Baseball free agency is always interesting to me. It is a lot like the game of baseball itself where it is a lot of patience and waiting. In football at least half a dozen players sign at midnight when free agency opens, and in the NBA players are holding press conferences and announcing their intentions before free agency even begins. Instead with baseball you get great headlines like, "Nationals to Receive Audience with Lee." I am glad he is willing to listen to our plight. We sure could use those extra rations from the kingdom. --Bill Ladson at nationals.com
The Nationals might be trying now to add players, but it is important to remember who they lost, and aside from Dunn it is really no one of any significance. --Dave Nichols from natsnewsnetwork.com
If Dunn does find his way elsewhere the Nationals have options. This off-season is loaded down with first baseman and while Dunn looks to be the best of them their are plenty of others, and their might even be some available to be traded for. Though it could be debated whether the Nationals have the prospects for that. --Bill Ladson from nationals.com
Beyond the Lee's, there are the De La Rosa's, and then further down there are the Bonderman's, but after that there are guys like former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb. In the search for pitching depth the Nationals are willing to take a flyer on Webb. --Adam Kilgore at washingtonpost.com
The Nationals could also be interested in free agent pitcher Carl Pavano. --Nich Cafardo from boston.com
Wondering how the Nationals in The Rising Stars Game performed. Not well, as Burgess failed to reach base and Kimball didn't even get in the game. --Pete Kerzel at masnsports.com
Danny Espinosa is known as a high strikeout player with decent power for a middle infielder. He is looking to shorten up his swing at the expense of some power for the ability to reach base more often. --Byron Kerr from masnsports.com
Unrelated D.C. News
Superstar chef Bobby Flay to open burger joint in the Nations Capital. --Missy Frederick at bizjournals.com
General Baseball
I remember when I was young watching Saturday Morning Superstars and Vince McMahon telling Gorilla Monsoon that anything can happen in the WWF. Well, anything can happen in the baseball off-season. The person not expecting the unexpected might be the most deluded person of the off-season, or it could just be Jeff Francoeur and his agent. --Matt Klaassen from fangraphs.com
One of the things I am looking forward to about having a son is being able to tell him about the players I got to watch play baseball. It is always fun to listen to the older generation telling us about watching Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente. Who will we be telling our children and any interested whipper snappers about? Albert Pujols. There are others, but Albert Pujols at 30 is already a sure bet to be in the Hall of Fame, and might even have to be inducted twice. --Joe Posnanski at si.com