Depleted Nats now face physical, psychological challenges

Depleted Nats now face physical, psychological challenges
The Nationals have for the last 72 hours been in what Mike Rizzo referred to as "crisis management mode." Every moment the longtime general manager has been awake since learning one of his players tested positive for COVID-19 has been spent trying to coordinate contact tracing, trying to figure out who's healthy and who isn't healthy and trying to figure out which 26 players ultimately are going to take the field on opening day (whenever that is). "That's often the way that this job is,"...

Full series postponed, nine players now in quarantine (updated)

Full series postponed, nine players now in quarantine (updated)
The Nationals' entire weekend series against the Mets was postponed today by Major League Baseball, with four players having officially tested positive for COVID-19 and six others (five players, one staff member) in mandatory quarantine after being designated close contacts. The postponement of all three scheduled games at Nationals Park wasn't a terribly surprising announcement, given the news of the last 24 hours, but it's nonetheless another disappointing development for both clubs, which...

With at least three positive tests, Nats' opening series in flux

With at least three positive tests, Nats' opening series in flux
Two more Nationals players, and potentially a third, have now tested positive for COVID-19, all of them close contacts to the original player who learned Wednesday he had tested positive, leaving the team's season-opening series against the Mets in flux. General manager Mike Rizzo delivered that new batch of unpleasant news early this evening after the results of the tests the entire team took Wednesday morning came back. The Nationals now have reason to believe four of their players in total...

Scherzer, Nats still not talking contract ahead of opening day

Scherzer, Nats still not talking contract ahead of opening day
Opening day brings the hope of a new baseball season. Not even a positive COVID-19 test can change that. "We're gonna play tomorrow night," confirmed general manager Mike Rizzo on a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday afternoon after announcing the unfortunate, but not devastating, news. What opening day does not bring, however, is any clarity on Max Scherzer's future contract situation with the Nationals. After the conversation switched to more baseball-related topics, Rizzo was asked if he...

At least five players will miss opener after one tests positive

At least five players will miss opener after one tests positive
The Nationals will be without at least five players and one staff member for Thursday night's season opener after learning early this morning one of the players tested positive for COVID-19, general manager Mike Rizzo announced today. After making it through six full weeks of spring training with zero positive tests in the organization, the Nationals had every reason to be confident as they headed north to begin the season. But in the round of testing that took place Monday morning before...

Nationals out to prove 2020 was an aberration

Nationals out to prove 2020 was an aberration
The Nationals went 93-69 in 2019 and won the World Series, then returned in 2020 to go 24-36 and finish tied for last place in the National League East. There are two lines of thought when trying to analyze what happened last season. Either this was the start of an inevitable downward trend for an organization that spent so long climbing the mountain to finally reach the ultimate peak, or it was a complete and utter aberration because of the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic-shortened...

What's next for Nats after cuts and what Kieboom has to do

What's next for Nats after cuts and what Kieboom has to do
The Nationals livened up an otherwise sleepy off-day on Saturday with a swath of roster trimming that pretty much cements the 26-man roster heading into Thursday's opener. But that doesn't mean general manager Mike Rizzo's work at putting together the best possible team is over. As other major league clubs make their cuts to get down to the 26-man roster limit, Rizzo will be closely perusing the waiver wire and checking out players who have been released. Simply put, another club in a roster...

What still needs to be resolved in the final week of camp

What still needs to be resolved in the final week of camp
Would you believe it's the final week of spring training? That's right. The Nationals have only seven more days in West Palm Beach, Fla., before heading north. Opening night is tantalizingly close now. The question, of course, is: Are the Nats ready? And the answer is: not quite. There are several matters that still need to be sorted out before the end of camp. Players must prove they deserve to make the roster. The front office and coaching staff must decide who makes it and who doesn't....

Key to Nats having real bullpen depth: Suero and Finnegan

Key to Nats having real bullpen depth: Suero and Finnegan
The Nationals liked their bullpen depth before they ever signed Jeremy Jeffress, so they clearly still like their bullpen depth even after releasing Jeffress on Sunday for non-performance reasons. But they do need a couple of less-proven relievers to step up and prove they deserve to be trusted by manager Davey Martinez to get important outs when the season begins. The Nats' top four relief arms - Brad Hand, Daniel Hudson, Will Harris, Tanner Rainey - are set to handle the late innings. The...

Nats won't detail Jeffress decision; Lester back in camp

Nats won't detail Jeffress decision; Lester back in camp
Though they will not reveal any reasons for Sunday's release of reliever Jeremy Jeffress, the Nationals are acknowledging the surprise move was not for baseball reasons. General manager Mike Rizzo, speaking to reporters via Zoom this morning from West Palm Beach, Fla., repeated the unusual phrase he provided Sunday in announcing the Jeffress release, saying only it was for "personnel reasons." Rizzo deflected several follow-up questions seeking a more detailed explanation but did concede...

