Nick Johnson...Not Traded? Rumor Mill Has DC Faithful Questioning Reports After Late Scratch From Sunday's Lineup...

1) is this really a swear free zone? that seems to be against the spirit of internet blogs
2) the Nats need to trade Nick Johnson. he’s injury prone, he’s a valuable stopgap for a team for a year or two, but he doesn’t have any value for a team that is 2+ years from being competitive. trade him for the best package we can get this year, lets try to start loading the farm system, and lets get this party going

Look how well that turned out. The Nats could have started rebuilding a couple of years ago with that.

omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod………….

FIDDLESTICKS!!!

“A strong contingent of Phillies fans in the crowd of 46,986, the biggest at Yankee Stadium since opening day, cheered wildly as Utley scored (the winning run in the 11th).

“Lidge’s ERA actually dropped to 9.15 after his fourth blown save in 12 chances this season.”

“New York put its first two batters on in the 10th but Mark Teixeira to ground into a Kearns double play.”

“Teixeira added to the stadium’s growing reputation as a launching pad with a broken-bat, solo shot off Cole Hamels in the sixth. Hamels slowly shook his head in disbelief as the drive carried over the wall in left despite Teixeira’s bat shattering, leaving him holding barely more than the handle.”

I have said many times that we should resign him for one more yeart!!!!

All this team needs is a bullpen. We do not need to trade for more hitters or starting pitchers. We get an awsome bullpen then we are a contender. Bull pens are easy to fix in free agency and the offseason.

Should he not want to resign with the nationals then Johnson’s stata will make him a type A free agent if he stays healthy. You can’t trade a type A free agent for another teams cast offs. Its stupid!

So do not trade nick Johnson!!!

We do not have anyone else who can play firstbase with any skill at all. .

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/chatter/2009/may/24/nats-win-8-5/
“Logan Kensing has accepted his assignment to Class AAA Syracuse and is back with the Chiefs.

Lastly, the Nationals have a decision to make on reliever Mike MacDougal, who they signed earlier this season. MacDougal has a 21-day out clause in his contract, “like about six other players have,” Rizzo said. That comes due tomorrow, which means the former Tigers reliever could opt for free agency if the Nationals don’t call him up. But Rizzo said they hadn’t made any decisions on roster moves."

6 G, 6.1 IP, (0-0), 1.42 ERA, 2 SV, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K’s. .217 AVG.

I’d do it in a heart beat. Trade NJ while he has a market! Matt Cain would be an excellent return.

I believe that San Francisco is after Johnson, but it just doesn’t seem logical any way that you look at it:

1) There’s definitely been plenty of hope that the Nats have seen from their starting pitching. I like what I’ve seen, and don’t think that Rizzo is/should be targeting a starter if he deals Johnson.

2) As poor as Brian Sabean’s track record is, he’d be CRAZY to trade Cain for Johnson. I’m sorry… I’ve been a fan since long before the team moved from Montreal. I like Johnson. If I’m Mike Rizzo and Sabean even wants to discuss Matt Cain for Nick Johnson (even with something else [small] thrown in), I’m asking where I sign and taking the deal before he can change his mind!

I make that statement despite how impressed I’ve been with the starting pitching (sans the removed Cabrera and the injured Olsen). Overlook the win totals… Cain is probably one of the top twenty starters (might be going on the low side with that, actually…. I wouldn’t say top ten, but top 15 might be about right) in baseball. He’s still just 24, and he’s under the Giants’ control through 2011.

Again, we’re talking a 24-year-old with a 3.63 lifetime ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and a 599:301 K:BB ratio (pretty much 2:1) in 714 innings. He’s extremely durable, having averaged 202 innings in his first three full seasons. Under contract through this season and still eligible for two more years of arbitration.

Johnson is a 30-year-old oft-injured first baseman who is money as an all-around hitter when he’s healthy, but doesn’t blow you away with his power at, quite frankly, a power position. He is a free agent at year’s end.

So, yeah… I’m sure there are discussions about Nick Johnson coming from San Francisco. No… I don’t think Cain’s name really came up. My guess is that a prospect package was involved, though the rumors out of San Fran are that they won’t part with any of their top prospects (Posey, Bumgartner, Alderson… didn’t see old wunderkind Angel Villalona mentioned in my search, but doubt the Nats are going to be pressing for a Dominican kid who signed at 16 after the whole Smiley mess anyway). I would think someone like a Sergio Romo (began the year on the DL, and looks ready to come up from his rehab assignment… seriously, check out his big league/minor league numbers and tell me he wouldn’t be a fit in the bullpen) plus a mid-level prospect would probably sound about right. I’m not sure how much the Giants would be willing to add with Romo, but it would be need for need.

Note: Romo’s inclusion is not a rumor… just someone I’m speculating I think would be attainable and a fit in terms of need.

I know there’s a big Do Not Trade Nick Johnson faction on here. I believe that if you can make your team better on the whole by moving him, you have no choice. Based on everything my eyes have told me for since 2001, when Johnson broke into the big leagues, I don’t believe his trade value is ever going to be higher. Nor do I think that one healthy season is going to make his free agent status Type A or anything (i.e, compensation of a first rounder [if the team that signs him picks in the bottom half] or second rounder [if the team that signs him picks in the top half] and a sandwich pick) if he leaves via free agency. The fact that the team remains overloaded at the corner outfield spots with a couple of potential 1b options means that I don’t think the Nats have much of an intention to re-sign him at year’s end, but stranger things have happened.

If Rizzo can grab a young reliever who has impressed at every level (including the major league level) and is under team control for the next five years and snag something small, deal him. If Rizzo could have gotten Matt Cain, this deal would have been done already.

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2009/05/lackadaisical_senators_bounced.html#more

   “Senators manager John Stearns yanked two veterans from the starting lineup for showing suspicious effort on the field and probably would have pulled even more if he had the resources to replace them.
Joel Guzman was axed after he managed just a single on a ball off the wall in the third inning, a hit that scored Ofilio Castro from first. And C Luke Montz was erased after casually throwing the ball back to RHP Zack Segovia as Baysox baserunners Daniel Figueroa and Dave Krynzel stole third and second base in the sixth.”