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Wire Taps: What does Matt Wieters deal mean for Derek Norris?; Max Scherzer throws with regular grip; Wieters contract felt in owners' boxes

The Washington Nationals "finally" did something yesterday... and it was the move everyone predicted they would make from the start this winter. Matt Wieters is a National. Here's what people are writing about the free agent signing.

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Wow, bit of a day yesterday. I am, of course, referring to the death of the intentional walk.

While you mourn those crucial four pitches, here are today's' Wieter Taps.

What does Matt Wieters deal mean for Derek Norris?
Dusty Baker made it pretty clear on Tuesday that the Nats were going to see who else would be interested in having Derek Norris on their team.

Max Scherzer played catch with regular grip, but is not yet pain-free
Max Scherzer had been using a modified grip to play catch until Monday, when he threw with his normal, two-fingered grip for a little while -- but still experienced pain. (Scherzer won't throw off of a mound until he's absolutely pain-free.)

A few thoughts on Wieters, and a potential David Robertson deal
The addition of Wieters is good, not great... and adding David Robertson might not be the fix for all of the Nats' closer woes.

Adding Wieters will probably hurt more than it helps
The Nats already gave up Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in exchange for Adam Eaton. Now, they've blocked Pedro Severino (whom many have assumed to be the catcher of the future) from breaking into the show for at least another year. In other words: not the world's greatest idea.

Signing Matt Wieters doesn't seem to make too much sense
Wieters, statistically, just doesn't look that different from the significantly cheaper Derek Norris... and if the Nats had that money, why didn't they use it on a reliever for the back end of the bullpen?

Boswell: Wieters deal is actually a very very good thing
The only loser in the deal? Jose Lobaton. Pedro Severino will get another (probably needed) year in Triple-A, and everything will be just fine.

Wieters deal was a no-brainer
For the bargain price, it made complete sense for the Nats to upgrade over Derek Norris and potentially re-open themselves to a deal to acquire a reliever for the back of the bullpen.

The Nats might score a lot of runs, but there's a good chance it won't be a "historic" amount
Their team OBP may be on the rise, but the Nats are projected in two different (albeit conservative) projections to score fewer runs than they did last year.

Owners are probably feeling effects of Wieters more than fans
The Nats and Orioles are still in the midst of a legal battle, but the two teams are still playing baseball -- and Matt Wieters moving from Baltimore to D.C. probably registers on Peter Angelos' radar quite a bit.

Former Nats: Storen aiming to close for Reds
The Reds don't have a defined closer, but Drew Storen would be happy to take over in the role.

Days until Opening Day: 40