Nats' most significant moves in January

Nats' most significant moves in January
As the calendar turns to a new year this January, a new baseball season is on the horizon. When it will actually begin, however, remains to be seen. The lockout is currently keeping teams from making any major league roster moves, which is a shame because Mike Rizzo is usually very busy during the year's first month. No matter the pace of an offseason's free agent market, we have seen the Nationals general manager put together a competitive roster well before the start of spring training year...

What if the Nats never traded for Jonathan Papelbon?

What if the Nats never traded for Jonathan Papelbon?
Last week, we opened our "What If?" series wondering what might have been had Jordan Zimmermann accepted the Nationals' long-term extension offer after the 2014 season, a decision that had long-lasting ramifications on the organization. This week, we look at a big decision the organization made the following summer that absolutely had immediate consequences for the club, and probably had long-lasting ones as well: The trade for Jonathan Papelbon. Prepare to cringe. As the 2015 trade deadline...

Ranking the Nats' 19 home playoff games, from best to worst

Ranking the Nats' 19 home playoff games, from best to worst
There's a postseason game being played tonight in Washington. Er, Landover. But you get the idea. Remarkably, this is only the fourth time the Washington Football Team is hosting a playoff game in the last three decades. It hasn't won a home playoff game since its 27-13 victory over the Lions in the 1999 NFC wild card contest. The Nationals, on the other hand, have hosted 19 postseason games since 2012. Yes, eight of those came in October 2019 alone, but even prior to the World Series run...

Which pre-2019 Nats team should have won the World Series?

Which pre-2019 Nats team should have won the World Series?
What's the best team in Nationals history? The one that actually won the World Series. Duh. But it's worth remembering the 2019 Nats only went 93-69 during the regular season. Four previous clubs won more games than that: the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 clubs. Those four teams, of course, lost in the National League Division Series, often in agonizing fashion. And so they're forever viewed as underachievers. Here's the question, though: Were any of those teams good enough to win the World...

Plenty of former Nationals still looking for work

Plenty of former Nationals still looking for work
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There are tons of still-unsigned free agents out there, as everyone's well aware at this point. And included on that long list are a whole bunch of former Nationals players, and we're not just talking about Bryce Harper. Several key members of the 2018 Nats are still looking for jobs, even as pitchers and catchers have reported across Florida and Arizona and position players are about to join them. Like Gio Gonzalez, whose long-awaited first foray into free agency...

Tracking down some former Nationals pitchers

Tracking down some former Nationals pitchers
Who knew a trip down memory lane would be so popular? The response to Thursday's article tracking down five former Nationals position players were overwhelmingly positive. Glad you all enjoyed it. I had already planned to publish today's article about former Nats pitchers, so hopefully you'll enjoy these as well. Maybe I'll have to make this into something of a regular feature, though, maybe a more in-depth look at one ex-National at a time, because there were plenty I didn't get to...

More on the bullpen, Difo's debut in center and Storen's return

More on the bullpen, Difo's debut in center and Storen's return
There were no shortage of noteworthy developments in last night's 6-5 10-inning win. We've already addressed a few of them - the game-winning rally, Brian Goodwin's two-homer night, Stephen Strasburg's struggles in the humidity - but let's run through some more items of interest before turning the page to today's game ... * The Nationals bullpen was good. Really good. Like, five scoreless innings good. When Strasburg was pulled after five innings and 95 pitches, the notion that the Nats'...

A brief history of the Nats' ever-changing closer identity

A brief history of the Nats' ever-changing closer identity
We don't know yet who will serve as the Nationals closer come opening day, but we do know it will be someone new. Mark Melancon is no longer in D.C., having signed a four-year deal with the Giants earlier this winter. Drew Storen also is long gone, having spent 2016 in Toronto and Seattle, and now signed with the Reds for 2017. Jonathan Papelbon? He remains in parts unknown, but we do know he's not in Washington anymore. If you've been following the Nationals closely over the years, though,...

Tracking down former Nats pitchers

Tracking down former Nats pitchers
Yesterday, we tracked down some former Nationals position players to see what has become of them since we last saw them. Today we look at former pitchers, with some particularly notable and memorable names in this bunch. ROSS DETWILER The sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft had a few big moments during his Nationals career - most notably, he tossed a gem in the must-win Game 4 of the 2012 National League Division Series against the Cardinals - but he never could sustain it. The Nats decided...

The eighth-inning picture after Storen's departure

The eighth-inning picture after Storen's departure
One of the main downfalls of the Nationals' disappointing 2015 campaign was the inability to consistently identify an eighth-inning set-up man. A glaring void was left once general manager Mike Rizzo traded reliable reliever Tyler Clippard for infielder Yunel Escobar last offseason. Rizzo opted to sign former Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen to bridge the gap until Drew Storen took over in the ninth. Shoulder tendinitis prevented Janssen's season from getting started until late May. Once he...

