(ed. note - "Or maybe more accurately, 'What If Feels LIke To Be An Out-Of-Town Washington Nationals Fan'...")

-- From the Newark Star-Ledger Sports Page's "Summing Up" section, a list of MLB Free Agent Signings so far this offseason:

National League

ARIZONA - Felipe Lopez, (re-signed) Tony Clark

ATLANTA - (re-signed) Greg Norton

CHICAGO - (re-signed) Ryan Dempster

CINCINNATI - Mike Lincoln, David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes

COLORADO - Alan Embree

HOUSTON - (re-signed) Doug Brocail, Mike Hampton, Jason Michaels, Aaron Boone

LOS ANGELES - (re-signed) Casey Blake, Mark Loretta, (re-signed) Rafael Furcal

MILWAUKEE - Jorge Julio, (re-signed) Mike Lamb, Trot Nixon

METS - Francisco Rodriguez

PHILADELPHIA - (re-signed) Jamie Moyer, Raul Ibanez

PITTSBURGH - Ramon Vazquez

ST. LOUIS - Trever Miller

SAN FRANCISCO - Jeremy Affeldt, Bobby Howry, Edgar Renteria, Randy Johnson

(ed. note - "If you don't notice a problem here, click on the link below for an explanation and the rest of the post...")

Continue reading this post »

To The Future and Beyond With Washington's Nationals...

I believe the 2009 season began on September 28th, 2008, the moment Emilio Bonifacio's weak grounder reached the glove of Phillies' first baseman Chris Coste, who tossed to the Philly pitcher Clay Condrey covering first, to finish off the Nationals for loss number 102 of 161, and everything that's happened since has been an attempt to build for the future, for 2009 and beyond, including the trade that sent Bonifacio to Florida in return for 29-year-old left fielder Josh Willingham and 24-year-old left-hander Scott Olsen, who could end up being the steal of the offseason at the top of the DC rotation as a veteran on a talented young starting staff. Overly optimisitic? I've got pessimism for you...

2008 will go down in DC baseball history as the year the Washington Nationals lost 102 games and failed to sign their 1st Round Draft pick...(Of course, they'll get the 9th pick(9A) in this year's draft as compensation for failing to sign Aaron Crow, and the first pick of this year's draft for failing to win more than 59 games...) and it was also the year that the Nationals opened their new ballpark, Nationals Park, to polite applause, but attendance at the games only, not in front of radios or TV's in any significant way in the DC Metro area...(Is that way they call it? I'm from up North...)

...Now 2009 starts with the failed attempt to land their main free agent target, (whose name we'll not mention), and two months before Spring Training, with the new year now literally underway, no other signifant additions, (outside of Daniel "Potential" Cabrera), to what was, must I remind you, a 102-loss team...Nationals' Team President Stan Kasten told Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell, as quoted in an article entitled, "Nats Go All In", that in his opinion, the Nationals, "...already had a terrific offseason," with the additions of Cabrera, Olsen and Willingham, but when pressed by an incredulous Mr. Boswell, Mr. Kasten said:

"'We're determined to do more and be better in '09. We've already being(sic) looking at every option every day, not just Teixeira. His signing may start other moves in the industry. Now we know what the Yankees can pay. Let's see what everybody else will pay.'"

...And DC GM Jim Bowden let the baseball world know, in MLB.com writer Bill Ladson's article today, entitled, "GM Bowden not done improving Nats", that the Nationals weren't done improving their roster, with Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson still at the top of their wish list...as a replacement for first baseman Nick Johnson and a leadoff hitter and second baseman, respectively, should the free agents choose to join the Nationals...and just as the DC Front Office has been saying all winter, Mr. Bowden once again assures fans:

"'We are exploring a lot of possibilities,' Bowden said. 'I think, obviously, we would like to have a big left-handed bat in the middle of our lineup. So that's a priority. We want to continue to add starting pitching and bullpen. I would say that most of our discussions were for those three areas.'"

But two paragraphs later, Mr. Ladson writes, "Don't expect the Nationals to acquire a big-name pitcher", and when he lists the projected starting rotation for 2009, it's John Lannan, Olsen, Jordan Zimmerman(n), Collin Balester and Shairon Martis, (not Daniel Cabrera?), so what makes you think veteran bats like Dunn or Hudson are going to want to become part of the rebuilding process in DC unless the Nationals outspend the competition to bring them in, as Mr. Kasten seems to be intimating they might in the quote above...(from the Washington Post)...

One has to wonder...Do Dunn or Hudson mean as much to the developing Nationals as they do to the contending teams that are in need of one or two extra pieces in their attempts to compete, while the Nationals are attempting to become competitive enough to regain the interest of their own fanbase...Will Washington overwhelm Dunn with an offer that draws him away from the Dodgers or Cubs? Will Washington sign Hudson when infielders Anderson Hernandez and Ronnie Belliard are already on the roster? Will Washington become interested in Manny Ramirez if no one steps up to sign him? And what are they going to do about all those outfielders? That's enough questions for now...

Instead of looking back, which folks are wont to do in the intervening week between the Holidays and the New Year, let's look forward, after all, who wants to relive a 102-loss season, wasn't one time through that experience enough? There's a new year next week and a new season in late March, early April...and still a lot of questions left to be answered about the composition of the '09 Washington Nationals' roster...

