Wire Taps: Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo on how Nats are dealing with COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic + more...

GM Mike Rizzo spent 20+ minutes on a conference call with reporters on Friday morning to update everyone on how the Washington Nationals are dealing with the baseball shutdown due to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic. Where are the Nationals now? They are in West Palm Beach, D.C., or their respective home cities. At some point, hopefully, they’ll all gather back together and start to ramp up again for the start of the 2020 campaign. When will that be? Your guess is as good (and probably better than) ours. Go read your Rizzo-filled links...

NATS BEAT:

Rizzo Talks:

Group of 13 players still in West Palm Beach, none tested - (MASN)
"Rizzo, who said three players and other staffers are now in Washington while others have returned to their various hometowns, said no players to date have shown any symptoms and thus none have been tested for COVID-19."

Mike Rizzo: Nats players haven't shown signs, been tested for coronavirus - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Mike Rizzo spoke for almost 30 minutes Friday about his new reality, one filled with uncertainty, a multitude of contingency plans and a reminder the Nationals will enter the season -- should there be one -- as the defending World Series champions."

GM Rizzo on how Nats are navigating time off - (MLB.com)
"The Nationals are balancing the 'now' of staying healthy with the future of resuming baseball action."

Nationals players try to stay ready amid coronavirus wait - (NBC Sports Washington)
"What do the Nationals do now? Camp closed, they scattered, and Opening Day was pushed back. Which makes it time for a litany of contingencies and questions."

No Nationals players have shown symptoms or been tested for coronavirus - (WaPost)
"In a 20-minute call with reporters Friday, Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo provided a micro- and macro-level look at how the team is handling baseball’s indefinite pause for the coronavirus outbreak."

Rizzo: Club focused on ensuring well-being of all its players - (MASN)
"Rizzo said the minor league players in the Nats organization are very important to him because they represent the life blood of the organization."

Non-Rizzo Link:

Nats prospect watch: Crowe gaining valuable experience at every level - (MASN)
”I next asked Holman how the Nats’ No. 4 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, Wil Crowe did with him at Triple-A Fresno in 2019, and how he looked in spring training this season.”

NL EAST UPDATES:

How prized prospect Spencer Howard would have greater impact for Phillies in shortened MLB season - (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"'If our season goes the way we hope it's going to go, Spencer Howard is going to be pitching meaningful innings for this team in the second half of the season and maybe before that,' general manager Matt Klentak said on Feb. 13."

Marcus Stroman is in recruitment mode for the 2021 WBC - (NY Post)
"While the sports world is shut down because of coronavirus, Marcus Stroman filled his time Thursday by becoming the unofficial recruiting coordinator for Team USA."

Quiz: Marlins who fell a triple shy of the cycle multiple times - (Fish Stripes)
"To help fill the void created by the delayed 2020 regular season, I dusted off the Fish Stripes Sporcle account! Each Saturday, I’ll share an original Marlins quiz with all of you."

Braves Option Touki Toussaint - (MLB Trade Rumors)
"The Braves optioned right-hander Touki Toussaint to Triple-A Gwinnett, per the league transactions log at MLB.com."