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The Starting Nine: Nationals Links; Nats At Non-Tender Deadline

So you're not sitting around monitoring Twitter, searching #Nats, sifting through aggregators and sorting through hundreds of random blog posts and stories about the Washington Nationals? We try to make it easy for you with "The Starting Nine," a collection of the stories you need to read...

By Patrick Reddington
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

We understand, sort of, not really, that not everyone can spend their offseason waiting around for some news on the Washington Nationals to break. So if you find yourself wondering what you missed in the last week, catch up every Monday with The Starting Nine. Nine topics/stories that will keep you in the know as far as what's going on with the nation's capital's Nats. We're also including "The Rotation" below, the Top 5 Stories from the last week on Federal Baseball...

1. Old-Time Ohlendorf:

• "So that leaves only one name among the arbitration-eligible players whose future with the Nationals could be over by the end of the day: Ross Ohlendorf." - "Washington Nationals face MLB’s non-tender deadline on Monday" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

2. Did You Somehow Miss The $300M Roof Story Last Week?:

• "Ted Lerner, Nationals owner and Washington-area development mogul, pitched Mayor Vincent Gray on the idea and it didn’t go well. A source in the mayor’s office said Gray 'started laughing.'" - "D.C. laughs at Nationals $300M stadium roof pitch" - Michael Neibauer, Washington Business Journal

• "The Washington Nationals were laughed at by the mayor of DC when they pitched a plan for a $300 million retractable stadium roof this week, but the Atlanta Braves received $300 million in public funds for their new stadium." - "Washington Nationals got laughed at for retractable roof proposal but Atalanta Braves got $300 million for new stadium" - FOX Sports on MSN

3. Heyman And Ladson Said Yes, Kilgore Said No, Still Talk Of Span Getting Traded:

• "The Red Sox’ preference would be to re-sign him above giving Jackie Bradley Jr. the job; or moving Victorino to center; or making deals for available center fielders such as Matt Kemp, Dexter Fowler, and Denard Span." - "Red Sox hope to stick to the offseason plan that earned a championship" - Nick Cafardo, The Boston Globe

4. We've Been Reading Your Work For A Decade, And Hope For The Best For You:

• "As we head into Thanksgiving, I feel fortunate that I made it this far. I spent the entire year without going into the hospital." - "Nationals beat writer Bill Ladson thankful on Thanksgiving despite awaiting kidney transplant" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News


5. Nationals Mentioned As Part Of Cano Market:

• "Other teams that appeared as possible suitors for Cano include Detroit, Seattle, Texas and Washington, but to date, no team has publicly declared a strong interest in the second baseman." - "Cano, Yankees near $100 million off: sources" - Ken Davidoff, New York Post

6. Build Your Own Market Kit... Allegedly...:

• "'Many teams have shown interest. Boston, Marlins, Mets, Washington, Pittsburgh and Colorado are concerned, among others,' Furcal, who spent the Thanksgiving holiday at the home of his in-laws in the area of ​​Orlando said." - "Mets, Boston y Miami están interesados en Rafael Furcal" - Enrique Rojas, ESPN: Deportes

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

8. Don't Hassle Zim, He's A Local:

• "Ryan Zimmerman, one of the most identifiable athletes in Washington, is spending this offseason in a novel place: Washington." - "Washington’s sports heroes rarely call the area home year-round. Here’s a few who do" - Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post


9. The Nationals And Stories About Lefties:

• "The Nationals were in on J.P. Howell last year when he was a free agent, and Howell is a free agent again this year and would again be a logical candidate." - "Nationals’ left-handed relief options starting to thin" - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

• "Howell and Logan are probably the top two options remaining at this point, with Perez a cheaper alternative and O'Flaherty more of a risky play because he's coming off Tommy John surgery." - "Nationals Pastime: Another lefty reliever to consider" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "Matt Purke finally stayed healthy enough to pitch over 100 innings in a professional season this year after dealing with a variety of injuries since joining the Nats organization in 2011." - "Washington Nationals minor league spotlight: Matt Purke" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• BONUS LINKS:

• "When Rizzo has a Major Need, he usually fills it very quickly -- he knows what he wants and strikes first." - "Ask Boswell: Redskins, Nationals and Washington sports" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post

• "In 2013, Moore suffered a big dropoff. He hit to a .222/.260/.347 slash line, belted four home runs in 167 at-bats and posted an OPS+ of 66." - "Nationals Pastime: A big year upcoming for Tyler Moore" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "It all came together this month when the 25-year-old Barrett got one of those phone calls he had dreamed about. His contract was selected for placement on the Nationals' 40-man roster." - "This is 40: Aaron Barrett" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports

• The Rotation - Top 5 Stories From The Last Week On FBB:

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