1. Should DC sign Adam Dunn? Will Dunn want to sign with DC?

Washington Post writer Chico Harlan mentioned the fact that there was a difference of opinion in the DC Front Office on this one in Mr. Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Teixeira to Yankees", where he writes that, "Perhaps they will explore Adam Dunn as an alternative, but even that is still part of an internal debate," and Mr. Dunn himself is on record stating, much like another first base target the Nationals just missed out on, that he'd like to play for a team with a chance to win, and it's been rumored that the Brewers, Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays have interest, (two of those three meet Dunn's criteria), so it will interesting to see if DC GM Jim Bowden's personal relationship with Dunn is enough to convince him to take the Nationals' money...??

2. So far, Lannan, Olsen and Cabrera are expected to start...Will Cabrera earn the spot, and if so, who fills the last two?

When asked this week, in the most recent edition of, "Mailbag: Why take a risk on Cabrera?", why the Washington Nationals were willing to take a chance on free agent pitcher Daniel Cabrera when he'd had minimal success over the previous five seasons in Baltimore?, MLB.com's Bill Ladson told the Nationals' fan, (who happened to be from Montreal): 

"Washington admires Cabrera's potential and feel that pitching coach Randy St. Claire can fix him. Cabrera is 27 and the Nationals have always loved the way St. Claire has worked with young pitchers."

Is viewing Cabrera as a younger Tim Redding, with arguably more raw talent than the former Nationals' starter a fair assessment? It took Tim Redding seven years in the Majors before he found a real home in DC, having his best season as a pro as a 30-year-old veteran last year under Randy St. Claire's guidance...(uh, at least in the 1st half...)...Will facing one less batter make the difference for Cabrera, who's pitched exclusively for Baltimore in the America League? (excepting Interleague play...where Cabrera's compiled a (2-11) record with a 6.08 ERA in 16 starts and 1 relief appearance, allowing 93 hits, 64 ER's, 18 HR's and 45 walks with 70 K's in 94.2 IP against the National League...according to Cabrera's baseball-reference.com stat page).

Does Cabrera deserve a starting spot over Collin Balester, Shairon Martis or Jordan ZImmerman? Those are just a few of the other names being mentioned as serious contenders for a role in DC's '09 Rotation? If Shawn Hill's able to come back that's one less spot for the younger pitchers...and what about Matt Chico, Mike O'Connor, Tyler Clippard and Jason Bergmann, all of whom are currently on the Nationals' 40-Man Roster? Wait a minute, am I complaining about too much pitching?

3. If DC doesn't sign Dunn, Who backs up Nick Johnson at first?

Yes, this is essentially the same question Washington went into Spring Training last season asking, but unless they add Adam Dunn or another first baseman via signing or trade, it's still going to be the big question heading into the '09 season as well. DC GM Jim Bowden told a cyberquestioner, as quoted by MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in a transcript of an online Q&A entitled, "Bowden takes questions from fans", that Dmitri Young has:

"...worked very hard this offseason and has lost considerable weight. We expect him to be in the same shape in Spring Training that he was in when he won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2007."

Johnson is 30, and hasn't played a full season since 2006 due to various injuries. Dmitri Young, 35, played 50 games last year, 136 games in '07, 48 in '06, so maybe this year will be a bounce back campaign again...But that's hard to count on with the nature of his recent health problems...Is Chris Marrero, drafted as a third baseman, turned into an outfielder, and then asked to play first, the answer, even though he suffered serious leg and ankle injuries last season and has never played above A-ball? Can Bill Rhinehart, who impressed this Spring, but hasn't played above and struggled at Double-AA Harrisburg late last season make a case for himself? Free agent signing, Matt Whitney? Larry Broadway? He's still unsigned as a MiLFA I believe...?(ed. note - " I need a better acronym than MiLFA...???")

These, clearly, aren't the only questions...I mean, how many outfielders can one team have? Who starts at second for DC in '09? Is DC Manager Manny Acta really pushing for a backup catcher that can challenge Jesus Flores for the starting job? Why not focus on the future now instead of dwelling on the past?...

If published reports at ESPN and MLB.com are to be believed, and these things are truly hard to judge with all the misinformation and obfuscation out there...

The Baltimore Orioles have fallen back behind the pack in the race to impress free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira with numbers and years, as both MLB.com's Lyle Spencer, in an article entitled, "Red Sox seen in lead in Teixeira derby", and ESPN.com writer Buster Olney in an article entitled, "Sources: Teixeira to Orioles unlikely" report that only a desire on the part of Teixeira to provide some sort of home town discount could keep Camden Yards a possible destination for the 28-year-old switch hitting Maryland-native, who is then left with a choice between the warm sun and winning ways of Anaheim's Angels, Boston's big fanbase and recent winning tradition and miraculously, the largest contract available...which is apparently being offered up by your own Washington Nationals...

MLB.com's Lyle Spencer speculates that the Orioles' unwillingness to move up from their original seven-year, $150 million dollar offer is behind their dropping in the rumored rankings of teams still in pursuit, and who can blame Baltimore when Teixeira alone won't lift them up above either three or four of their AL East rivals (depending upon how you view the current Orioles' roster and system)...The Angels are in it, for 8-years and mystery money, but everyone keeps mentioning Teixeira's east coast leanings...The Red Sox, having been burned by Manny Ramirez on the last 10-year deal they gave out, are seemingly not going to go to the 10-year/$200 million dollar heights I thought would have immediately drawn Teixeira to Boston...And the Yankees are on the outside threatening to do to the Red Sox, Angels and Nationals what they did to the Braves in moving in on A.J. Burnett before Atlanta could pull together a deal...So, Washington's Nationals, and their reported 8-year and $160 million offer...are still under consideration...