Notes on Chen, Parra and more offseason moves for the Orioles and Nationals

Notes on Chen, Parra and more offseason moves for the Orioles and Nationals
The Miami Marlins have signed pitcher Wei-Yin Chen and the Colorado Rockies have added outfielder Gerardo Parra, so that puts the Orioles in the middle of trade speculation and free agent signings with pitchers. The news focus is left-handed batting outfielders, whether it is the Nationals or the Orioles. Parra, who played for the Orioles last season, gets three years and $27 million. He gives the Rockies four left-handed hitting outfielders along with Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon and...

Mike Rizzo supports Jonathan Papelbon: "He brings a swagger to the bullpen"

Mike Rizzo supports Jonathan Papelbon: "He brings a swagger to the bullpen"
On Thursday, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was asked about the latest on right-handers Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon, two back end relievers with volatile endings to their seasons. Both reportedly had been shopped since October with no movement. "I think we're in the same place that we've always been," Rizzo said following Daniel Murphy's introductory press conference. "If there's a baseball trade that makes sense, we would make it. We're not gonna trade anybody to move a...

Mike Rizzo reacts after trading Drew Storen for Ben Revere

Mike Rizzo reacts after trading Drew Storen for Ben Revere
Following a highly disappointing 2015 campaign and facing the loss of several veteran free agents, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was forced to change the complexion of the roster. Finding a leadoff hitter - preferably a left-handed swinging outfielder - and reconstructing the bullpen were high on Rizzo's winter wish list. In a trade with the Blue Jays late last night, Rizzo addressed both by sending right-hander Drew Storen and cash to Toronto for 27-year-old outfielder Ben Revere and a...

Nationals trade Drew Storen to Blue Jays for Ben Revere

Nationals trade Drew Storen to Blue Jays for Ben Revere
Barely 24 hours after Denard Span signed with the Giants, the Nationals have found his replacement. The Nats announced late tonight that they dealt right-hander Drew Storen and cash considerations to the Blue Jays for speedy outfielder Ben Revere and a player to be named. Revere slashed .306/.342/.377 with 22 doubles, seven triples, two homers, 84 runs scored and 31 stolen bases in 152 games with the Phillies and Blue Jays last season. Philadelphia sent the 27-year-old to Toronto at last...

Are Nats' Storen, Papelbon the right relievers to fill bullpen holes elsewhere?

Are Nats' Storen, Papelbon the right relievers to fill bullpen holes elsewhere?
The Nationals have spent the offseason rebuilding their bullpen, adding Trevor Gott, Shawn Kelley, Oliver Perez and Yusmeiro Petit. With Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon, it would appear the Nationals' bullpen is set. But, given that Storen asked for a trade and Papelbon attempted to choke Bryce Harper at the end of last season, there are questions: Will Storen and Papelbon stay in D.C. and can their issues not be a distraction? If the Nationals can't trade Papelbon, do they release him at...

New year's resolutions for the Nationals

New year's resolutions for the Nationals
A crazy 2015 is now in the rear view mirror for the Nationals. A season loaded with expectations broadened by 'Where's my ring?' proclamations came crashing to an end with an embarrassing in-house fight a day after elimination from the postseason picture. Injuries ruined the core of the team and the Nationals never quite recovered. But there were plenty of positives, led by Bryce Harper's breakthrough MVP season and Max Scherzer's two no-hitters. At 23, Harper appears poised to remain in...

Eighth- and ninth-inning bullpen plans still unclear for Nationals

Eighth- and ninth-inning bullpen plans still unclear for Nationals
Another potential closer option for the Nationals is off the board after fireballer Aroldis Chapman was added to the Yankees' powerhouse bullpen in a trade with the Reds. It's the second time the Reds reportedly agreed to deal left-hander this offseason after a trade with the Dodgers fell apart during the Winter Meetings when domestic violence allegations involving Chapman surfaced from this past October. The Nationals and general manager Mike Rizzo have been connected to Chapman; they...

What's the holdup with the Nats trading Drew Storen?

What's the holdup with the Nats trading Drew Storen?
NASHVILLE - The Nationals came to the Winter Meetings determined to solve the Drew Storen dilemma. Yet as the annual offseason baseball confab hits the home stretch, Storen is still part of their bullpen. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo and new manager Dusty Baker are being careful in their comments, acknowledging the obvious but continuing to try and build up Storen's trade value by reminding reporters that he's still an important piece, valuable enough that he'd probably be slated for...

Despite grievance, Rizzo says Nationals would welcome Papelbon back (with video)

Despite grievance, Rizzo says Nationals would welcome Papelbon back (with video)
NASHVILLE - A report surfaced late Sunday night that closer Jonathan Papelbon had filed a grievance against the Nationals for withholding his pay during a team-imposed four-game suspension at the end of the season. FOXSports.com reported this afternoon that the Major League Baseball Players Association actually filed the grievance shortly after the Nationals announced the suspension. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced Papelbon's suspension on Sept. 28, a day after the veteran...

Will the Nationals non-tender any arbitration-eligible players?

Will the Nationals non-tender any arbitration-eligible players?
Tomorrow is another one of those important housekeeping dates on the Major League Baseball offseason calendar. By 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, teams must offer their arbitration-eligible players contracts or non-tender those whose services they're no longer interested in. While some Nationals players have multi-year contracts - think Max Scherzer, Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper and other guys who helped push the team's 2015 opening day payroll north of $162 million -...