Apparently, MLB.com's Bill Ladson, (who restates his belief that the Washington Nationals will pursue second baseman Orlando Hudson in the most recent edition of his, "Inbox: What offseason moves remain"), isn't the only one out there who thinks the Nationals will sign the 32-year-old free agent infielder, as MLBTraderumors.com's Tim Dierkes sticks by his original prediction of Hudson's destination and once again links Washington to Orlando in a post Monday morning entitled, "Remaining Top 50 Free Agents", wherein Mr. Dierkes writes:
"Orlando Hudson - Nationals. I still like the Nats for Hudson, partially because unlike the Mets and Mariners, they wouldn't have to move an incumbent second baseman to make room."
The Nationals wouldn't be moving an "incumbent second baseman", but his acquisition would force Cristian Guzman back over to short for the final year of his deal with DC, after the talk all winter was of his shift to second, and it would delay the official start of the Ian Desmond Era in the nation's capital, which we're led to believe by reports would please some part of the Nationals' brass...MLB.com's Bill Ladson's says simply that in the Nationals' attempts to improve their infield defense, he believes Washington, "...is still in the mix for Orlando Hudson."
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• Quote of the Day.
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(ed. note - "And for the record, Mr. Dierkes has Toronto signing Aroldis Chapman, while Mr. Ladson says that Washington's been "hush-hush" but he has to, '...believe that there is still interest in Chapman' on the Nationals' behalf...That's RZO-style! [points to head]")
Quote of the Day.
In a post at the Washington Post's Nationals Journal today by Chico Harlan entitled, "Q&A with Matt Capps", the new Nationals' reliever is asked why he decided on a one-year deal in DC, and the 26-year-old right-hander responds:
"That was a decision I talked with my agent about. I came off a poor year last year. I have a lot of confidence in what I can do. So I can go in, prove that. I don't want to come to Washington for two years. I want to come, pitch the way I can, and then [re-sign] for three, four, five years if I pitch the way I can."
Which begs the question...Did Washington sign Capps and plan on having him stay on for a few more years if he was successful, with Storen setting up in an apprenticeship role, or are the Nationals, who drafted the closer-in-waiting with the first pick after Strasburg in the '09 Draft, planning on dealing Capps at the deadline if they can get something significant in return? (ed. note - "I know, I know, let him pass his physical first...just excited is all...Welcome to DC, Mr. Capps.")
According to several reports, Capps will be in the nation's capital tomorrow afternoon to take a physical and make things official with the Nationals, no word as of yet on the date or time of an introductory press conference...