine. The Scott Boras client is owed approximately $2.28MM for the rest of the season, and is under contract for $8.35MM next year.

Rizzo said he has identified starting pitching as the club's biggest need, though we really haven't seen them linked to any specific names until now. Arizona has yet to indicate that a fire sale is coming, but that could change in a heartbeat.

Odds & Ends: Bumgarner, Tracy, Oswalt, Atkins

By Luke Adams 2 | June 25, 2010 at 8:47pm CDT

Links for Friday night, as Edwin Jackson tosses a 149-pitch no-hitter against his former team….

Madison Bumgarner was scratched from tonight's Triple-A start, fueling speculation that the Giants would call him up to start tomorrow's game. However, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the team still plans to start Joe Martinez tomorrow, with Bumgarner as the backup option.
In his weekly appearance on WEEI's Big Show, Peter Gammons discusses the Red Sox' bullpen issues and the best one-year signing of this past offseason.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com wonders if the Nationals will be interested in the recently DFA'd Chad Tracy, given Tracy's connection to Nats GM Mike Rizzo.
Although it looks as if the Rangers won't be able to afford Roy Oswalt, you can add Texas to the list of teams the pitcher would be willing to play for, according to the Dallas Morning News. Oswalt has previously said he'd accept a trade to anywhere he could contend.
Garrett Atkins tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link) that being released by the Orioles would be a "welcome opportunity." It appears as though Atkins will soon be designated for assignment.
Following a blow-up during today's game, Carlos Zambrano has been suspended indefinitely by the Cubs, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. When Zambrano returned to the Cubs' rotation, we discussed Tom Gorzelanny as a trade chip, but as long as Zambrano remains suspended, that possibility looks less likely.
The Astros signed their second-round pick, right-hander Vincent Velasquez, per a team release.
Dusty Baker says Gary Matthews Jr. "has got to get his act together" before the outfielder earns a shot at the Reds' big league lineup, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

Rizzo, Boras Have Had Initial Talks About Harper

By Mike Axisa | June 23, 2010 at 5:56pm CDT

The deadline for teams to sign their draft picks is still a little under eight weeks away, but Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo and agent Scott Boras have had "initial conversations" about a deal for first overall pick Bryce Harper according to principal owner Mark Lerner, as told to The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore.

"I'm confident we'll get a deal worked out," said Lerner. "I think the kid wants to play."

Kilgore mentions that negotiations are unlikely to begin in earnest until close to the August 16th deadline, which Boras is known to do with his top players. Rizzo and Boras have hammered out deals before, most notably for Stephen Strasburg as last year's top pick.

The 17-year-old Harper is expected to shatter Rick Porcello's record deal for a teenage draftee, which guarantees him $7.285MM. Strasburg's $15.1MM contract represents the all-time draft record. You can follow the signing status of all first and supplement first rounders with our complete list.

Nationals Could Be Buyers Or Sellers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 22, 2010 at 4:47pm CDT

The Nationals could be sellers at the trade deadline, but if the team climbs out of last place and improves upon its 32-39 record, they could become buyers. GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, that the Nats front office remains flexible as the deadline approaches.

"If there's a good deal to be made to acquire talent, we'll acquire it," Rizzo said. "There's no marching orders to dump payroll or to add payroll.”

Rizzo, who says he is always looking to make a deal that helps the team long-term, identified starting pitching as the Nationals’ biggest need. If the team becomes a seller, players such as Livan Hernandez, Matt Capps and Adam Dunn could interest other teams.

But Rizzo says the club likes Dunn offensively and defensively, so the Nationals continue looking into an extension with the slugging first baseman. Dunn’s two-year $20MM deal expires after the season and the two sides have been discussing an extension since the spring.

Minor League Transactions: Johnson, Mastny, Botts

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 22, 2010 at 3:12pm CDT

Tom Mastny and Jason Botts were among the former major leaguers to sign deals with big league clubs from June 8th-14th. Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the details:

Ben Johnson, one of the players the Padres sent the Mets for Heath Bell, has signed a deal with the Tigers. The outfielder, who has a .230/.313/.414 line in parts of three major league seasons, had been playing in the Golden League.
Scott Patterson, who played briefly with the Yankees and Padres in 2008, signed with the Mariners after posting an 18K/3BB ratio in the Atlantic League.
The Marlins turned to Tom Mastny in their search for relievers, signing the former Indian out of the Atlantic League. Mastny, 29, posted a 6.13 ERA in 94 innings with Cleveland from 2006-08.
The Royals released Jason Taylor four years after drafting him in the second round and signing him to a $763K deal.
The Nationals signed Jason Botts out of the Atlantic League. Botts, who has a minor league OPS of .875, spent parts of the 2005-08 seasons with the Rangers.
The Orioles and Royals, two of the organizations that have seven domestic minor league clubs, have pursued and signed non-drafted free agents aggressively.
Mike Curto reports (via Twitter) that the Astros acquired Tommy Everidge from the Mariners. Everidge appeared in 24 games for the A's last year.

