Nationals Rumors

Heyman On Damon, Braves, Wang, Dye

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 12, 2010 at 11:30am CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com explains that expectations for Johnny Damon were unrealistically high at the beginning of the offseason. Here's Heyman's latest on Damon and others:

Tigers manager Jim Leyland is said to want Damon badly.
Heyman hears that the Braves might have $6MM to spend.
Chien-Ming Wang's agent says his client is still a week or so away from deciding where he'll sign. Competitors still expect the righty to sign an incentive-laden deal with the Nationals.
We've heard that the Indians are considering Jermaine Dye; Heyman says he could play some first base in Cleveland.

Teams That Could Use Rotation Depth

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 11, 2010 at 5:07pm CDT

There isn't much choice for teams in search of starters, but some remaining free agens will provide rotation depth, if not dominance. Mike Hampton, Livan Hernandez, Braden Looper, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Chien-Ming Wang and Jarrod Washburn are among the starters looking for jobs. Let's take a look at some of the teams with the least rotation depth:

The Nationals have limited depth after John Lannan, Jason Marquis and Scott Olsen. Stephen Strasburg may be the most talented pitcher the Nats have, but he'll presumably have to prove it before they hand him a rotation spot. Washington is considering Wang and if that falls through, they figure to move on to others.
The Mets haven't solidified their rotation this offseason. Smoltz is a possibility, but he's seeking $4MM, which would be an obstacle for Omar Minaya & Co.
If the D'Backs aren't comfortable with Ian Kennedy and Billy Buckner in their rotation, they could look to free agency. They have been linked to Todd Wellemeyer and Dana Eveland recently, which suggests they would consider cheap depth options.
The Orioles haven't been in touch with Wang or Washburn recently, but the club may want to supplement its trio of young starters. Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen are all 24 or younger.
Kyle Farnsworth will compete for a job in the Royals' rotation, which tells you that they don't have tons of starting pitching depth. Their interest in Erik Bedard also suggests they are open to adding arms.
It's no secret that Jarrod Washburn would return to the Mariners, but they haven't made the lefty an offer. After Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, the Mariners don't have tons of certainty in their rotation.

Chien-Ming Wang Rumors: Thursday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 11, 2010 at 2:24pm CDT

Chien-Ming Wang's agent says his client does not have a formal or informal deal in place with the Nationals, writes Chico Harlan of the Washington Post. Alan Nero says recent reports that indicated a deal was in place are inaccurate.

"We haven't finalized anything with anybody," Nero said.

The Dodgers are no longer pursuing Wang and the Nats appear to be favorites to add the 29-year-old, but Nero says we shouldn't expect a deal for a week or so.

Nationals Favorite For Chien-Ming Wang

By Tim Dierkes | February 10, 2010 at 5:49pm CDT

5:49pm: Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that the Nationals will guarantee Wang $2MM, with a chance to more than double that through incentives.

12:37pm: Heyman now tweets that the Dodgers have "pulled out of the Wang derby."

10:32am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Dodgers execs Ned Colletti and Logan White are watching Wang throw today. Heyman presumes the Dodgers are the second finalist for the righty. Still, one Chico Harlan Nationals source seems to believe they're the favorite.

8:59am: MASN's Ben Goessling reports that Wang is still seven to ten days from a decision, and nothing has changed since yesterday. MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that nothing is close between the Nationals and Wang, though they remain a finalist. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Nationals and one other team have made offers.

7:52am: Righty Chien-Ming Wang has chosen the Nationals and is close to a deal, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Wang, 30 in March, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right shoulder capsule on July 29th of last year. On January 28th, Wang's agent Alan Nero told ESPN's Jayson Stark that his client is expected to "make a major-league start sometime in the first two weeks of May." Wang will join Jason Marquis and John Lannan in Washington's rotation, with the remaining spots to be determined during Spring Training.

The Dodgers, Phillies, Cardinals, and Mets were also linked to Wang this winter.

Wang Has Offers, Could Sign Soon

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 9, 2010 at 5:04pm CDT

5:04pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Nationals are "aggressively pursuing" Wang, and that they are one of the finalists for his services. Ladson adds that it's unknown if they've made him an offer, though.

4:02pm: Chien-Ming Wang has received offers from two clubs and could sign soon, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Mets and Dodgers are not among the teams to offer Wang a contract. Rosenthal hears that the 29-year-old Wang would like to play for Joe Torre again, but Torre's Dodgers are lagging behind in their pursuit of the right-hander. As for the Mets, they're even further behind than the Dodgers.

