Wire Taps: Washington Nationals’ Victor Robles set to start in Winter League; Nats’ bullpen targets + more...

Victor Robles had himself a rough 2020 campaign, and when it was coming to an end, his manager, Davey Martinez, talked about the muscle the outfielder put on and how he could get back to his pre-2020 form going forward after a disappointing campaign. Martinez did say that playing in the Winter League might not be the worst idea for Robles.

“If he feels like he wants to go get at bats, I’m not opposed to it, but I definitely do think that he needs to come into Spring Training well-rested and ready to go come Spring Training,” Martinez said.

Will we see Robles get back to his previous form in 2021? Will his work in the Dominican Winter League help him find what was missing? Will there be more links tomorrow?

We’ll see... Go read your links.

NATS BEAT:

Updates on catchers Pineda and Reetz - (MASN)
"[Israel] Pineda was one of several players unable to travel back to his native Venezuela early on this summer due to the imposed COVID-19 travel restrictions."

Nationals free agency hunt: Brad Hand - (NBC Sports Washington)
"The Nationals have several spots to fill, a solid chunk of money to possibly do it with and lots of quality options to choose from."

Every NL East club has reason to be motivated this winter - (MASN)
"The Mets and Phillies, like the Nationals, had disappointing seasons. And like the Nats, both of those clubs are quite motivated to get better in 2021 and return to contention."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Wilmer Difó ready to play any role - (explica.co)
"With the slogan 'We are going to win the championship', Wilmer Difó works intensely in the training ground of the Águilas Cibaeñas, seeking the top of the conditions for the Dominican Baseball League tournament that starts next Sunday the 15th."

Minor League Baseball promos of the decade: 2013 - (MiLB.com)
"Outfielder Roger Bernadina, who played for the Nats from 2009 through 2013, was known as 'The Shark' because he (allegedly) hunted down fly balls in the same manner in which a great white shark hunts his prey."

NL EAST UPDATES:

NL Rookie of the Year: Phillies 3B Alec Bohm ties for second in voting behind Milwaukee’s Williams - (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
"Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm made a strong showing in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, but not as strong as Milwaukee Brewers reliever Devin Williams."

Steve Cohen sets high bar for Mets’ World Series timeline - (NY Post)
"In 1963, Steve Cohen first went to the Polo Grounds with his father to watch the Mets. On Tuesday, the billionaire gave his vision for the future of the franchise — and set a very high bar."

Can Sixto Sanchez make push for 2021 Rookie of the Year? - (Miami Herald)
"Sixto Sanchez was five starts into his highly anticipated inaugural Major League Baseball season with the Miami Marlins when the thought started circling."

Leadoff: Braves stock surges on vaccine hopes - (AJC.com)
"The price of publicly traded shares of stock in the Braves rose sharply Monday after the release of encouraging data about a potential coronavirus vaccine."