Heyman On Lee, Yankees, Harper

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 21, 2010 at 4:07pm CDT

The Cubs' acquisition of Carlos Silva for Milton Bradley, the Tigers' decision to let Magglio Ordonez's 2010 option vest and the Yankees' decision to put Phil Hughes in the starting rotation all make Jon Heyman's list of the year's best non-free agent moves. Here are Heyman's latest rumors, from SI.com:

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik isn't waving the white flag yet. He says the AL West is winnable and wants to see how the M's play "in the next couple weeks" before deciding whether to sell.
Every executive Heyman spoke to expects Cliff Lee to choose free agency over an in-season extension, no matter what uniform he's wearing this summer.
The Yankees now seem like the favorites to sign Lee this winter, but could they acquire the lefty during the season? They will call the Mariners in case they like the asking price for Lee, but the Yanks don't seem like a fit.
Bryce Harper will look for a record bonus, according to an NL executive. Heyman's sources say Harper will be aiming for considerably more than $12MM. Stephen Strasburg, who signed for $15.1MM last summer, could be considered a bargain since he has generated lots of excitement (and revenue) in Washington. Harper and agent Scott Boras can point to the buzz around Strasburg in their negotiations with the Nats.

Using Postseason Odds To Identify Sellers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 21, 2010 at 12:29pm CDT

Buyers and sellers can be hard to identify this time of year, since so many teams are often within a few games of a playoff spot. It's not even July yet, but a number of clubs have extremely slim odds of becoming contenders and appear likely to sell. Here are the teams that have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs in 2010, according to the postseason odds report at Baseball Prospectus.

Orioles
Royals
Indians
Mariners
Nationals
Astros
Pirates
Diamondbacks

Other than those eight clubs, the A's (7% chance of making the playoffs), White Sox (6%), Cubs (5%) and Brewers (2%) are potential sellers to watch. The White Sox, winners of ten of their last 12, have dramatically improved their chances of playing meaningful games down the stretch. They have shown that anything is possible, but the eight teams listed above seem like good bets to become sellers within the next six weeks.

In case you're wondering, BP suggests the Rangers (81%) are the safest bet to make the playoffs.

Willingham, Morgan Don’t Appear Available

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 18, 2010 at 3:44pm CDT

Nationals fans are accustomed to seeing their team at the bottom of the NL East standings, but a lot has changed since last summer. A year ago, the Nationals were 21-46, their manager was on the hot seat and they had yet to sign Stephen Strasburg. Now, they're still in last place, but the mood is different in D.C. and the 31-36 Nationals aren't about to spoil it by trading their most proven outfielders.

Josh Willingham and Nyjer Morgan do not appear to be available, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Nationals have turned down multiple chances to deal Willingham in the last 15 months and have no intention of moving him, Morosi reports.

The Giants are looking for outfield help, but it doesn't appear that the Nationals will be willing to deal. Morosi mentions one intriguing outfielder clubs could target: Mitch Maier (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has played center field for the Royals and has a .265/.349/.373 line. Those numbers suggest Maier could be useful, though he'd likely be a depth option for a contender.

Odds & Ends: Maybin, Blue Jays, Orioles, Oswalt

By Luke Adams 2 | June 17, 2010 at 9:46pm CDT

Links for Thursday night, as interleague play keeps Dan Haren's 1.000 OPS out of Arizona's lineup….

Following tonight's game, the Marlins optioned Cameron Maybin to the minors, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted yesterday, the team might avoid having Maybin become a super two player after 2011 if they keep him in the minors for a few weeks.
Not many draft signings to pass on today, but the Blue Jays announced that they've signed their 16th-round pick, Canadian Dalton Pompey. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says (via Twitter) that Pompey gets a $140K bonus.
While the Orioles have yet to discuss such a plan, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why he thinks the club could hire a manager and not immediately put him in the dugout.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News believes the Rangers are the frontrunners for Roy Oswalt if the sale of the team moves forward by early July.
In a Q&A with MLB.com's Bill Ladson, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman says Roger Bernadina's performance is convincing the team they don't need to acquire a right fielder.
Cody Ross tells Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that he hopes the Marlins become buyers rather than sellers: "We want to get somebody to help us rather than see some of us gone."
Pirates president Frank Coonelly met with reporters today and addressed Akinori Iwamura's DFA, Pedro Alvarez's promotion, and the team's recent trades. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch has the details.

Odds & Ends: LaRoche, Lee, Nationals, Simpson

By Mark Polishuk | June 15, 2010 at 8:18pm CDT

It was on this day in 1938 that Reds lefthander Johnny Vander Meer became a baseball immortal by throwing his second consecutive no-hitter. What better way to commemorate the Vanderversary than with some news items?

Adam LaRoche is prepared for another summer of hearing rumors and possibly being traded again, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
What would be fair value for Cliff Lee? Fangraphs' Dave Cameron breaks down the question.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark is impressed by how the entire Nationals franchise seems to have turned around in a year's time.
Hayden Simpson seemed to be a reach for the Cubs as the 16th overall pick, but Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times thinks that Chicago scouting director Tim Wilken's past drafting record "has earned [him] the benefit of the doubt." Maybe so, but implying Simpson could be "the next Roy Halladay" is a bit much.
Had the Dodgers picked up a veteran starter or two in the offseason, the L.A. Times' Steve Dilbeck says the team could've avoided using so many young arms to plug holes in their injury-plagued rotation.
Omar Minaya hinted that the Mets could add a starting pitcher, but "is reluctant" to do so at the expense of dealing promising minor leaguers, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs thinks the Marlins will likely be sellers at the trade deadline. Responding to Anderson's story, Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel agrees, but thinks a potential deal could bring back more than just prospects for the Fish.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chats with Pirates fans and covers a few hot stove topics, including the likelihood of Zach Duke being dealt.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (via Twitter) that Ozzie Guillen thinks "it was a good sign" that A.J. Pierzynski wasn't traded before his ten-and-five rights kicked in. Guillen believes the non-deal "sends a message to the Sox players that there is still time to fix things."

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