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Wire Taps: Nationals' 40-Man decisions coming; LaRoche to Marlins? + Nats links

So which Washington Nationals' prospects will be added to the Nats' 40-Man Roster today? The roster, after the Jhonatan Solano move, currently stands at 38. Who will be protected from selection in the Rule 5 Draft?

By Patrick Reddington
Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

The Washington Nationals have until 11:59:59 PM EST tonight to add Rule-5-eligible players to the 40-Man Roster to protect them from selection in this December's Rule 5 Draft.

The latest move, made on Wednesday, was to cut ties with catcher Jhonatan Solano, a 29-year-old backstop who was out of options and didn't fit into the Nationals' plans, as MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo posted a list on Wednesday night of the Nats' prospects on MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 20 Prospects in the Nationals' organization who are eligible for selection:

• "Washington (3): No. 2 A.J. Cole, RHP; No. 6 Matt Skole, 1B; No. 7 Brian Goodwin, OF; No. 14 Drew Vettleson, OF; No. 19 Wilmer Difo, SS." - "Top prospects need protection from Rule 5 Draft" - Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com

Any players selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, must, of course, remain on the major league roster of the team that picks them for the entire season or be returned to the original team.

The Nationals' 40-Man roster currently stands at 38 after the move to release Solano.

MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote on Wednesday about A.J. Cole's desire to make it to the majors in 2015:

• "Don't think Cole, 22, is satisfied with what he has accomplished so far. He wants to have better command of all his pitches..." - "Cole aiming to earn spot in Nationals' rotation" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

Some of the links which follow are a day old since there was no link post yesterday...

But we didn't want anyone to miss out on this Tony Renda story:

• "At the age of 23, Renda combines good speed and contact hitting to put pressure on the defense." - "Renda provides Nationals a sparkplug infielder" - Bernie Pleskoff, nationals.com

Speaking of prospects, MASN's Byron Kerr is talking prospects with Baseball Prospectus:

• "Bautista hit .290 with 20 doubles, five triples, five homers and 54 RBIs for the Suns. But Chris Mellen, co-director of the Baseball Prospectus prospect team, says Bautista's biggest asset is his defense." - "Baseball Prospectus No. 9 Nats prospect: Rafael Bautista" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

The Nationals made some more front office additions on Wednesday:

• "The Nationals officially announced a handful of additions and promotions in the scouting department, including the hiring of two special assistants to General Manager Mike Rizzo." - "Nationals hire Mike Cubbage as special assistant to GM" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "The Nationals continue to add to their baseball operations department, hiring Mike Cubbage and Terry Wetzel on Wednesday as special assistants to general manager Mike Rizzo." - "Nationals add to baseball operations department" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

So, it wasn't a BMW, Jordan Zimmermann gave Steven Souza a gift certificate, quick post something shareable!!:

• "On Wednesday, Souza revealed to MLB.com that Zimmermann gave him a Best Buy gift certificate. Souza declined to say how much the gift certificate was worth..." - "Catch nets Souza gift certificate from Zimmermann" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

• "Well, we can finally confirm the gift was not a BMW, but rather a gift card from Best Buy." - "Jordan Zimmermann gives Steven Souza gift card after no-hitter-saving catch" - Mark Townsend, Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports

• "Souza joked that he’d be looking for a Beemer in his garage. (He was joking, right?)" - "Jordan Zimmermann gave Steven Souza Jr. a Best Buy gift card (not a BMW) for his no-hitter-clinching catch" - Scott Allen, The Washington Post

So, were you thinking about how much Bryce Harper is worth after hearing the Stanton numbers?:

• "Baseball salaries are determined very much like real estate prices, using a thorough perusal of the surrounding properties in the neighborhood – the 'comps.'" - "Will Giancarlo Stanton’s historic contract ever impact Bryce Harper?" - Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post

Speaking of big contracts:

• "Really, who wants to be on the hook for $86 million (the minimum Zimmerman is still owed) to a guy who can no longer play the position he played when he signed the deal?" - "Point/Counterpoint: Will the Nationals regret Zimmerman’s contract?" - Mark Zuckerman and Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

Your Daily Message from the Dalai Lama on Twitter (@DalaiLama)

ICYM: Tony Beasley left the Nats for the Rangers earlier this week:

• "Beasley, a Virginia native and resident, said the hiring happened quickly and was unexpected. The Rangers called last week for permission..." - "Minor league instructor Tony Beasley named Rangers third base coach" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "Nationals minor league coordinator Tony Beasley has left the organization to become the new third base coach of the Texas Rangers..." - "Former Nats coach Tony Beasley lands with Texas" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• "Beasley has a working relationship with Rangers manager Jeff Banister that dates back to the early 1990s, when both were with the Pirates." - "Beasley leaving Nats, joining Rangers as third-base coach" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

• "Perry Hill, a widely respected infield coach with Miami, offered his endorsement of the Texas Rangers’ hire of Tony Beasley on Tuesday." - "Former co-worker endorses Texas Rangers hiring of Beasley eniring" - Gerry Fraley, Dallas Morning News

• "I'll miss the various onion jokes that were tossed around when Solano delivered for the Nats in 2012 and 2013 - that Solano had peeled off another hit or that he was cooking up a good game." - "Nationals Pastime: Beasley back in the bigs, possible landing spot for LaRoche (plus scouting hires)" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

NL EAST UPDATES: Marlins make LaRoche an offer; Braves DFA Venters:

• Marlins: "According to a source, the Marlins have made a two-year, $20 million offer to free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche, who hit .259 with 26 homers and 92 RBI for Washington in 2014." - "Update on Marlins' free agent moves; Behind-the-scenes nuggets on Stanton negotiations" - Barry Jackson, Miami Herald

• "Who the Marlins pursue remains to be seen, but first baseman Adam LaRoche and right-hander James Shields are a couple of free agents that could fill needs on Miami's roster." - "With Giancarlo Stanton locked up, Miami Marlins turn focus to adding more talent" - Christina DeNicola, FOX Sports

• "The Marlins may not have to look outside of their own division to find a middle-of-the-order hitter. Miami reportedly has a two-year, $20 million offer on the table to free agent Adam LaRoche..." - "Marlins reportedly make offer to LaRoche" - Joe Frisaro, marlins.com

• Phillies: "The litigation ended late last month in a U.S. District Court in Missouri, with Howard and his family reaching an undisclosed settlement out of court." - "The family legal fight over Ryan Howard's finances" - David Murphy, Philadelphia Daily News

• Braves: "The Braves bid adieu to the longest-tenured member of their organization to create 40-man roster space for top prospect Jose Peraza..." - "Top prospect Peraza among Braves' roster additions" - Mark Bowman, braves.com

• Mets: "The Cubs prefer to hold onto their shortstop surplus, a source familiar with their thinking said, a group that includes major league starter Starlin Castro and prospects Javier Baez and Addison Russell." - "Another reason why Mets may stick with Flores at shortstop" - Ken Davidoff, New York Post

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