But wait...Baltimore Sun writer Dan Connolly, who I've been checking in on since reading his article earlier this week, writes today, in an article entitled, "MacPhail: 'We have flexibility' on Teixeira offer", (in which Mr. Connolly's quoting the Orioles' GM Andy MacPhail), that the O's original offer isn't a "take-it-or-leave-it" type of offer, and in Mr. MacPhail's own words, as reported by Mr. Connolly:

"If they came back to us and told us what it would take and we thought that it made sense for us, then yes [the original offer could be altered]..."

MLB.com's Mike Bauman in a "Baseball Perspectives" column entitled, "Red Sox could counter with Teixeira", offers the same advice that ESPN.com's Buster Olney was proffering yesterday, as Mr. Bauman writes that acquiring Teixeira might be a "public relations windfall" for the Nationals (or Orioles), but in Mr. Bauman's opinion:

"...it could be argued that both of those clubs are currently far enough off the pace that they should spread the money around and build up a sufficient base of talent, rather than investing it all in one player..."

What I'm really worried about is the negative press that could pour down upon the Nationals should they come up short in their efforts to acquire Teixeira, or if they should, say...come within $700,000 to $1 million dollars in their final offer and then balk...(ed. note - "That's an Aaron Crow reference, for any non-Nationals' fans who might be following along.")...or even worse, if Washington should not only fail to ink Tex, but also neglect to make any other real improvements on a roster that lost 102 games last season...One hundred and two...unless trading for "The Hammer" Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen was DC's big move of the winter?...What if Adam Dunn doesn't want to come to Washington? What if the Mets ditch Castillo and bring Orlando Hudson in to play second in Citi Field? What if the Nationals get done waiting for Teixeira to decide what he wants to do and end up with only the '09- equivalent of Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada left to choose from on the free agent market?

Last Night...In The Winter Leagues...

Jesus Flores was 0 for 1, striking out in a pinch hitting appearance for the Navegantes del Magallanes in a 3-1 win over Caribes de Anzoategui in Venezuelan Winter League action, and the Nationals' and Navegantes' backstop is now hitting hitting just .228 with 5 doubles, 1 HR and 10 RBI's in 26 games...Ronnie B!!! Ronnie Belliard was 2 for 4 Tuesday night as the Dominican Winter League's Tigres del Licey took an 8-2 win over Aguilas Cibaenas, with Belliard starting at third, scoring twice, walking and sporting a .365 AVG after the win...(Anderson Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a walk and a K, but he's still batting .365 for the Tigres, which just so happens to be the best AVG in the Dominican Winter League as of last night...he also leads the league in doubles with 19 in 46 games, and in triples with 6 so far...) (ed. note - Free Agent Fact: "Daniel Cabrera pitched 2.1 innings for Licey, allowing 6 hits, 1 run and 2 walks with 2 K's.") (Update...Hernandez was 2 for 4 Wednesday, Belliard - 1 for 4 in a loss...)...and finally, in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, DC prospect Garrett Guzman started in left for the Criollos de Caguas Tuesday night and he went 1 for 2 with a double, his 7th, an RBI and a run scored in a 10-3 Caguas' win over the Cangrejeros de Santucre. Guzman's now hitting .289 over 28 games in which he's collected the 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR's and 16 RBI's. Guzman's teammate, Justin Maxwell, was 0 for 1 in a pinch hit appearance, and is now hittting .213. 

What say you, Teixeira?

The first year they did it was 2006, the first with Washington's new ownership in place, in November of '06, and it was described as a necessary step to refill a dried up system that had suffered under a lack of ownership since 2002 and seen it's Minor League system completely desiccated by the time the team relocated to DC, with then-Assistant GM Bob Boone telling MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Nats sign 21 Minor League free agents", that, "From our standpoint, we think a few of them will connect." The second time, in late November of '07, and it was described by MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Nationals sign 19 to Minor League deals", as an attempt to find, "...a diamond in the rough." This time, the Nationals signed just 13 Minor League free agents, according to a Washington Times' "Chatter: A Nationals Blog" post by Times' writer Mark Zuckerman entitled, "Nats sign 13 to minor-league deals", where no explanation for the moves is offered, but Mr. Zuckerman does report that all but one of the thirteen received invitations to Spring Training.

The first year, Nationals' fans had to endure a few jokes, like the sports writers who'd tell anyone who ever wanted to pitch in the Majors to head to Nationals' camp, which was funny, really, but it was understandable, after all, the best prospects in the organization were all either on the DC roster or had been traded away over the years, so it was necessary to cast a wide net, and the second season, it was accurately described as a way of maybe finding one or two players out there who had been cast aside for a variety of reasons, but still might have value...Why is DC still doing this after three seasons? A quick look at the results of the first two attempts, would seem to justify the approach...

