Both the Nationals and Jayson Werth were winners of the Winter Meetings. --Jon Heyman at si.com
Or they are losers until they add a first baseman and more starting pitching. --Harper from natsbaseball.com
Exactly how does the Werth contract break down? I agree here that the way the contract breaks down signals that the Nationals aren't expecting a big bump in attendance this year and view their true window as 2012-15. --Adam Kilgore at washingtonpost.com
Werth's contract contained a provision that he would get number 28, and Garza might be a better deal than Greinke. --Ken Rosenthal at foxsports.com
I am going to try and chronicle the 2011 season and how my wife puts up with my sometimes unhealthy obsession with baseball. In my Winter Meetings chapter I focus a good bit on the Jayson Werth deal. --Me from 'Til Death Do Us Part
Former Phillie Mike Schmidt likes Jayson Werth but doesn't think he should be counted on to be a team's best player. I do not worry about that as I don't think he ever well be the Nationals best player. Even if the unthinkable happens and Zimmerman is gone after 2013 then Harper should be up by then. --Craig Calcaterra at nbcsports.com
Harper is still a prospect and he could fail, but I suspect more scouts would be surprised if he fails than if he succeeds. Randy Knorr thinks that not only does Harper have the talent he also has the instincts. --Byron Kerr at masnsports.com
Minor League coaching staffs announced. --Adam Kilgore from washingtonpost.com
The 30 by 30 film series on ESPN is pretty good, and the one this weekend on SMU football was great. It also reminded me of the Werth and Crawford situation. One of the reasons SMU was investigatedso heavily was because they weren't Texas or Texas A & M. SMU football wasn't supposed to win. The Nationals are supposed to build the way the Rays, Twins, Indians, and Royals are built or are trying to build. This among other things is one reason the Werth contract is lampooned and the Crawford contract is greeted with a shrug. --Thomas Boswell in The Washington Post
The Decision 2: The Indecision Countinues a Favre production staring Cliff Lee is expected to wrap this week. --Tom Verducci from si.com
The Nationals are out on Lee, but in on Derrek Lee. --Mike Henderson at nationalsdailynews.com
Also still in on Pavano and Webb. --Bill Ladson from nationals.com
Whether it is LaRoche or Lee or someone else at first it won't be Willingham. --Pete Kerzel from masnsports.com
Last week the first season of The Walking Dead came to an end, but Nationals fans might have their own zombie to cheer for as Flores is looking healthy. --Rachel at natsfangirls.com
The true value of Jayson Werth and Cliff Lee is likely to be less than what they are getting paid on the open market. --Ben Goessling from masnsports.com
This off-season has seen a return to big spending by the owners. --Jeff Passan from yahoosports.com
But most teams aren't built with big name free agents. --Jerry Crasnick at espn.com
The Nationals depth chart. --Mark Zuckerman from natsinsider.com
Bill Ladson answers your questions in his mailbag. Quick rundown: Werth in right and Morgan in center but not a lock to keep the job, Nationals not thinking right now about giving Zimmerman an extension, Finding a first baseman from outside doesn't affect Marrero, Willingham should bring pitching in any return on a trade, and Ladson likes Dunn the person more than Dunn the one dimensional baseball player. --Bill Ladson at nationals.com
After the disaster that was the 2010 Openning Day the Nationals are giving local groups the first crack at buying tickets. --Rachel from natsfangirls.com