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Nationals avoid arbitration and sign Sean Burnett to a two year contract with an option for a third. --Adam Kilgore from washingtonpost.com
The off-season feels like it is coming to an end, but there are still ten weeks left until Spring Training. Huge baseball news anyway, at least for Matt Chico fans. He has survived and will surface in AAA when the season begins. --Bill Ladson at nationals.com
After Christmas comes New Years and the time to reflect on the year that was. The rise and fall of Stephen Strasburg was the 5th best story from 2010. Will the resurrection of Stephen Strasburg even be a story in 2011? --Tom Verducci from si.com
Let's take a minute and slow it down right here. The first game I saw in 2009 was in Atlanta, Georgia, and it was there standing in Dulles airport waiting for my flight that I saw the news on CNN that Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart had been killed by a drunk driver. The man responsible will serve 51 years in prison at a minimum. --Craig Calcaterra at nbcsports.com
What can be learned about the Nationals' farm system from the recent Baseball America top ten list. That it is improving but still has a ways to go. --Ben Goessling from masnsports.com
Prospects are something that every team has, and until someone says otherwise the Nationals farm system won't be considered to be very good*. --whatwasnookloganthinking.com
*In my opinion success on the Major League level is the quickest way to change perceptions about a farm system, If Zimmermann, Espinosa, and Ramos have monster years then suddenly the Nationals farm system will look pretty good.
This should lead to a bit of optimism among Nationals fans. When Dave Cameron was asked in a fangraphs chat what player under 26 would he want to build a franchise around he answered, Ryan Zimmerman. --fangraphs.com
Big market teams continue to have success while small market teams do nothing to get better, main examples are the Rays losing Crawford, Nationals signing Werth, and Royals trading Greinke. --Howard Bryant from espn.com
LaRoche doesn't want asbestos money. --Jen Royal at masnsports.com
Jayson Werth talks about playing for the Nationals and what 2011 might bring. --nationals.com
If Matt Chico's DFA showed anything it is that the window of opportunity closes fast for some players. --Ben Goessling from masnsports.com
Jayson Werth's first day in DC included a basketball game and a press confrence. Relive it here. --nationals.com
Because of Jayson Werth the Nationals have spent the second most this off-season, but haven't really improved the talent that much. The White Sox are the off-season champs. Does that make them the Redskins? --William Yoder at thenatsblog.com
Philadelphia misses Jayson Werth, and one Philly beat writer thinks Werth will age better than most. --Byron Kerr at masnsports.com
I have to spend most of the day tomorrow with my family. If something unexpected happens I might have a links column with the news about it. If it is more nothing the Daily Evolutions will return on Monday.