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Wire Taps: Nationals Winter Meetings And Rule 5 Wrap Up

The Washington Nationals lost a prospect and announced a deal with their newest outfielder on Thursday as the Winter Meetings came to an end. The Nationals lost Adrian Nieto in the Rule 5 Draft, announced Nate McLouth's signing and then DFA'd Corey Brown.

By Patrick Reddington
Patrick McDermott

The Winter Meetings wrapped up on Thursday with the Rule 5 Draft which saw the Washington Nationals lose 24-year-old backstop prospect Adrian Nieto to the Chicago White Sox. Will the Sox keep Nieto, who played at High-A Potomac in 2013, on their 25-Man Roster all year? He'll have to win his spot or Chicago will have to either return him or work out a deal with the Nats. After the Winter Meetings officially ended, the Nationals made their deal with Nate McLouth official. In order to make room on the Nats' 40-Man Roster, the team designated 28-year-old outfielder Corey Brown for assignment.

That's the last bit of news for the week from the Nationals, most likely, unless there's something surprising today... nationals.com's Bill Ladson still think the Nats might sign a veteran catcher...

The last 24 hours in Nationals news... in link form... starting... RIGHT NOW!!!:

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

• "'The rule will govern the conduct of both catchers and runners and so it will be a little bit complicated, but we are going to work our way through it,' Alderson told reporters Wednesday." - "Will MLB action on home-plate collisions change game’s culture?" - Cindy Boren, Washington Post

• NATS BEAT:

• "Nieto then hit .271 in 13 games in the Arizona Fall League, impressing scouts with his performance against higher-level prospects and making him a candidate to be lost in the Rule 5 draft." - "Nationals lose catcher Adrian Nieto to White Sox in Rule 5 draft" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "Assistant general manager Doug Harris wasn't surprised that the White Sox selected Nieto, who was the Nats' fifth-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft." - "Nationals lose one, gain two in Rule 5 Draft" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "The scouts in the Nationals' system like Nieto, but the chances of him sticking on a big league roster for the entire season when he hasn't played above high Single-A appear to be pretty slim." - "Nationals Pastime: Nationals lose Adrian Nieto to White Sox in Rule 5 Draft (updated with quotes)" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "There’s a chance, however, Nieto could return to the Nationals. He is 24 and hasn’t reached above Class A." - "Nationals lose Adrian Nieto in Rule 5 draft" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "McLouth is expected to play mostly against right-handed pitching. He is a career .221 hitter against left-handers compared with .260 against right-handers." - "Nationals finalize two-year deal with outfielder Nate McLouth" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "In order to make room for McLouth on the roster, the Nationals designated outfielder Corey Brown for assignment." - "Nationals officially announce signing of Nate McLouth" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "Washington is still looking for a backup catcher and possibly an infielder. The team still has its sights on catcher John Buck, who played for the Mets and Pirates last season." - "Washington Nationals check one item off their list at Winter Meetings" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News


• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama):

• NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

• "We always try to remember not to grade any team's offseason by looking for the team that wrote the biggest checks. And no team embodies why more than the Nationals." - "MLB -- Offseason winners and losers" - Jayson Stark, ESPN

• "The Nationals needed a left-handed reliever and getting Jerry Blevins is real good on two fronts." - "Wrapping up the 2013 MLB Winter Meetings" - Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com

• "Earlier this week, Zimmerman confirmed a detail that figures to affect his value as the Nationals' franchise player..." - "NL Top Players: No. 33 Ryan Zimmerman" - Dennis Lin, UTSanDiego.com

• "I had a chance to speak with [manager] Matt Williams and Mike Rizzo, their general manager, just to kind of get a little bit of a feel for what they are all about." - Nate McLouth - "Nate McLouth talks about leaving the Orioles, joining the Washington Nationals" - Dan Connolly, baltimoresun.com

• "The Washington Nationals have yet to live down Game 5 of the 2012 Division Series." - "Giants make right move in signing Michael Morse" Bruce Jenkins, SFGate

• "Nieto, a Hialeah, Fla., resident and a well-regarded prospect who has yet to play in the majors, is referenced twice in clinic documents." - "Adrian Nieto, Rule 5 pick of Chicago White Sox, named in Biogenesis documents" - Mike Fish, ESPN

• "'The Twins have been helping me out with the same things the Nationals did, in regard to my command and my changeup.'" - Alex Meyer - "Q&A: Alex Meyer, Minnesota Twins Pitching Prospect" - Dan Laurilia, FanGraphs Baseball

• "According to John Sickels, Burns could have enough range for center field, but his arm is on the weak side." - "Fast Times with Billy Burns" - Alex Hall, Athletics Nation

• "While it was expected that the White Sox would select a catcher in the Rule 5 draft, the Sox surprised by selecting Adrian Nieto from the Washington Nationals." - "White Sox pick catcher Adrian Nieto in Rule 5 draft" - Steve_p, South Side Sox

• "For the time being, the catching battle will include Tyler Flowers, Josh Phegley, Hector Gimenez and Nieto in the chase for two spots on the major league roster." - "White Sox take C Nieto in Rule 5 draft" - Doug Padilla, ESPN Chicago

• NATSTOWN/MINORS:

• "The Holliday comparison is a nice one to hear. Fitt said Souza brings the frame at 6-foot-3, 220 lbs., and has made great progress the last two seasons." - "No. 9 Nats prospect: Steven Souza Jr." - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "Nats Lose One, Pick Up Two In Rule 5 Draft" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com

• "You know the numbers going in: something like 10% of college baseball players go on to play professionally. Of that 10%, roughly 8% manage to play in the major leagues." - Tim Pahuta

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Phillies: "Hernandez has shown glimmers of promise over his eight-year career, but has mostly been a sub-replacement level starter, owning a career 4.67 ERA over exactly 1,100 innings of work." - "Phillies Sign Roberto Hernandez (formerly Fausto Carmona)" - Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley

• Mets: "The Mets conveyed to some industry folks that they were close to trading Davis when the Colon deal." - "Mets strike gold, but Anderson knows work to be done" - Ken Davidoff, New York Post

• Marlins: "From the moment the Marlins arrived at the Winter Meetings, they made it clear they were not on vacation at Disney World." - "Marlins active at Winter Meetings, but still have work to do" - Joe Frisaro, marlins.com: News

• Braves: "The Atlanta Braves should be taking notes on all this, because they have a player who fits this description and these circumstances." - "Braves may trade Craig Kimbrel" - Buster Olney, ESPN

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