Turner, Soto grapple with question of long-term extensions

Turner, Soto grapple with question of long-term extensions
The questions were inevitable. When a star homegrown player approaching free agency reports for spring training, he's going to be asked about contract discussions. And when it happens only days after one of baseball's brightest young stars signs a gargantuan extension with his club, it's a foregone conclusion. So neither Trea Turner nor Juan Soto could've been surprised today when the subject came up in their respective first Zoom sessions with reporters of 2021. On the heels of Fernando...

Spring training expectations set for Rutledge and Cavalli

Spring training expectations set for Rutledge and Cavalli
Reporting to the first day of spring training as rookies must feel a lot like a freshman arriving on campus for the first day of high school. But instead of being surrounded by jocks, cliques and faculty, you're stepping into a clubhouse full of world champions, a World Series MVP, a Cy Young Award winner and All-Stars. OK, so in a sense, still jocks. But for the sake of the analogy, if spring training is like high school, then rookies are freshman, veterans are upperclassmen, coaches are...

Nats seek normalcy, fun amid camp protocols, restrictions

Nats seek normalcy, fun amid camp protocols, restrictions
Sure, there were obvious signs of the difference between this camp and all previous ones. Staffers wore masks. Players tried to keep their distance from each other whenever possible. And, of course, there were no fans or reporters in attendance. All the same, there was an undeniable sense of normalcy Thursday morning when the Nationals opened spring training with their first official pitchers and catchers workout of 2021. Everyone involved knows things still aren't normal. But after getting a...

Nats never pursued other third basemen, confident in Kieboom

Nats never pursued other third basemen, confident in Kieboom
One by one, Mike Rizzo crossed off five must-have items on his offseason wish list this winter. Power bat: Josh Bell. Corner outfielder: Kyle Schwarber. No. 4 starter: Jon Lester. Left-handed reliever: Brad Hand. No. 2 catcher: Alex Avila. Those were the five roster holes the Nationals absolutely needed to fill. And though some may have felt there was a sixth hole that needed to be addressed as well - third base - Rizzo never believed it was necessary to make anything more than the standard...

Strasburg back to normal, but Scherzer has sprained ankle

Strasburg back to normal, but Scherzer has sprained ankle
The Nationals ace everyone's been waiting to hear about is fully healthy and throwing in the early days of spring training. The one nobody had been asking about, however, is currently being held back after suffering a minor injury before camp officially began. While Stephen Strasburg has fully recovered from last summer's right wrist surgery and is fully participating at workouts, Max Scherzer is not throwing for now after spraining his left ankle two weeks ago. According to manager Davey...

Checking out possible spring training surprise candidates

Checking out possible spring training surprise candidates
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...

Which players are on Nationals' roster bubble?

Which players are on Nationals' roster bubble?
When the Nationals convene in 10 days at West Palm Beach, Fla., they will be full of optimism and eager to erase the stench of a 26-34 record in the truncated 2020 season that earned them a share of last place in the National League East. But amid all the cliches about being in the best shape of their lives, boundless hope that things will be better in 2021 and the inevitable focus on how newcomers to the organization will adjust, one factor drives performances more than any other. Some guys in...

Is the Nationals' 2021 roster now in place?

Is the Nationals' 2021 roster now in place?
They got the first baseman they needed. They got the corner outfielder they wanted. They got the No. 4 starter they desired. They got the left-handed reliever they coveted. They brought back the face of the franchise for another season. And now they got the No. 2 catcher they were lacking. The Nationals went into the offseason with a clear checklist, and though it took a while for the wheels to get into full motion, they've now checked off every box on the list, capped by Thursday evening's...

Nationals bolster bullpen with top available lefty Hand

Nationals bolster bullpen with top available lefty Hand
The Nationals have known all winter they needed an experienced left-hander for their bullpen, someone who could be counted upon to get big outs late in games. They're going to wind up getting the best one available. The Nats are in agreement with veteran reliever Brad Hand on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, pending a physical, a source familiar with the signing confirmed. Once the deal becomes official, the Nationals will have added one of baseball's best lefty relievers over the last...

What's still left on the Nationals' shopping list?

What's still left on the Nationals' shopping list?
The Nationals have made three significant acquisitions so far this offseason, and they addressed unquestionably the club's three biggest needs. They needed a first baseman, and they got one in Josh Bell. They needed a corner outfielder, and they got one in Kyle Schwarber. And they needed a No. 4 starter, and they got one in Jon Lester. But that's not all the Nationals needed to do this winter to bolster their roster. They had a longer list of priorities, and though they've now crossed off...