Out of the 21 Minor League free agents signed in '06, three, "Don Sutton's Favorite Pitcher" Tim Redding**, current closer "Wild" Joel Hanrahan, and "The Nationals' Most Famous Player, 'Hollywood' Mike Bacsik", managed to make signifant contributions to the big club. Out of the 19 signed in '07, two, Mike Hinckley, (who was really re-signed), and Steven Shell were able to really impress and are considered part of the '09 bullpen at this point according to everything I've read this winter. So why not try to fill some spots in Triple-A and maybe with the big club from amongst those the rest of the league has let loose...Some of the 13 signed this year, Nationals' fans know well, returning free agents like Pete Orr, Ryan Langerhans, Ryan Wagner, and some others, Matt Whitney, Justin Jones, are names we've all heard before, while Freddie Bynum spent the last two seasons working thirty or so miles north of DC. I could see Wagner, Shell, Hanrahan, Hinckley and even possibly Redding, (if he's brought back) making significant contributions this season...Some around the Nationals' blogosphere have different opinions...

Further Reading:

Brian Oliver at the Nationals Farm Authority, in a post entitled, "Nats Sign 13 Minor Leaguers", focuses in on one of the 13, Joel Guzman, a 23-year old infielder who has spent time in the Dodgers' and Rays' organizations, as the most intriguing signing...

Steven at Fire Jim Bowden gets through an entire post entitled, "Lucky 13 Minor League Contracts", without taking a single shot at the DC GM, and Steven provides a quick, but thorough, look at each of the titular "Lucky 13"...

...and while we're mentioning the Nationals' Blogosphere:

-- I received an email recently from estopple.08, who writes a blog called 1500 South Capitol Street about following the Washington Nationals from his home in Tokyo, Japan, which I've added to the Nationals Links in the left margin...(ed. note - "1500 South Capitol Street is written in Japanese, so have some translation software handy.")

-- I also received a note from Dave from Bottomfeeder Baseball, who will be known as Dave from the Nationals News Network from now on, as he relaunched his Nationals blog to more closely mirror the Washington Capitals site, the Capitals News Network, that Dave writes as well, so update your bookmarks and links if you're following along...

Finally, there's Collin Balester, or Bally Star as he calls himself, and "Bally's Blog" at mlblogs.com, where the Nationals' pitcher has been blogging during the offseason, and this time he's back with a post entitled, "Thanksgiving Break in California and the debut of 'Bally's Minute'", where Mr. Balester does in fact recount his family's Thanksgiving dinner, and then, as promised in the title, delivers the first 'Bally's Minute' where he offers an anecdote about fellow National Nick Johnson, who is referred to by Mr. Balester as, possibly, "...the coolest guy I have met in baseball." Check out the post to see why...

PLUS...You can now follow along on FEDERALBASEBALL.com's Twitter page, where I hope to make (and receive if any readers out there are Twittering), quick updates on any Nationals-related news that I hear while I'm away from the federalbaseball.com bunker. If anyone out there's interested, it seems like an interesting way to keep each other updated on what we're all hearing and reading throughout the day, and a nice way to continue building a community around the nation's capitals' favorite baseball team...(the twitter accounts are free, I'm still waiting to see what their text updates add to my phone bill...)

(ed. note - " ** = Redding Non-Tendered?")

After announcing this weekend that they had offered arbitration to four players, pitcher Shawn Hill, the newly-acquired pair, Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham and the "Face of the Franchise Until All This Tex-Talk", Ryan Zimmerman...The Washington Nationals announced that they had re-signed outfielder extraordinaire, Willie Harris, (to a 2-year/$3 million dollar deal)...and then DC surprised just about everybody by non-tendering a pitcher one could claim was at least the first or second best starter for the Nationals last season, namely "Don Sutton's Favorite Pitcher" Tim Redding. 

...While many have speculated that the Nationals will probably quickly sign Redding as a free agent thus avoiding arbitration with the much-traveled veteran hurler, the pitcher himself doesn't seem all that pleased with the turn of events, as he explained to Washington Times' writer Mark Zuckerman in an article entitled, "Nats agree with Harris, opt to let Redding go":

"'I'm a guy who was going to make $3 [million] to $4 million,' he said. 'They can pay all five guys in the rotation for only a little more than they'd have to pay for me. So there was always a chance I thought this could happen.'"

...and it didn't sound any better in MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article on the non-tendering entitled, "Nationals give Harris two-year deal", where Mr. Redding told Mr. Ladson, (several paragraphs after an elated Willie Harris proclaims, "'It feels like everything just paid off...") that the move:

"...kind of came as a surprise, but I also know they are trying to cut cost and everything else because they are trying to bring in [Mark Teixeira]," Redding said."

...after which Mr. Redding announces that he won't be sitting around waiting for the Nationals to reach out:

"I'm a free agent, and I'll be checking the whole market," Redding said. "[General manager] Jim [Bowden] made it clear to me that there is still interest back in D.C., but not for the price arbitration would allow me to get. I'm going through the process."

So for anyone keeping score...there wasn't enough money to sign Soriano a few years back...Last summer, 1st Round pick Aaron Crow's monetary demands were too outlandish to consider signing the potential top-of-the-rotation starter...and DC doesn't want Redding (probably a 4th/5th starter) back at the "price arbitration would allow" him to get...but there's more than enough money for an 8-year/$162 Million dollar offer for Teixeira...You can't bring back a veteran pitcher because of all the money you're trying to committ to Teixeira?...Why would a city that had its Senators leave and become the Rangers want to start acting like that Texas team did with A-Rod?

WINTER LEAGUE WHIRLWIND...(Coming Tomorrow, we'll catch up on all the weekend action in the Dominican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan Leagues...but NOW...)

Teixeira Update...as of 6:13 pm EST 12/14/08...Mark Teixeira has not yet accepted or rejected the Washington Nationals' generous offer...

The New York Yankees have, however, done what everyone hoped they wouldn't and officially announced their intentions to pursue the coveted free agent first baseman right along with the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox...(ed. note - "I guess when two teams in your division and one powerhouse in the AL do it, the Yankees are left with no choice...")

The Yankees, as reported in an MLB.com article Lyle Spencer entitled, "Yankees enter Teixeira Fray", having already signed Nick Swisher, A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia to free agents deals this offseason, have decided that they might as well get involved in the bidding for not only Teixeira, but OF Manny Ramirez as well...and why not, right?...

Teixeira's stated in the past that he wants to know where he'll be playing before Christmas...which doesn't leave much time now...

DWL vs the PRWL...INTERLEAGUE PLAY...

Saturday night, the Tigres del Licey visited the Puerto Rican League's third-place Cangrejeros de Santurce, for some Winter League Interleague play that saw the Cangrejeros beat the Tigres 5-2 with two runs in the second and two in the bottom of the eighth to offset Licey's early 2-0 lead after a first half inning in which LA Angels' infielder Erick Aybar singled and prospective Nationals' second baseman Anderson Hernandez doubled in front of the Tampa Bay Rays' Willy Aybar, who had the third straight hit, the second straight double, and 2 RBI's in his first AB.

DC's backup second baseman Ronnie Belliard was 0 for 3 with a K Saturday, lowering his Winter League average to .353. Anderson Hernandez ended the night 1 for 4 with a run scored, a double, his 16th this winter, and a .359 AVG with the Tigres. 

Sunday, Licey took on Criollos de Caguas, who feature, if you've been following along this Winter, Nationals' prospects, Garrett Guzman and Justin Maxwell, so there were a total of four Nationals in the game, Hernandez, Belliard, Guzman and Maxwell...Guess who had the best game? If you said Anderson Hernandez, you're in the growing majority who agree that he'll be starting at second in DC when the '09 season gets underway, and he didn't disappoint, going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI's, for a .360 AVG and 26 RBI's in 41 games this winter. Ronnie Belliard was 1 for 3 with a double, his first, and two RBI's, #'s 13th and 14th in just 10 games in which he's gone 13 for 37 for a .351 AVG...(ed. note - "Sorry, Anderson...No one said Belliard's gonna take you starting at second lying down...")

The Criollos' Nationals' prospects?...Justin Maxwell lowered his PRWL AVG a bit, to .162 this winter, going 0 for 1 with a walk and a run scored after coming on as a defensive replacement in the sixth, and Garrett Guzman, who started in left was 0 for 3 with a walk, a HBP and 2 runs scored...in a 12-9 Caguas' win over the Tigres...(ed. note - "Saturday night the Criollos de Caguas took on the DWL's Estrellas de Oriente, and dropped a 6-1 decision in which Maxwell was 0 for 4 with 3 K's, and Guzman was 1 for 3 with 2 K's in the loss.")

WDJD? Venezuelan League Update...

The Navegantes de Magallanes welcomed the Tiburones de La Guaira to Estadio Jose Bernardo Perez for a battle of the Navigators and Sharks which saw the visiting team take a 7-3 win on the road after scoring six runs in the last three frames to respond to the Navegantes' rallies. No Jesus Flores Friday, but our old friend Wiki Gonzalez got a start, and the son of "the Rock", Tim Raines, Jr. was 1 for 5 with 2 RBI's for the Navegantes... 

Saturday night, Jesus Flores was back in the lineup, in the DH role, batting sixth, and he went 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI for a .246 AVG after the game, which the Navegantes de Magallanes win 11-4. 

WINTER MEETINGS...Little Talk of Nationals Heading Into Meetings Monday...

I read a lot of Hot Stove talk this weekend, and came across very little outside of MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article about the Nationals' agenda, entitled, "Nationals ready to take necessary steps", in which Mr. Ladson once again reiterates the Nationals' interest in Mark Teixeira first, followed by Adam Dunn, and for the second time, Mr. Ladson mentions the fact that only lefty starters John Lannan and Scott Olsen are assured of starting spots next season...(ed. note - "Wonder what Bally...That's uh, what Balester calls himself...(ed. note2 - 'Yes I read Collin Balester's blog...')...thinks of the news that he didn't earn spot in the starting rotation late last season?")

ESPN.com's Buster Olney actually started his column entitled, "Searching for answers in Vegas", by writing about the Nationals' search for a big bat, and he too mentions Teixeira as the target with Dunn the second option on DC's wish list, but Mr. Olney cautions the former Reds' outfielder done about signing with Washington, writing:

"If Dunn signs with the Nationals, for at least the first season or two he might find himself in a similar situation to what he experienced in Cincinnati -- a player among a few stars on a team that figures to struggle. Does he embrace that chance, or will he prefer a place where he has a better chance to win...?"

(ed. note - "Best to not take that chance, Dunn...I'll have MLB on XM cranked all day and I'll update in the Comments if any Nationals' news breaks...")   

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE...

As if Ronnie Belliard's 2 for 4, 2 HR, 6 RBI Dominican Winter League debut last Tuesday with the Tigres del Licey wasn't impressive enough, the DC infielder, expected to come off the bench for Washington this season, let the Nationals know he can still swing the bat the next night as well with a 2 for 3, 2 run, 1 HR, 4 RBI follow up on Wednesday and an opening week with Licey that ends with 6 hits in his first 15 at bats over five games in which Belliard's collected 3 HR's and 12 RBI's. 

