• Washington Nationals Fall Notes: C.J. Wilson may have pitched his last game as a Texas Ranger last night in the Rangers' win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Will the Washington Nationals make a run at the soon-to-be free agent left-hander? Current Nats' left-handed pitching prospect Sammy Solis made his fourth AFL start last night in Arizona, but received no decision when fellow Nats' prospect Pat Lehman got knocked around. 22-year-old Derek Norris, who'll turn 23 in February, was 2 for 2 with a HR in Monday's game. C.J. Wilson, Yu Darvish, CC Sabathia, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes, Roy Oswalt...the Nats get mentioned in discussions about all the potential free agents, will any of them end up in the nation's capital? I say the Nats will sign...That's right...will be a National for the next few years! Imagine that...and the Nationals! Exciting. What? I'm being told this bullpen phone isn't working. Sorry. Here are the links...
• THE BIG STORY!!:
• "'I can’t say I don’t like the attention. I like it,' [Bryce] Harper said. 'It comes with the territory. If people are talking about you, you must be good.'" - "Nationals ready to start Harper's countdown to superstardom" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• NATS BEAT:
• "Is C.J. Wilson really worth the money he's going to get this winter?" - "Tuesday morning thoughts" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "I've written several times that I think the Nationals could have some interest in [Mark] Buehrle, and if they could get him on a nice two-year deal or by adding an option year for a third season, it might be worth a look." - "A few free agency thoughts" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• Jose Reyes? "I have to say no because Davey Johnson often talked about how he wants Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa to be his double-play combination." - "Nationals beat reporter Bill Ladson answers fans' questions in his latest Inbox." - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "As with [C.J.] Wilson, the Nationals and the Angels are also prepared to bid for [Yu] Darvish, who has not announced his intentions for next season." - "From Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles, Baseball's Hot Stove Is Heating Up" - David Waldstein, NYTimes.com
• 106.7 The FAN in D.C.'s Holden Kushner on Twitter (@Holdenradio): "[Drew] Storen on what Davey Johnson told the #Nationals at the end of the season, 'I want to see this to the end.'"
• "Guesses on the posting fee ranged from $30-55MM, with the team executive making the highest prediction. The average of the six guesses was $45MM. As for the contract, most people predicted a five or six-year deal in the $72-75MM range." - "Agents Predict Darvish's Posting Fee, Contract: MLB Rumors" - Tim Dierkes, MLBTradeRumors.com
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Disturbing emotions not only disturb our own state of mind, they also disturb the minds of others."
• NATSTOWN:
• "To me, it seems Roy Oswalt would be a natural fit for Washington. The Nats have made it no secret that they want to add top-of-the-line veteran starters to bolster their young and talented rotation." - "Phillies Set Oswalt Free, Should The Nationals Make A Push?" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• "The problem is that Washington D.C. isn’t an attractive landing spot for players looking for a new team, thus forcing the team to overpay for guys like Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche." - "Nats could strike gold with Lidge and Oswalt from Phillies" - Zach Myles, Washington Nationals
• "BREAKING: Washington D.C. is not all about the Nationals. Shocking, I know, but it turns out the city isn’t nuts about baseball." - "A Third of DC Likes Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles Over Nats" - Win for Teddy
• "Personally, I’m not so sure if [C.J.] Wilson is an ace. He’s very good, and his move from the bullpen last year to full time starter has been a rousing success." - "You Might Wanna Pay Attention Tonight" - The Nationals Review
• "Boswell Chat 10/24/11: My answers to his Baseball questions" - Todd Boss, Nationals Arm Race
• "Corey Brown - Age 25: How he became a Nat: He came over with Henry Rodriguez in the trade that sent Josh Willingham to Oakland." - "A Few Good Men: 11 - Brown" - Mac, Capitol Baseball
• "First and foremost, he’s been durable and consistent. Over each of the past two seasons Wilson has eclipsed the 200 inning plateau. He’s made at least 33 starts each season." - "Examining the Case For & Against C.J. Wilson" - Aaron Somers, District on Deck
• "Jesus Flores: 'Contento por los batazos en la primera semana.'" - Nats Enquirer
• "Do the Nats even want [Roy] Oswalt? Yes they do. The narrative of the season is a little alarming." - "Roy Oswalt talk" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• "AFL Update: October 25, 2011" - NationalsProspects.com
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Phillies: "In a development likely to shock absolutely no one, the Phillies have opted to decline the $16 million option on pitcher Roy Oswalt's contract, and the $12.5 million option for reliever Brad Lidge." - "Phillies Decline 2012 Options for Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt -- Source: Completely Obvious News Network" - Whole Camels, The Good Phight
• Mets: "No one thought it would be this bad. Sure, everyone everyone hated the Jason Bay contract for various reasons but a 100 OPS+ and 18 home runs in his first two seasons as a Met?" - "2011 Postmortem: Left Field" - James Kannengieser, Amazin' Avenue
• Braves: "With a strike zone rate of 53%, Prado saw more strikes than normal, which makes sense thanks to a very low swing rate (42%). When he did swing though, he made contact at a 90% rate, which is very high up there." - "2011 Atlanta Braves Player Review: Martin Prado" - SCrebel, Talking Chop
• Marlins: "Shields would be an ideal fit for the Marlins. He’s at worst a solid No. 2 starter minus the salary exposure that would accompany a free agent like C.J. Wilson." - "Rays RHP James Shields could prove a nice fit if price is right" - Juan C. Rodriguez, Florida Sun-Sentinel
• Your Daily Message From Joe Posnanski: "So, an admission: I love bullpen phones. Love them. I absolutely love the idea that there’s an old-fashioned, land-line telephone in pretty much every major league baseball dugout across America." - "Bullpen Phones" - Joe Posnanski, SI.com