Wire Taps: Washington Nationals’ minor leaguers will get assistance from Nats’ big leaguers + 2020 Draft talk + more...

Washington’s Nationals cut 30-40-ish minor leaguers with the likelihood of a 2020 MiLB season remote at this point, and then they reportedly decided to cut the stipend for the remaining minor league players from $400 a week to $300, so the big leaguers got on Zoom and agreed to make up the difference for those in the organization, at which point ownership changed course and agreed to continue giving the players the $400 a week through the end of June. So, what would become of the $$$ that the big league players pledged to contribute? Sean Doolittle provided an update:

If you didn’t want to read all that, the players are partnering with More Than Baseball to get further assistances to minor leaguers who were in the organization as of March 1st, which is going to help out even those veterans (mostly) who were cut. Good move, Nats players.

Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

MLB return: Schedules of other leagues show how much baseball is scrambling - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Officials want to play at the end of June or start of July. They are currently haggling to get there."

Nationals face criticism for 'bland' George Floyd statement - (Washington Times)
"In the statement, the Nationals call for 'unity and solidarity' and pointed to their youth baseball academy and charitable work as ways the organization tries to “teach our children the virtues of respect and treating others with decency, humility and kindness.'"

New look draft forces teams to adjust strategy - (MASN)
"MLBPipeline.com senior writer Jim Callis believes teams will focus on taking the best player available and worry about filling out rosters in free agent signings post-draft."

Potential Nationals draft pick Cole Wilcox shows pitchers are athletes too - (NBC Sports Washington)
"With a little over a week left until the start of the 2020 MLB amateur draft, teams are combing over every bit of game footage they have to finalize their top targets for the first round."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Nationals' major leaguers to continue offering financial assistance to minor leaguers - (NBCSports.com)
"Kudos to Doolittle and the other Nationals continuing to offer a helping hand in a trying time. The players shouldn’t have to subsidize their employers’ labor expenses, but that is the world we live in today."

These are the best homegrown NL East players - (MLB.com)
"In his standout tenure with the Nats, Strasburg is 112-58 with a 3.17 ERA. He has earned the most wins since the team’s relocation to Washington, and he holds the franchise mark for strikeouts (1,695)."

MLB Draft: The best and worst No. 1 picks over the last 25 years - (mlive.com)
"Starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole combined to go 9-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 11 postseason appearances in 2019."

Freeman grad Alec Keller reached doorstep of majors, and then came the coronavirus - (richmond.com)
"Keller believes he could have carved out a role as a big leaguer, and that’s why he stuck with pro baseball for five years, through seasons in Hagerstown, Potomac, Harrisburg and Fresno. Maybe it will still happen."

The guy with the most to prove in 2020 for all 30 MLB teams - (ESPN.com)
"In light of the reshaped financial landscape for baseball, what would appropriate compensation be for Rizzo, whose success is in the realm of the best-paid baseball operations executives like Theo Epstein, Andrew Friedman and Brian Cashman?"

Keith Law’s 2020 MLB mock draft: First-round projection 3.0 – (The Athletic)
"22. Washington Nationals: Cole Wilcox, RHP, Georgia - I’ve heard this connection a slew of times, and it does fit the Nats’ general preferences..."

COVID-19 (And Other News) Roundup: Across Baseball, Solidarity - (FanGraphs)
"Of note, the Nationals had already joined many other teams in releasing minor leaguers last week, slashing 40 minor leaguers from their rosters; the $100 cuts were simply further savings."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Phillies, bracing to lose $100 million this year, cut employees’ salaries - (The Morning Call)
"The economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached the corridors of Citizens Bank Park."

Mets reopen Port St. Lucie training facility to players - (NY Post)
"The Mets’ complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla., is open for business again, even as players remain unsure when and if a season will begin."

Top storylines for 2020 Marlins season (if we get a 2020 season) - (Fish Stripes)
"At this point, many of us are wondering: where would the Marlins be under normal circumstances?"

This Day in Braves History: Atlanta acquires Nate McLouth from Pirates - (Talking Chop)
"1978 - The Braves and the Cubs tie a major league record by combining to use 14 pitchers in a single game. Each team used seven pitchers each with the Cubs coming out on top 8-6 at Wrigley Field."