Belliard's teammate on the Tigres and the Nationals, Anderson Hernandez, continued to make his case for the starting spot at second with Washington in '09, even after the trade of Emilio Bonifacio to Florida all but assured that, barring a spectacular Spring from Belliard, the job is his. That hasn't slowed the 25-year old infielder's roll this Winter, however, as 36 games in with Licey, Hernandez is hitting .391 with 15 doubles, 6 triples, 1 HR and 23 RBI's, 5 stolen bases, 11 walks,  a .429 OBP, .589 SLG and 1.019 OPS...No wonder Washington was comfortable trading Bonifacio...

Just take a quick look at these three links...

Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's, "Top Ten Prospects: Washington Nationals", from 1/4/05.

Baseball America's Matt Meyers', "Top Ten Prospects: New York Mets", from 11/11/05. 

Baseball America's Mike Berardino's, "Top Ten Prospects: Florida Marlins", from 12/23/04.

Did you notice what I did? Two players from the Nationals' list, Mike Hinckley and Collin Balester, two players from the Mets' list, Lastings Milledge and Anderson Hernandez, and two players from the Marlins' list, Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham, all of them on the DC roster this season along with the Nationals' '05 1st Round Pick Ryan Zimmerman, and the #7 prospect in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' system from 2004, (in Baseball America's Bill Ballew's eyes), Elijah Dukes...either DC's really living in the past, or the future is now. 

WDJD???

What did Jesus Flores do this week with the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League? Not much! In fact, Flores has just 1 hit in his last 18 at bats, stretching back to November 18th, (when he went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI). Since then it's only the 1 hit, (which he made the most of, knocking in 2 runs with a double this past Saturday), for the Navegantes, and the Nationals' catcher's now hitting just .200 in 19 games and 60 at bats, with 4 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI's and 17 K's.

Elsewhere This Winter...

Justin Maxell's hitting just .172 in 17 games and 58 at bats for the Criollos de Caguas in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico...Did I mention that Sunday night, Maxwell also hit his 5th HR in 58 at bats, and he's connected for 3 doubles and collected 14 RBI's in 17 games...Maxwell's teammate, Garrett Guzman's 1 for 4 game Sunday left him with a .293 AVG, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR's and 8 RBI's in 17 games...

-- The Hall Of Fame Talk...is starting again. Here's a look back to the last time former Expos' Andre Dawson and Tim Raines were up for consideration, an 11/27/07 post I creatively titled, "Do Andre Dawson and Tim Raines Deserve To Be Hall Of Famers?"

-- The Washington Nationals declined to offer arbitration to either Odalis Perez or Aaron Boone, making them both free agents though DC does have a desire to see both return in '09...My Prediction - Boone comes back. Odalis Perez gets a better offer from some other pitching desperate ball club...and takes it. 

-- According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Kearns ready to battle for outfield spot", Austin Kearns isn't going to take the federalbaseball.com readers' attempts to relegate him to the bench lying down, as he tells Mr. Ladson rather confidently, "I've been through that stuff before with a crowded outfield. Those things usually play themselves out." But perhaps more interesting were Kearns' comments on his fellow former Cincy Red, Adam Dunn, a purported person of interest for DC. In Kearns' opinion, as quoted by Mr. Ladson:

"'Everybody likes the power and he walks. He is just a presence in the lineup,' Kearns said. 'You know he is going knock in his runs. You don't have to worry about that. He has stayed healthy, so he is going to be in there every day.'"

Don't encourage them, Austin. Or should I just resign myself to the inevitability of Adam "A Bigger Wilkerson" Dunn becoming a National?

end transmission.

So I'm reading New York Times' writer Harvey Araton's article entitled, "Suffering and Snobbery As Cuban Pursues (the) Cubs", in the Sports Of The Times column in the Times' Sunday Sports section, where, after detailing "Maverick" owner Mark Cuban's personal history and his history of attempts to buy controlling interest in the Chicago Cubs from the Tribune Company, and concluding that Cuban will most likely not ever be able to take over the North Side of Chicago's long-suffering team, Mr. Araton offers the "self-made billionaire" some other options:

"How about in Washington, where the recently relocated Nationals are already another administration in need of imminent change?"

...(ed. note - "First of all, I love it when sports writers go political, subtly...")

...How about, Kansas City, Seattle or the Texas Rangers?, Mr. Araton continues, and Mr. Cuban responds via email, telling the Times' writer, "...at this point and going forward, my only interest is in the Cubs," but for me, the Times' writers' mention of the Washington Nationals, and his judgement that after almost three years under the control of the Lerner Family and the collection of local business owners they represent, the Washington Nationals were no better off than the moribund franchise that left Montreal in 2004 for what promised to be a better future in DC, was far more important than any of Mr. Cuban's future plans. 

Sure, some will argue that the franchise is well on its way to rebuilding the team's farm system with the high draft picks and prospects they've acquired in nearly three years of selections and deals, and along with the reward for this past season's futility, (in the form of the #1 overall pick in the '09 Draft), the Nationals' collection of pitching prospects, at least, is far superior to that with which they emigrated south from Quebec, Canada...

...But the rebuilding effort has not yet translated into success on the field, where, even with the surprising first-half success in 2005, the Nationals are just 284-363 since relocation, losing a disastrous 102 games in '08, and now even the commitment to build through the draft, which the Lerner group outlined upon purchasing the franchise, was called into question this year when #1 pick Aaron Crow got away over a difference of less than $1 million dollars after a protracted and at times ridiculous (or at least soap-opera-ish?) negotiation...And now Washington is acting as if it will sincerely attempt to sign free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, (or even outfielder Manny Ramirez, depending upon whose reports you read), to a contract which could end up upwards of $25-$27 million per for as many as six years...(ed. note - "...and if that kind of money is available now, why wasn't it available for Crow, yet another digression, I know...")

...The fanbase might be appeased by simply seeing the Nationals' name included in articles about the MLB Hot Stove, but the risk here is that when Washington comes up empty, (which in the cases of Teixeira and Ramirez, I suspect they most likely will), the DC Faithful, who are already tuning out in record numbers on radio and TV, might just give up hope all together and become as jaded and cynical as their American League neighbors to the north, who annually argue for the removal of their owner, who, much like the Lerners, provided the city with a beautiful ballpark and the promise of future success, but consistently failed to follow up on those promises with anything even remotely resembling a competitive approach to roster moves in the form of trades or (truly significant, substantial) free agent signings. 

The start to the '08-'09 offseason for DC does hold promise however, with the Nationals' acquisition of 24-year old pitcher Scott Olsen and 29-year old outfielder Josh Willingham from the Florida Marlins, but as Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell points out in his article from last Friday entitled, "Step One Is Just The Start", only if the trade is the first in a series of moves meant to rebuild the faltering parts of the DC roster, or as Mr. Boswell puts it, (also noting the comparison to Washington's regional rivals):

"Baseball is watching to see whether the Nats will develop their market or alienate it as badly as the Orioles, who have needed years to rebuild goodwill. To see if Ryan Zimmerman re-signs as free agency approaches. To find out if President Stan Kasten, on the short list for team-building jobs, finishes The Plan or feels stuck in a bad fit and, sooner or later, skips. To see if free agents light up, or laugh, when Washington is mentioned."

(ed. note - "Ahh, The Plan...But please, can Mr. Rizzo negotiate with Zimmerman for practice, or something?...")

The answers to all these questions will start to surface Monday, when those free agents who have already been offered contracts have taken the weekend to mull them over and make a decision, setting the bar for future deals this winter, or maybe when we move on to the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas early next month... How much, if any, involvement the Nationals will have in the dealing and signing remains to be seen...(ed. note- Maybe Mark Cuban wouldn't be such a bad idea, but would he have to join the Manager and infielders on the mound for meetings until the Home Plate Ump walks out to break it up?)...

AFL UPDATE...

It's been a while since I checked in with the Nationals' prospects in the Arizona Fall League with all this trade talk distracting me from the onfield action out West, but the last time we did the Peoria Saguaros held a tenuous 1.0 game lead over the AFL American Division's second-place Mesa Solar Sox. 

Monday 11/10 Phoenix Desert Dogs at Peoria...

DC pitching prospect Zechry Zinicola pitched the eighth inning of what looked like it would be a loss Monday night, but Zinicola's Peoria Saguaros rallied with a 7-run home eighth to take an improbable 13-11 win, giving the pitcher his first AFL "W". Zinicola (1-0, 4.05 ERA), threw 20 pitches, striking out the first batter he faced and getting two ground balls to end the top of the frame, and it was Zinicola's fellow Nationals'/Saguaros' IF Ian Desmond who really started the rally with a two-run HR in the eighth after a leadoff single by Cardinals' '08 1st Rnd pick, Brett Wallace. One out later Mets' prospect Daniel Murphy doubled in a run, stole third and scored on the first of three singles off Phoenix, which, when combined with 2 walks caused the late-inning collapse which allowed the Sags' comeback win. Desmond, starting at short, finishes the day 1 for 5 with a R, HR, 3 RBI's, and a .280 AVG after the game.

Tuesday 11/11 Peoria Saguaros at Phoenix...

No Nationals' prospects on the mound Tuesday night but there were three bats in the lineup with Ian Desmond at short, Leonard Davis in left and Bill Rhinehart at first base for Peoria in a 6-5 loss to Phoenix. Desmond ends the game 1 for 5, 1 RBI, .278 AVG. Davis is 0 for 3, .311 AVG with a walk, a run scored his second stolen base of the fall. Rhinehart goes 0 for 4 with 2 K's, but he's still hitting .282 as a Saguaro... 

Wednesday 11/12 The Battle of Peoria...Saguaros vs Javelinas.

A three-run second inning was all the Saguaros would need to beat Peoria's second favorite sons, the Javelinas, who scored two runs to make it close before Nationals' pitching prospect Adam Carr came on to earn his second save of the fall for Peoria's 3-2 win. Carr throws just 9 pitches in the save, six strikes, two ground balls and a pop out later Carr's able to end it. No other DC prospects played today...

What's DC GM Jim Bowden Doing?

Washington Times' writer Mark Zuckerman isn't the first one to wonder about Washington's plans for the team in the wake of the Nationals' acquisition of Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen, as he starts his 11/12/08 article entitled, "Nats move in new direction", by questioning the team's intentions:

"A franchise that has been saying for years that it intends to build a contender from within by stockpiling young players, the Washington Nationals seemed to alter their grand plan with a trade that yielded established major leaguers Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen - and sent three prospects to Florida."

