• Last winter, 26-year-old right-hander Edwin Jackson, then a Detroit Tiger, was reportedly a pitcher of interest for the Washington Nationals according to Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin, who included the LA Dodgers' '01 6th Round pick on a list (along with Javier Vazquez, then with Atlanta, and Florida's Ricky Nolasco) of potential targets for the Nats heading into the Winter Meetings in a 12/4/09 article entitled, "Nats aren't expecting hot stove fireworks". Shortly after Jackson, who was traded to the Arizona D-Backs this winter, pitched a 149-pitch no-hitter earlier this year, MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling noted in an article entitled, "Nats up 6-3 after six", that he'd, "...heard a rumor tonight that the Nationals were exploring a trade for the talented, if erratic, right-hander." And now ESPN.com's Jon Heyman is reporting (or at least did yesterday) via Twitter (@SI_JonHeyman) that the Nationals are still, "...among teams to express interest in #dbacks pitcher edwin jackson." I don't imagine the D-Backs are looking to trade for Adam Dunn again, so what do you think The RZO's got up the short sleeve of his Tommy Bahama shirt?
• Livan On The Move Again?:
Boston Globe writer Nick Carfado has Nats' right-hander Livan Hernandez listed as one of his "Updates on Nine" in his weekly long-form article entitled, "Oswalt may be the subject of a moving story", where he writes:
"Of the pitchers available, a half-year solution some teams may begin to consider is Hernandez, who has quietly put together a good season in the shadow of Stephen Strasburg. In 20 starts, the 35-year-old (ahem) is 7-6 with a 3.12 ERA, and he makes only $900,000. He’s not lighting up the radar guns, but his pitches continue to move in funny ways."
The last time the Nats traded Livo, they got Matt Chico and Garrett Mock back from the D-Backs in return, what can a 35-year-old Hernandez gets the Nats if they decide to deal him again?
• Pudge On His Slump: As Dave Nichols from the Nats News Network pointed out in a FanPost here at Federal Baseball.com, the Nats' Future Hall of Fame catcher, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, has been struggling lately, "Since peaking on April 22 at .449, over his last 52 games Pudge Rodriguez is hitting .235/.260/.306..." Here's what the veteran backstop had to say about his decline at the plate to Jim Ingraham of Northern Ohio's The Morning Journal in an article today entitled, "MLB INSIDER: Morneau can’t get his head straight":
"'Baseball is a game that is up and down,' said the 38-year-old Rodriguez. 'When it’s down, you have to keep working hard. And when you’re doing fine, just try to keep it there. But everybody knows it’s not going to be there all of the time. When it’s not there, you have to keep working. You have to do some things, go to the video and see things that are going to help you to do the job up there.'"
Pudge is behind the plate today catching Ross Detwiter in his 2010 debut, whatever help he can provide at the plate would be appreciated...