Wire Taps: Washington Nationals add two to 40-Man; Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo talks manager search... in NY

Bill James is a baseball peacenik... he’s declaring war on WAR. Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo talked to the New York Times... about the New York Yankees’ unique approach to their managerial search. There was actual roster news out of Washington yesterday with an interesting decision on the Nats’ part when it came time to decide which players were added to the 40-Man roster to protect them from selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

Catch up on the last 24 hours in Nationals news before you start doing the work that someone is paying you to do... Also: Extend Mike Rizzo.

NATS BEAT:

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo won’t campaign for a contract extension
"The 56-year-old was unequivocal when asked about his contract situation, and whether he will initiate talks about a future deal."

Nationals add Kelvin Gutierrez, Jefry Rodriguez to 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 deadline
"Drew Ward, Spencer Kieboom, and Bryan Harper are among those players currently unprotected, but eligible for selection."

Nationals Baseball: Offeseaon Position Discussion : Starting Pitching
"The thought was in 2017 it would eventually be Max, Stras, Roark, Gio/Ross, and one of the Nats "on the cusp" starters - Lucas Giolito or Reynaldo Lopez."

Nationals add Gutierrez, Rodriguez to 40-man roster
"Rodriguez, another Dominican native, still is regarded as a promising pitching prospect within the organization. He has the “Best Fastball” in the Nats system, according to Baseball America."

Livan Hernandez debuts on Hall of Fame ballot
"The pitcher who threw out the first pitch in Nationals history is making his debut on the Hall of Fame ballot this year."

No. 8 Nats prospect: Daniel Johnson
"Everyone talks about Victor Robles and Juan Soto, but there is another outfielder who is turning heads in their minor leagues and that is Daniel Johnson."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Re-Visiting The Best Free Agent Deals Of The Last 5 Years
"Scherzer got paid like the best pitcher in free agency during the 2014-2015 offseason, which he was, and since he’s come to DC he’s given them three seasons of Hall of Fame-caliber work..."

Breakout prospects from Arizona Fall League
"The corner infielder certainly made up for some lost time and readied himself by hitting .350/.438/.475 in 40 Fall League at-bats, slowed only by getting spiked early in the season."

Each MLB team's most important free agent
"The Nationals are losing a lot of players, but Kintzler played a big role in the team’s once-struggling bullpen after he came over from Minnesota..."

2017 MLB Offseason Preview: Washington Nationals
"For the fourth time in six seasons, the Nationals are in the same situation entering the offseason."

Who Do We Love to Hate 3: The NL East
"Washington Nationals: pretty high douche factor with Bryce Harper as the team leader, stadium suites full of lobbyists and Congresspeople, they still reek of Montreal."

Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals interested in Brandon Kintzler?
"Brandon Kintzler is likely to turn his short time as a closer with the Minnesota Twins into a full-time closer job next year."

RANDOM BASEBALL STUFF WITH NATS MENTIONS:

Bill James, part of MLB's Moneyball revolution, criticizes WAR
"James believes using wins against replacement, or WAR, to illustrate Aaron Judge was more valuable than Jose Altuve is 'nonsense.' And that's a very big deal for the relevance of the stat."

Why the Yankees Are Crowdsourcing Their Manager Vetting Process
“Many general managers seem to think it’s a brilliant idea — for the Yankees.”

Quotation of the Day: Seeking Manager, Yanks Refuse to Hide
“‘I see the value, especially in an atypical market like New York. But I think we make our best decisions when it’s not nationally known what we’re trying to do.’ - Mike Rizzo”