Wire Taps: Washington Nationals add Steven Fuentes to 40-Man roster; Bringing back Kurt Suzuki + more...

In 80 ²⁄₃ innings pitched between High-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2019, right-hander Steven Fuentes, who made 23 appearances (11 starts), gave up just one home run, (0.11 HR/9). Fuentes spent the 2020 campaign pitching at the Alternate Training Site down in Frederickburg, VA, and the 23-year-old pitcher’s contract was selected by Washington’s Nationals on Friday, so he could be added to the 40-Man roster. He walked 22 batters (2.45 BB/9), and struck out 89 (9.93 K/9) overall on the year, and was promoted from the P-Nats to the Senators after tossing 17 innings in which he allowed just one earned run (0.53 ERA).

Congrats, Steven. The rest of you? Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Nats add righty Steven Fuentes to 40-man roster - (MASN)
Fuentes spent the 2020 season at the alternate training site and just completed participation in fall instructional league workouts and games.

Nationals select the contract of Steven Fuentes - (Curly W Live)
“Fuentes, 23, joins the 40-man roster for the first time in his professional career. He was a member of Washington’s Alternate Training Site (Fredericksburg) during the 2020 season.”

Nationals’ World Series title put years of DC playoff anguish to rest - (NBC Sports Washington)
"It had been 95 years since a World Series title had been celebrated in the nation’s capital and 85 years since a Washington-based team had even played in one."

Is there any place for Cabrera on Nats' roster next year? - (MASN)
"The Nationals re-signed Cabrera last winter with the idea he’d again serve as a key figure off the bench who could fill in at several infield positions if the need arose."

Updates on Rutledge and Denaburg's progress from Florida - (MASN)
"The Nats and Marlins were supposed to play 12 intrasquad games but daylong rainstorms in South Florida limited them to only a handful of matchups."

Washington Nationals 2019 World Series quiz - (WaPost)
“How much do you remember about Washington’s triumph? Test your knowledge with this expert-level quiz.”

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Goold: Declining options and sudden free agents, like Wong, begins flood MLB talent into frigid marketplace - (stltoday.com)
"The Washington Nationals paid $5.75 million in total buys to decline the options for Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, and Anibal Sanchez – a year after they contributed to a World Series championship."

1 free agent each MLB team can re-sign - (MLB.com)
"[Kurt] Suzuki is wholly trusted by the Nationals’ pitching staff, most notably Max Scherzer, so his return would make sense."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Steve Cohen buys New York Mets, MLB approves deal - (CNBC)
"Steve Cohen is officially the owner of the New York Mets. Major League Baseball owners approved of Cohen’s roughly $2.4 billion purchase of the team from the Wilpon Family on Friday, the league announced."

Scouting for Philadelphia Phillies, MLB teams faces challenges due to short season - (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"How reliable are data gleaned from a 60-game season? As teams dig for creative solutions to fill their needs, often with smaller scouting staffs, the chance of making mistakes will increase."

Marlins decline Kintzler's option for 2021 - (MLB.com)
"Add closer to the Marlins’ offseason shopping list. The position is now up in the air because on Friday, the Marlins announced that they have declined right-hander Brandon Kintzler’s club option for 2021."

Adam Wainwright draws interest from Atlanta Braves – (The Athletic)
"Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, as is his standard practice, declined to discuss any free-agent possibilities."