DC GM Jim Bowden's response in Mr. Zuckerman's article:

"'We're not going to just wait for the farm system to develop players here,' Bowden said during a news conference at Nationals Park. 'We said when we were building up our development and scouting that one of the means of using that would be for trades. We've lived up to that.'"

GM Jim Bowden from 11/12/08, meet GM Jim Bowden from 1/5/08, in an article by MLB.com's Bill Ladson entitled, "Q&A with Jim Bowden", where Mr. Bowden responds to Mr. Ladson's question, "How do you feel about the Nationals going into Spring Training", by explaining:

"I think we continue to make progress at all levels in our organization. We continue to add good young players to build the franchise for the long term."

But to be fair, GM Jim Bowden from MLB.com's Bill Ladson's 9/27/07 article entitled, "Q&A with Jim Bowden", does explain, just like he's saying now, that waiting for prospects to develop isn't the only way to build for the future:

"'As an organization, we'll continue to find ways to put the best team we can on the field. You don't know when opportunities come about with free agency, trades or the farm system. It's always about competition and putting the best product to win games.'"

DC GM Jim Bowden, back in Mark Zuckerman's article, "Nats move in new direction", explains how Willingham and Olsen are part of the "long term" plan for the Nationals, telling Mr. Zuckerman:

"'This was not trade and rent a player for a year,' Bowden said. 'These are two players that can fit in the long-term plan here.'"

Alright...How about 7/31/08 GM Jim Bowden's opinion, from Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's article, "The Fully Contextualized Jim Bowden Q&A, trade deadline ed.", (where Mr. Bowden's asked about rumors that the Nationals could possibly trade second-year starter John Lannan) responds:

"We know what we're doing here. We're building for the long term. We've been consistent with that. So we weren't talking about trading our young players. Unless we're looking for other young players."

With rumors of more trades to come it should be interesting to see what direction the next move leads the Nationals? Will they get older? Younger? Trade for a power bat or sign a free agent? One thing's for sure, regardless of what happens, it's all part of "The Plan"... 

So, I guess Anderson Hernandez is going to be playing second in DC in 2009.

Emilio Bonifacio, acquired by the Nationals from Arizona before the Trade Deadline last July in return for the Tallest Pitcher in MLB History, closer Jon Rauch, and called at the time the second baseman of the future in Washington, is now the centerpiece of a package that reportedly also includes DC pitching prospect P.J. Dean and minor league infielder Jake Smolinski, a 7th Round pick and 2nd Round pick in '07, respectively, who go to Florida in return for Marlins' left-hander Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham. 

The talk so far this fall had been that Washington was in the market for a middle-of-the-order bat who could provide much-needed power to one of the league's worst offensive lineups, and the kind of names mentioned, (Teixeira, Fielder, Holliday, Dunn) seemed to be a little out of the Nationals' league, but Josh Willingham, a career .266 hitter, who hit 25 doubles, 5 triples and 15 HR's last season, and collected 51 RBI's in 102 games, (missing time with a herniated disk), is more the type of player I expected...29-years old, with (acc. to baseball-reference.com) an average .266 batting average, with 32 doubles, 4 triples, 25 HR's and 85 RBI's per 162 games played. 

But the point of this trade it would seem, is acquiring Scott Olsen, (and clearing up the second base drama), but mostly the acquisition of the 24-year old left-handed starter, who, 101 starts into his MLB career since being drafted by Florida in the 6th Round of the '02 Draft, has a 31-37 record and a 4.63 ERA. Olsen, like most new Nationals it would seem, comes with some baggage, however...(ed. note - "The drama is well-documented here on Scott Olsen's wikipedia.org page, which, yes, already includes the trade.")

Olsen was (8-11) last season, posting a 4.20 ERA in 33 starts and 202.1 IP, while allowing 94 ER, 30 HR's, 69 BB, and striking out 113, (down from 133 in '07 and 166 in '08), with a 1.31 WHIP and a .253 BAA. Olsen, who turns 25 in January, joins a DC rotation that could very well have 4 or 5 under-25 starters next season, including John Lannan, 23, Collin Balester, 22, and Shairon Martis, 21. 

...The Emilio Bonifaco Experiment in DC comes to a rather abrupt end, but if you've been following along with the Dominican Winter League action, you'll know that Anderson Hernandez has continued to impress, (after hitting .333 with 27 hits in 81 at bats over 28 games in Washington in '08, in which he collected 4 doubles and 17 RBI's), by batting .404 as of today, with 9 doubles, 4 triples, 1 HR, 15 RBI's and 4 steals for the DWL's second place Tigres del Licey. 

?'s Raised...

- Josh Willingham, Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Willie Harris, Roger Bernadina, Wily Mo Pena...Which of these players will not be Nationals come Opening Day? 

- Can Willingham play first? He's played 2 games there, back in 2006, and has played first in the Minors...

- Any chance Willingham isn't staying in DC?

-  Wasn't having Bonifacio fun? Would you trade Rauch for Olsen and Willingham? I think I would...I'd probably trade Rauch for Olsen...and I kinda like Willingham, I feel I can admit that now...

- Predict DC's '08 Rotation? Balester, Olsen, Lannan, Redding, Martis? How about Cory VanAllen, Ross Detwiler, Shawn Hill, Tyler Clippard or Jordan Zimmermann? That actually looks like a decent list of pitchers to choose from, or is it just me? 

- How about, Zimmerman, Guzman, Hernandez and Willingham around the infield? Or the HAMMER, Milledge and Dukes left to right in outfield...Sorry, Kearnsie?