The Orioles have discussed Wang and the Cardinals, Nationals and Phillies have all been connected to him this offseason. Rosenthal says the Blue Jays were in on Erik Bedard and wonders if they could pursue Wang, too.

Wang, who is recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery, will likely make a decision within a week or ten days.

Nationals Talk: Guzman, Dye, Hernandez

By Mike Axisa | February 8, 2010 at 6:40pm CDT

MLB.com's Bill Ladson spilled some hot stove goodness in his latest mailbag, so let's round it up with some good old fashioned bullet points…

Because he's owed $8MM in 2010, Ladson doesn't see Cristian Guzman getting traded before Opening Day. He'll get another chance to play shortstop because the team realizes his problems last year were due to injuries.
Unless he comes in as a fourth outfielder, it's unlikely the Nats will pursue Jermaine Dye.
The only way Ladson sees Livan Hernandez returning to the nation's capital is if they're unable to land a pitcher they really want first. If they do sign him, it would likely occur in Spring Training.

Nationals Sign Shawn Estes To Minor League Deal

By Mike Axisa | February 6, 2010 at 9:25am CDT

The Nationals have signed veteran lefty Shawn Estes to a minor league contract according to the AP (via MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez). Estes will earn $600K and could pocket another $400K in incentives if he makes the club.

Estes, 37 later this month, last pitched in the big leagues back in 2008, when he gave the Padres 43.2 innings of 4.74 ERA ball, though his peripherals were ugly (3.9 K/9, 3.7 BB/9). He spent last season with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.07 ERA in 13 starts despite similar peripherals. On the bright side, he did hold lefties to a .206 batting average.

Orlando Hudson’s Other Offers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 5, 2010 at 1:47pm CDT

Orlando Hudson agreed to a one-year $5MM deal with the Twins yesterday, but other teams were in it until the end. Here's a look at the offers the O-Dog turned down to play in Minnesota:

The Nationals offered Hudson a $4MM deal that could have reached $5MM with incentives, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Indians offered Hudson $10MM over two years, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Indians, who have had a remarkably quiet offseason, wanted Hudson on a heavily-backloaded deal. Lots of money was tied up in the buyout of a third year option.

Odds & Ends: Jays, V-Mart, Jeter, Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 5, 2010 at 1:29pm CDT

Links for Friday…

Tim Dillard, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, cleared waivers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter).
Don't expect the Twins to add much to their 2010 payroll. GM Bill Smith tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the team is nearing the "upper extremes" of what it can spend (Twitter link).
The Blue Jays are no longer in on Carlos Delgado, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Twins had one of the best offseasons in baseball.
Alex Anthopoulos doesn't expect to trade any of his relievers before the season starts, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. However, the Jays GM points out that things can change.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier compares Victor Martinez to similar catchers to hit free agency in recent years. Speier writes that after this season V-Mart could be in line for a four-year $40MM deal like the ones Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Varitek signed. Some consider Martinez a first baseman going forward, which would make him a "completely different animal" in the eyes of interested teams.
Those small market Twins will open the season with a payroll of about $96MM, writes Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Derek Jeter hits free agency after the season and Hank Steinbrenner says we can "pretty much assume" what will happen at that point given Jeter's place in Yankee history (link from the Philadelphia Daily News).
Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he hasn't ruled out signing Adrian Gonzalez long-term. That seems unlikely given the offers Gonzalez could demand as a free agent.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Adam Kennedy will be the Nats' everday second baseman, which likely leaves Cristian Guzman at short.
Now the Nats will look for a veteran starter, tweets Ladson.
Jesus Guzman cleared waivers and will receive an invitation to Giants Spring Training, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants designated the infielder for assignment in late January.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star tweets that Jarrod Washburn may be too expensive for the Royals.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that some within the Dodgers organization called Orlando Hudson "Slow-Dog" because they were surprised he wasn't faster. Some Dodgers officials believe Hudson's defensive reputation is better than it should be.

Slusser On Tomko, Kennedy, Nomar

By Tim Dierkes | February 3, 2010 at 4:57pm CDT

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle addresses free agents Brett Tomko, Adam Kennedy, and Nomar Garciaparra in a new blog post.

Tomko suffered a nerve injury on September 14th that caused his biceps to atrophy to the point of resembling lumpy gravy. The biceps is better now, but Tomko trying to pitch through forearm numbness. He hopes to be game-ready by the start of the season and spoke of a preference for the A's or Giants.
Kennedy is talking to the Nationals and Indians, but continues to wait on Orlando Hudson's decision.
Nomar is "widely expected" to retire. If he does, he'd bow out at age 36 with a career line of .313/.361/.521.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Nationals Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect