Wire Taps: Derek Lilliquist gets to know Nationals’ staff; Nats sign Joaquin Benoit; Bryce Harper wants to ignore future

So. The entire team is in West Palm. The games begin on Friday. The Circle of Trust has been encircled. Are we ready yet?

Here’s the beat from South Capitol Street.

The Nationals’ new pitching coach Derek Lilliquist is getting to know his very good staff
It's about tuneups, not overhauls for Lilliquist, who is driving the best car he'll ever drive in his life, outside of a few misplaced gears, axels, and, uh, other car terms.

Nats sign veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit to one-year deal
Dave Martinez sat down with Koda Glover to tell him, that when he got back, he wanted him back for good. Then, Mike Rizzo got him a stopgap.

Bryce Harper is trying to tell the media to ignore a $500M elephant in the room
Bryce Harper read a quick statement off his phone, which Thom Loverro claims is stupid — because the media will inevitably ignore him.

Glover on shoulder soreness: "I'm not worried. I'll be fine."
Koda Glover's shoulder is injured, but don't worry. He's fine. He's fiiiinee.

Taylor is Nats' most interesting spring player
Michael A. Taylor has enjoyed one excellent season, one good season, and one season worth throwing in the garbage. Which version of him will we see this spring — and more importantly, which one will translate over to the season?

Nationals add veteran Joaquin Benoit to address bullpen depth issue
After Koda Glover went down with another shoulder injury, the Nats needed something (or someone) to serve as insurance. Enter Benoit.

Bryce Harper makes it clear that his focus is on 2018
Bryce Harper walked in the room, and then told reporters that if they asked about 2019, he'd be out of there. By the way, did you know that Bryce Harper is a free-agent next year?

Bryce Harper *really* does not want to talk about 2018 free-agency
Bryce Harper was willing to talk about anything and everything on Monday. Except for, y'know, the one thing everyone wanted him to talk about.

Harper addresses media for first time in 2018
Bryce Harper isn't about to take any playoff appearances for granted — but also isn't willing to obsess over his impending free-agency.

With camps set to open, checking out some pitching storylines
"Who has pitching to catch the Nationals?"