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Nationals Fire Manny Acta

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Nationals manager Manny Acta got the boot tonight, based on comments Acta made to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes:

"I thank the Nationals for giving me this opportunity and I'm sorry that things didn't work out as expected. It's normal for the manager to pay the price when the team is not doing well," Acta said.

The writing was on the wall in mid-June, when Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports learned of the team's plan to replace Acta with bench coach Jim Riggleman.  That this information leaked a month early reflects poorly on the organization, as Acta was left twisting in the wind.  Maybe Rosenthal's report caused the Nationals to delay the move as an attempt to save face.  Talk about mixed messages – on June 26th team president Stan Kasten talked about hoping Acta could serve as the club's long-term manager (Chico Harlan and Mark Viera of the Washington Post reporting).

Let's hear it from the Nationals fans – was this the right move?  The expectations are different for the manager of a rebuilding club.  How did Acta perform in young player development?

Olney On Nats, Rockies, Halladay

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney likes the looks of the Mariners, especially with a top three of Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn. Here are Olney's latest rumors:

  • Nats GM Mike Rizzo says he doesn't have to dump payroll, which gives the team flexibility when considering deals for Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns and others. If they find a worthwhile deal, the Nationals could likely contribute money to make it work.
  • As much as the Rockies would like to add a reliever, there are few desirable options out there now, so they may have to wait until closer to the deadline.
  • No team has come forth with an aggressive offer for Roy Halladay so far.  
  • Olney hears that the Phillies would like to add two starters. Halladay and Pedro Martinez are the names they've been connected to recently.  

Rizzo: “Not Trading Dunn”

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Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post has a transcript of Nationals GM Mike Rizzo's chat with ESPN Radio's Kevin Sheehan today. At first, Rizzo says Dunn is "not on the trading block," but then implies the Nationals would think about it if they were overwhelmed. So Sheehan lays it on the line:

Sheehan: Do you understand that without a definitive statement on that it's a little bit surprising to some of the fans?

Rizzo: We are not trading Adam Dunn. That's as definitive as I can be.

Steinberg admits to being a fan of Dunn, saying "Dunn has the potential to capture casual D.C. sports fans in a way hardly anyone else on that roster does."

Rizzo may call his words "definitive," but anything can happen. Keep up with the latest rumblings on Dunn here.

Jesus Colome Becomes A Free Agent

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Jesus Colome, who was just designated for assignment by the Nationals, has chosen to become a free agent, according to Pete McElroy of MASN.com. The 31-year-old allowed nearly two baserunners per inning with the Nats for an ERA of 8.40 with 12 strikeouts.

Yesteday Colome's former teammate Kip Wells also chose free agency after being designated for assignment by the Nats.

Kip Wells: Free Agent

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According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, right-hander Kip Wells has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent. 

Wells was designated for assignment on June 24 after posting a 6.49 ERA and an 18/18 K/BB ratio in 26 1/3 innings out of the Nationals' bullpen.  The 32-year-old will hope for a minor league contract with another club.  He has a 4.71 career ERA, a 1.52 career WHIP, and one of the meanest-looking player profile pictures we've ever come across.

Odds And Ends: Kepler, Rangers, Hairston

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More links for the afternoon…

  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports that the Twins awarded Max Kepler a bonus of about $800k. That's close to the record for a European player.
  • Ben Klayman of Reuters reports that the Rangers are likely to make financial information available to potential buyers. Owner Tom Hicks would like to see bids for the team by mid-August, but negotiations won't necessarily be complete by the end of the season.
  • Byron Kerr of MASN.com argues that the Nyjer Morgan acquisition shows why the Nats need to award Mike Rizzo the permanent GM job.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that the Rockies signed five international players, including Dominican shortstop Rosell Herrera.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Scott Hairston deal was an "easy win" for the A's.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock says the move could work for the Padres in the future. 

Nationals DFA Jesus Colome

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According to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, the Nationals have designated right-handed reliever Jesus Colome for assignment.

Colome, 31, had an 8.40 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 12/6 K/BB ratio in 15 innings of relief for the Nats this season.  He allowed 29 total baserunners during his short time in Washington and will either be traded, released or outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse within the next 10 days.  We're thinking he probably won't draw much interest on the trading block.

Rizzo Has No Plans For A Firesale

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Chico Harlan of The Washington Post spoke to Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo today, who says "he feels no obligation to conduct a firesale," playing down the possibility of a major shakeup before the trade deadline.

"A big transition period? I don't think that," Rizzo said. "We'll make deals based on good baseballs decision. 'Firesale' means you want to dump people. We don't want to dump people."

Regarding first baseman Nick Johnson, the subject of many a trade rumor:

"Nick is probably the one with the most trade rumors, but we're not looking to move him. We'll only move him if we have the right opportunity. I don't want to put names as to who's most likely [to be traded], because we don't really know." Rizzo chuckled. "You know, I didn't know [Lastings] Milledge was the most likely."

The Nats are a major league worst 22-55 coming in to play today, a full six games back in the loss column of the next worst team, but they have several interesting trade pieces in Johnson, Adam Dunn, Joe Beimel and Cristian Guzman, among others.

Edes’ Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers

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Currently standing atop the National League wildcard standings, the Giants are looking for a lefthanded bat to add to their lineup according to Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports. He cites a major league executive who says that San Francisco has focused their efforts on three first baseman: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Edes also says that the Giants have spoken to the Padres about a potential Jonathan Sanchez–Scott Hairston swap.

Let's round up the rest of Edes' rumors…

  • Royals GM Dayton Moore has heard from multiple teams about Mark Teahen, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Giants.
  • The Braves "might be inclined to take a look at" Jose Guillen. The Royals would love to discuss Yunel Escobar.
  • We've heard this before, but if Boston moves a reliever, it will most likely be Takashi Saito.
  • Padres' closer Heath Bell may command the most attention amongst relievers.
  • The Astros are likely to hold on to LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde, barring a collapse before the trade deadline.
  • The Blue Jays would love to move BJ Ryan, but are more likely to see interest in Jason Frasor and Scott Downs.
  • Bronson Arroyo is back on the trade block.

Odds & Ends: Boras, Nationals, Bedard, White Sox, Giants, Astros

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Some evening links for those of you who haven't checked out for the long holiday weekend yet.

  • Billy Witz of the NY Times wrote about the relationship between the Dodgers and superagent Scott Boras.
  • The Nationals have agreed to terms with five international players according to Bill Ladson. A formal announcement of the signings will come in a few days.
  • Pete McElroy of MASNsports.com notes that the Nats have signed a pair of draft picks, including fourth rounder AJ Morris.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times notes that Erik Bedard threw a 54-pitch simulated game today and will start on Tuesday. Teams will have just enough time to evaluate him before the trade deadline.
  • Will Carroll tweets that the Giants and White Sox "want to make a deal quick." He later backs off a bit and says that the two teams won't necessarily made a trade with each other, but both are looking for good deals.
  • Kiley McDaniel has a list of four international players the Astros have signed.
  • Remember, you can get all your rumors instantly via MLBTR's Twitter feed.
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