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Wire Taps: Nationals' skipper Matt Williams a finalist for 2014 NL Manager of the Year

Will Matt Williams win the Baseball Writers' Association of America's NL Manager of the Year award in his first season as a manager in the majors? In just his second managerial gig after he spent some time in the Arizona Fall League? Can Williams win?

By Patrick Reddington
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

No Gold Glove for Denard Span. But he did get his option picked up for 2015. No Gold Glove for Adam LaRoche either... but he... uh...

Matt Williams is a finalist for the NL Manager of the Year.

The BBWAA announced the finalists for all of their awards last night, and the Nats' first-year skipper joins the San Francisco Giants' Bruce Bochy and the Pittsburgh Pirates' Clint Hurdle as the finalists for the 2014 NL MOY.

Will Williams win it? Are you in the "he was handed the keys to a Cadillac" camp? Or are you impressed by what the Nats' skipper was able to do with an injury-riddled roster in his first season on the bench in the majors? Or are you still mad that be benched Bryce Harper that time?

What about Juan Lagares and Adrian Gonzalez getting the GG nods in center and at first, respectively, over Span and LaRoche?

But Wire Taps is not a place for an endless string of questions, it's all about links.

In spite of the fact that there was some Nationals-related news out there last night, there wasn't a lot written about the Nats on the internet in the last 24 hrs. We found what we could though and collected it all below...

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

• "Mike Rizzo: I look at the season as successful, and a lot of good things happened. It went extremely well for 162 games. It was a great season that ended poorly." - "Rizzo discusses offseason goals in Q&A" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

• Williams as 2014 NL MOY?:

• "Talented, winning teams don’t usually undergo managerial changes, but Williams shepherded the Nationals through an injury-plagued season with calm and discipline." - "Matt Williams named finalist for NL manager of the year award" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "He took a Nationals team with high expectations before the season to an NL East division title and the National League Division Series." - "Matt Williams a finalist for NL Manager of the Year" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• "Matt Williams was recently selected as the Sporting News National League Manager of the Year, an award voted on by his peers." - "Nationals Pastime: Williams a finalist for NL Manager of the Year" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced on Tuesday that Matt Williams is a finalist for the National League Manager of the Year Award." - "Williams a finalist for National League Manager of the Year" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

• No GG for you, or you!:

• "Span, 30, made both the routine and difficult plays look easy with good jumps, direct routes and savvy." - "Denard Span, Adam LaRoche lose out on Gold Glove awards" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "Span made four errors this season and posted a .990 fielding percentage, this after going the entire 2013 campaign without committing an error." - "Nationals Pastime: Span, LaRoche come up short in Gold Glove voting" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "This year I made four errors, so I didn’t win it last year making no errors. I guess I was prepared for what was ever going to happen.'" - Denard Span - "No Gold Glove award for Span" - Bill Ladson, All Nats All the Time

• NATS BEAT:

• "Based on initial calculations and estimates, payroll will increase next season unless the Nationals trade current players and add little salary in free agency." - "A look at the Nationals’ payroll - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post

• "Two years ago, the Nats gave LaRoche a qualifying offer, and it stunted the market for the free agent first baseman, allowing the Nats to re-sign him on a two-year, $24 million deal." - "Nationals Pastime: Free agency notes plus more on Fornataro" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

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

• AFL UPDATE - Matt Grace:

• "Grace was selected in the eighth round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of UCLA. He has appeared in five games for the Solar Sox out of the bullpen, a role he became very familiar with this season." - "Getting to know the Nationals in the AFL: Matt Grace" - Kyle Brostowitz, Curly W Live

• NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

• "The Nationals have little in the way of glaring needs and could seek to defend their NL East crown with relatively few moves." - "Offseason Outlook: Washington Nationals" - Jeff Todd, MLB Trade Rumors

• "For those who have followed the Nationals closely over the last decade, there are few figures more beloved than Livan Hernandez." - "30-for-30 series tells the story of Livan and El Duque Hernandez" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• NATSTOWN:

• "If the selfie he took above didn't convince you he deserved to be on the list, check out some of our other favorite tweets sent out by the witty lefty." - "Nationals Buzz: Jerry Blevins named to Sports Illustrated's Twitter 100 list" - Olivia Witherite, MASNSports.com

• "Duffy's Irish Pub, the wonderfully unfussy bar just north of the U Street corridor, will shutter permanently tonight at midnight." - "Duffy’s Irish Pub to shutter tonight at midnight" - Alex Baldinger, The Washington Post

• "The team has about 1,800 accounts that have existed since the Nats’ arrival in 2005, representing something like 4,500 fans." - "Nats launch ’10 Moments of Thanks’ campaign to honor longest-standing season ticket holders" - Dan Steinberg, The Washington Post

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Mets: "Lagares is the 10th Met and third Mets outfielder to win a Gold Glove, joining Tommie Agee (1970) and Carlos Beltran (2006-08)..." - "Mets center fielder Juan Lagares wins a Gold Glove" - Matt Ehalt, NorthJersey.com

• "'It's great to be recognized by your fellow players,' deGrom said in a statement after receiving that honor." - "deGrom named a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year" - Anthony DiComo, mets.com

• Phillies: "On the first day of free agency, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was open to all possibilities as he begins the challenging process of remaking his roster." - "Phillies' Amaro: No untouchables" - Ryan Lawrence, Phialdelphia Daily News

• Marlins: "Stanton now is looking to become Miami's first National League Most Valuable Player, but he is up against some tough competition..." - "Stanton can become Marlins' first MVP" - Joe Frisaro, marlins.com

• Braves: "Simmons is the first Atlanta player to win consecutive Gold Gloves since fellow Curacao native Andruw Jones notched his 10th straight in 2007..." - "Simmons, Heyward get second Gold Glove Awards" - Mark Bowman, braves.com

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