The Nationals got a jump start on what should be a hectic Tuesday in advance of Major League Baseball's non-tender deadline and Wednesday night's expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, agreeing to terms with Andrew Stevenson on a 2022 contract to avoid arbitration. Stevenson, who qualified for arbitration despite having not yet accrued three years of big league service time as a so-called Super Two player, stands to earn a modest raise from his 2021 salary of $579,100. The...

Josh Bell, maybe more than just about any big-name hitter in the majors, depends on proper timing at the plate to be successful. The big slugger doesn't have the short, compact swing of an Anthony Rendon. His is a long swing with long arms that, when in sync, produces explosive results but otherwise can produce a lot of whiffs. When the Nationals first baseman departed West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 29, everything was in sync. He enjoyed a monster spring at the plate, hitting .383 (18-for-47)...

Back when the Nationals broke spring training and headed north, the bullpen looked like a definite strength. The addition of closer Brad Hand set the Nats up for a lockdown back end, and guys like Wander Suero and Kyle Finnegan backed up the high-leverage relievers with the potential to pitch multiple innings in middle relief. Now, barely two weeks into the season, the bullpen is growing shakier by the day. Right-hander Will Harris hit the injured list with what was thought to be a blood clot,...

Josh Harrison, arguably the hottest Nationals hitter, is out of the starting lineup for this afternoon's game against the Diamondbacks because he's dealing with some back stiffness. Manager Davey Martinez said Harrison, who is slashing .556/.600/.778 with a homer and five RBIs in five games since being activated off the COVID-19-related injured list earlier this week, reported a stiff back after Friday night's game, leading to the day off. "I've been trying to give him a day off, but when...

Davey Martinez stayed up late Thursday night, stayed at Nationals Park til 12:30 a.m., went home and then stayed up until 2 a.m. pondering the state of his team, specifically his pitching staff. The Nationals manager was simultaneously trying to figure out what's going on with Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg and how to get both veteran starters back into a recognizable form while also making sure the rest of his staff was prepared and available for tonight's game against the...

Until they get their remaining middle-of-the-order bats back from the COVID-19 injured list, the Nationals are going to need stellar performances from their pitching staff and a few clutch hits from a depleted lineup in tandem to emerge victorious. They got the pitching today at Dodger Stadium, most notably from Joe Ross in his 2021 debut. They did not get the one timely hit they needed and thus suffered their second consecutive shutout loss, this one by the agonizing score of 1-0. Despite five...

The Nationals intend to open the season with Starlin Castro as their everyday third baseman and Josh Harrison as their primary second baseman, manager Davey Martinez revealed today while discussing the horde of moves announced by the club Saturday that all but set the opening night roster. In deciding to option both Carter Kieboom and Luis García to their alternate training site in Fredericksburg, the Nats are left with nothing but veteran infielders on their projected 26-man roster. That...

Luis Avilán has made 454 big league appearances since 2012, plus another 48 in the minors. All have come in relief. He hasn't started a game since he was a 22-year-old Braves prospect at Double-A, nearly a decade ago. So when the veteran left-hander took the mound for the bottom of the first Thursday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., he immediately realized something looked different. "It was just a little weird, just for the fact that, just the first inning, the...

Starlin Castro remains day-to-day during the final week of spring training after an MRI of the veteran infielder revealed a "very mild" hamstring strain, according to Nationals manager Davey Martinez. Castro, who hurt himself running the bases Tuesday against the Cardinals, doesn't appear to be seriously injured. But at this late stage of the spring, each day lost carries more significance. The Nationals, who face the Marlins tonight, have four Grapefruit League games remaining in Florida...

Anybody want to get weird on March 25? Well, let's get weird! The Nationals tonight are starting Luis Avilán., a reliever. He will serve as an "opener," pitching the bottom of the first against the Marlins for sure and possibly taking the mound for the bottom of the second as well. He's also batting eighth, and Davey Martinez says if that spot in the lineup comes up before Avilán is done pitching, he'll indeed bat for himself. Erick Fedde, originally named tonight's starter, will...

We have reached the stretch run of the spring. Yes, as of this morning, the Nationals have completed 31 days of camp. Only nine remain before everyone packs up shop in West Palm Beach, Fla., and heads north. There's still a lot that can and will change between now and then. And there are plenty of questions that still must be resolved. But the shape of the opening night roster seems to be taking more shape now. With the important caveat that several of these spots are far from locked up,...

The Nationals have invited 32 players on minor league contracts to spring training, bringing their total big league camp roster to a whopping 71. The extensive list of non-roster invitees includes several well-known veterans with prior experience either with the Nationals (Gerardo Parra, Javy Guerra, Aaron Barrett, Adrián Sanchez) or other clubs (Luis Avilán, T.J. McFarland, Welington Castillo, Jordy Mercer, Hernán Pérez, Blake Swihart, Yasmany Tomás). It also includes several of...

Unless you're one of those who mines the minor leagues for every possible nugget of information, you didn't really know who Jake Noll was heading into 2019 spring training for the Nationals. Maybe you knew he was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida Gulf Coast. Maybe you were aware that he'd followed up a .291/.341/.412 campaign between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018 with a .265/.309/.429 log in limited Arizona Fall League play with Salt...

If Major League Baseball reverses course and puts an end to the three-batter-minimum rule it instituted for pitchers this season, Luis Avilan might prove to be a savvy addition for the Nationals in 2021. There's been no indication MLB intends to do that, however, so the challenge for Avilan to be a successful reliever for the Nats will be immense. The Nationals signed the 31-year-old left-hander to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training Monday night, a source familiar...