I wanted to start the Winter Meetings on an optimistic note so I got out my Ryan Zimmerman name and # t-shirt and wore it as I did all last season for good luc...(moments later)...Alright, i changed into something new...dialed my XM radio to 175 and left it on all day to see what if any Nationals' news leaked out of the speakers...

While I Was Waiting, A Text From A Mets' Fan: (ed. note - "Translated from text so it's readable...")

- "WFAN is reporting that the Mets made an offer to K-Rod...but no details..."

- "Just heard the Mets made a 3-year offer," I responded, "K-Rod wants 5 though..."

(ed. note - "He calls on the phone now.")

- "Hey...Yeah well, everyone else is offering two...so we (the Mets) go three and get our new closer...the best closer in baseball."

- "I just read that the Mets offered three years at MLB.com...(source: MLB.com writer Anthony DiComo's article entitled, "Mets offer K-Rod three-year deal"), but I also read on TSN.ca, an article (source: an article generated by the Sports Network entitled, "Report: Mets Offer K-Rod Two-Year Deal Worth Less Than $24 Million"), that says it's a two-year deal, at $12 per and it's a 'starting point'...That's not gonna get you the 'Best Closer in Baseball'..."

- "Don't quote me to me...and '.ca'? What is that...Canada? C'mon...stick to hockey..." (hangs up)

(ed. note - "Shortly afterwards, another text...")

- "DC's gonna deal Nick Johnson."

- "That story's been around for a while now..." I respond.

- "To the A's..."

- "For a while now..."

(ed. note - "On a personal note...I am really not looking forward to seeing Washington batters flailing away at K-Rod's slider all season, so let's hope that falls through like the Mets' playoff hopes every year...")

The only Nationals-related report I hear the whole day, and what the Mets' fan quoted above must have heard as well, was from ESPN.com's Peter Pascarelli, who was on XM's MLB Hot Stove coverage, (paraphrasing here)...reporting that a trade with the A's is a possibility and in his opinion Nick Johnson could use a new start and since he's from California...", but there was no mention of what would be coming DC's way in return....

The one rumor that did pop up again, has the Nationals interested in the Colorado's newly-acquired outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who went to the Rockies in the Matt Holliday trade to Oakland after having been acquired by the A's from the D-Backs as part of the package that brought Dan Haren to AZ....MLB.com's Bill Ladson has reported it before and today he did again, denying, in his article entitled, "Nats unlikely to deal for Taveras" that the Nationals had any interest in the Rockies' Willy Taveras while reaffirming their intentions towards Gonzalez, and I'm sure it will thrill Lastings Milledge to know that if they can't acquire another outfielder to play center, Washington believes, in Mr. Ladson's words, "They also could stick with Lastings Milledge at the spot."

In Case You Missed It...

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal took the time Sunday to make it known that it was, "Hard to imagine Teixeira in D.C., no matter the price", which really makes clear the hard(or aggressive) sell the Lerners have apparently put on Mark Teixeira's agent Scott "Maximum" Boras...and if you don't think it's a good idea for a rebuilding franchise to invest so much in a player currently entering his prime a few years ahead of said team...just consider this, as Mr. Rosenthal writes in closing the DC/Teixeira section of his post:

"One other thing: Teixeria's signing with the Nationals would spark a fan revolt in his hometown of Baltimore, where fans would demand to know why the Orioles lost him to an equally downtrodden franchise just 45 miles to the south."

That's almost reason enough to sign Teixeira, no?

WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES...

After lifting his average to .250 with a 1 for 3 outing on Sunday in an 11-5 Navegantes del Magallanes' loss, with a double, an RBI, a walk and two K's, Jesus Flores has collected 18 hits in 72 at bats, 5 doubles, 1 HR and 9 RBI's over 23 games in the Venezuelan Winter League.

There were no games Monday night in any of the Winter Leagues, so here are some of the totals so far...

Dominican Winter League - Tigres del Licey - 

Ronnie Belliard - 10 G, 13 for 37, .351 AVG, 1 double, 3 HR's, 14 RBI's. 

Anderson Hernandez - 41 G, 63 for 175, .360 AVG, 16 doubles, 6 triples, 1 HR, 26 RBI's.

(ed. note - "Updating the battle for second base in DC in '09, Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin dropped by the Nationals Journal for a preview of his print article in a post entitled, "Wrapping Up Day One", where he writes:

"Acta said Anderson Hernandez 'has the inside track' for the starting second base job, as things stand, but he does not envision Hernandez batting leadoff. 'We don't want to put too much pressure on him,' Acta said."

...I'm not counting Belliard out for Opening Day.") 

Puerto Rican Winter League - Criollos de Caguas - 

Garrett Guzman - 22 G, 22 for 75, .293 AVG, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR's, 12 RBI's.

Justin Maxwell - 22 G, 12 for 74, .162 AVG, 3 doubles, 6 HR's, 17 RBI's.

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