"The Plan," of course, is framed as the antithesis of instant gratification. I don't know if anyone's saying that makes it perpetual torture either, but for now it's not actually headline material---unless the headlines are Don't Expect Nats to Make Moves, Kasten Says. There is nothing wrong with "staying the course," so to speak, and that might especially be true this offseason, which has sort of turned into Double Jeopardy with the Clue Crew on speed. If nothing else, however, it's boring. Maybe you don't advance your organization's interests by catering to the curiosities of obsessives like me, but you have to admit---it's boring. No news. No vibe. No rumors, except of the self-manufactured type, and you have to grant Bodes a little room to troll around. It's what he does, dawg. But on the whole? Nada.
At least Ryan Church is drawing some interest, as Banks of the Anacostia notes. Apparently, five teams reportedly expressed interest in Church, but judging by Nats.com's Wednesday night report, it looks like the Phillies are Church's most interested suitor. The report indicates Church's name was linked with another Ryan, Phillies' reliever Ryan Madson, but that might not come to pass:
Last season, Gonzalez, 21, was 7-12 with a 4.56 ERA at Double-A Reading, but he had 166 strikeouts in 154 innings.
The Mystery Gonzalez in the second, non sequitur paragraph (snipped accidentally?) is Gio Gonzalez, a 21 year-old lefty. I guess he's another guy the clubs discussed. John Sickels rated Gonzalez the Phils' No. 2 prospect heading into the season and did not seem deterred by Gonzalez's apparent struggles at Reading.
Nats.com also reports a proposed three-way deal sending Hot Rod Lopez from Baltimore to Washington might never have been proposed or discussed. As the report indicated, such a deal would have been curious, given the direction the team is headed this offseason.
And that's all for now. See you at the Rule 5 draft tomorrow morning. Rise and shine!
Update [2006-12-6 23:1:12 by Basil]: Scratch Gio! If you somehow thought Church could have gotten us Gavin Floyd, scratch that too! This from my bud Joe Hamrahi from Baseball Digest Daily:
See? Nothing's happening. Except with the other 29 teams. Yes, including Kansas City.
Update [2006-12-6 23:47:59 by Basil]: The Post reports some stuff this evening---nothing interesting, but it classifies as stuff. Chad Cordero is sort of being shopped; the sort of indicates the asking price is so high he's essentially not being shopped. The article mentions Omar Minaya would like the Chief. Well, aside from the fact many times would like to have him on a pitching staff, wouldn't it seem sort of humiliating if our closer ended up as the Mets' set-up man?
But none of that kind of thing seems likely to happen because, again, the Nats want a lot for the guy. Money quote: "They want so much for their people," said an official of another club.
Okay, that's more evaluative than money.
Other stuff from the WaPo article:
- The Nats could move Church soon, or they could move him in the future. Thankfully, that's been narrowed down.
- With the exception of one American League team who's shown an inchoate interest, there's been zippy movement on Operation: Dump Vidro's Contract!
- I'll take Nine Letter Words for a thousand, Alex. The answer:
Washington could sign former major leaguer Jose Macias, who spent last year playing in Japan, to a minor league contract that would give him a chance to be the backup third baseman, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Macias is a .256 career hitter over six full major league seasons in which he has played in the outfield, at second base and at third.
What is "pointless," Alex?
Correct.
- The Nats are ready to flip around minor league managers. John Stearns will go from Double-A to Triple-A. Tim Foli will go from Triple-A to a roving position. Scott Little will go from a coordinator position to Double-A.
- Finally, a note from the afore-linked Nats.com I forgot to mention the first time around:
In other news, Manny Acta said one of the first calls he made after being named the manager was to first baseman Larry Broadway, who has been in the Minor Leagues since being drafted out of Duke in 2002.
Acta was impressed with Broadway in 2004, when the left-handed hitter had a solid Spring Training for the Expos.
"[When I came to the Nationals], one of my first questions was, 'How is Larry Broadway doing?'" Acta said. "I had a lasting impression of him when he first came up and worked out in Spring Training with us, and I know he had an injury to his knee. Apparently, he's back on track."
Meaningful? Other than for the purpose of demonstrating Acta likes Broadway, I'd guess not. The Lernastens are playing the restraint angle, not the dismantling angle. The only way Broadway makes an impression in Washington is if Nick Johnson is traded, and that would require a dismantling. Mind you, a dismantling might serve to execute "The Plan" more expeditiously, but that's another subject entirely.