Nationals again look to build depth through draft

Nationals again look to build depth through draft
Sean Doolittle, Adam Eaton and Yan Gomes. All three players are prime examples of where the Nationals needed top-flight major league talent to compete for a title, but did not necessarily have that guy in their system at the time. All three made significant contributions on their road to winning the 2019 World Series. In the middle of 2019, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo brought in relievers Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland through trade. Rizzo sent minor league left-handers Taylor...

Nationals will have eye on pitchers again in draft

Nationals will have eye on pitchers again in draft
Over the last five First-Year Player Drafts, the Nationals have focused on stockpiling pitchers. Thirty of their first 49 selections since 2015 have been pitchers. The Nats have built up their minor leagues with these hurlers and used some of them in big trades that brought players that helped to bring a world championship to D.C. In the 2019 draft, the Nationals selected five pitchers in their first 10 rounds, along with one catcher, one shortstop, one third baseman and one outfielder. The...

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...

Host of 2018 Nationals still seeking jobs in tepid market

Host of 2018 Nationals still seeking jobs in tepid market
For all the attention lavished upon Bryce Harper and Manny Machado and their long, slow quest to sign with somebody before the start of spring training, there are a ton of other free agents still unemployed as we reach late January. And that includes a whole bunch of guys who played for the Nationals in 2018. Let's look at those still-unsigned free agents and figure out what it might take to get them in a uniform before pitchers and catchers report ... MATT WIETERS Wieters had to know he was...

Top stories of 2018: The late-summer roster teardown

Top stories of 2018: The late-summer roster teardown
As we count down the final days of 2018, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. Five top stories made the final cut, and we'll reveal one per day, continuing with ... No. 2: The late-summer roster teardown Daniel Murphy, Matt Adams, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler all opened the season as major pieces of the Nationals roster. And there was little...

Doolittle encouraged after pitching in simulated game

Doolittle encouraged after pitching in simulated game
Having now traded or lost to season-ending injury three different closers, the Nationals could desperately use Sean Doolittle pitching the ninth inning for them again. At long last, it appears as though the All-Star closer is close to making his return from the disabled list. Doolittle threw a 15-pitch simulated game to teammates Michael A. Taylor and Andrew Stevenson Friday afternoon and emerged feeling encouraged about how his injured left foot felt. "I was very happy with it," he said. "I...

As Madson heads to L.A., Nats cope with summer of trades

As Madson heads to L.A., Nats cope with summer of trades
Ryan Madson said he was surprised. So did Davey Martinez. Truth be told, neither should have been shocked that the Nationals traded Madson to the Dodgers today, not when considering the situation this team is now in on the final day players can be dealt and still be eligible for their new club's postseason roster. "No, I was surprised," Madson told reporters during a brief session as he prepared to leave Nationals Park and catch a flight to Los Angeles. "I've been working all day. Have to...

Nats send Madson to Dodgers for minor league pitcher

Nats send Madson to Dodgers for minor league pitcher
The Nationals made the latest in a string of late-summer moves to deal away soon-to-be-free-agents this afternoon, sending reliever Ryan Madson to the Dodgers for minor league right-hander Andrew Istler just hours before Major League Baseball's pseudo-deadline to trade players who have been placed on revocable waivers. Madson heads to Los Angeles after an up-and-down season in Washington, one in which he was counted on to serve as the club's primary setup man but struggled to stay healthy and...

More on Madson's recovery and possible move to Dodgers

More on Madson's recovery and possible move to Dodgers
Nationals right-handed reliever Ryan Madson detailed this week upon his return how his personal trainer, Jay Schroeder of EVO UltraFit in Phoneix, Ariz., diagnosed and treated the lumbar nerve root irritation that had kept him out of action and on the disabled list. Schroeder employs something called an ARP (Accelerated Recovery Performance) wave machine, which uses pads that attach to Madson's skin and shoot electrical currents through his body, helping to relieve pain and soreness. The goal...

Herrera likely done for season, Madson could return as closer

Herrera likely done for season, Madson could return as closer
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have reinstated right-hander Ryan Madson and placed right-hander Kelvin Herrera back on the 10-day disabled list with a Lisfranc torn ligament in his left foot. Normal recovery time for a Lisfranc torn ligament is six to eight weeks, and that is just in the walking boot. Manager Davey Martinez believes the injury is season-ending. "Yeah, I would assume so," Martinez said. "Like I said, he did tear a ligament in his foot. We have no timetable. Unfortunately, he's...

Game 132 lineups: Nats at Phillies (Herrera to DL, Madson returns)

Game 132 lineups: Nats at Phillies (Herrera to DL, Madson returns)
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals arrive in Philadelphia one game under .500 with 31 games remaining. The deficit in the division race is 8 1/2 games. But the mood has to be somewhat upbeat after Sunday's 15-0 thumping of the Mets. The Nats lost the series in New York, but bring their two best starting pitchers to the first two games of the series against the Phillies. The Nats trail the second-place Phillies by 5 1/2 games, having just taken a series from them last week in D.C. The bad news from...

Harper, not Soto, gets series finale off (Nats up 9-0)

Harper, not Soto, gets series finale off (Nats up 9-0)
NEW YORK - Davey Martinez was thinking about sitting one of his left-handed-hitting star outfielders for today's series finale at Citi Field. But not necessarily the one who actually is on the bench this afternoon against the Mets. Despite consideration to giving Juan Soto his first day off since July 4, Martinez instead sat Bryce Harper, who has been dealing with an illness over the weekend. Harper also is 0 for his last 11 at the plate, putting at least a temporary halt to his second-half...

Madson rejoins club, could rejoin roster in days (Nats down 2-0)

Madson rejoins club, could rejoin roster in days (Nats down 2-0)
NEW YORK - Ryan Madson rejoined the Nationals today after a week spent with his personal trainer in Phoenix. Whether the veteran reliever will be ready to rejoin the Nationals' active roster in the next few days depends on how he comes out of a planned bullpen session before Sunday's game. Out since August 12, when he served up a walk-off grand slam at Wrigley Field and afterward revealed he had shooting back pain that went down his leg and hindered his ability to pitch, Madson spent the week...

Martinez offers updates on Madson and Doolittle ahead of Mets series

Martinez offers updates on Madson and Doolittle ahead of Mets series
Nationals manager Davey Martinez had some positive updates on relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson as the team prepares to face off against the New York Mets tonight at Citi Field. "Actually, Doolittle threw (Thursday) and looked pretty good. We'll see how he feels (today), and we'll go from there. Madson, he's going to meet us in New York and we'll see how he's feeling. Madson, if he's good, I don't think he'll need to go down and pitch. I think he'll be good to go because it...

What's the state of Nats bullpen entering tonight's game?

What's the state of Nats bullpen entering tonight's game?
Tuesday night's 10-4 win over the Phillies took a lot out of the Nationals. They only got three innings out of Tanner Roark because of a 1-hour, 45-minute rain delay that prevented the starter from retaking the mound. That forced an already makeshift bullpen to churn out six innings, with no true long man available after Tommy Milone threw four innings in garbage time during Sunday's blowout loss to the Marlins and then landed on the disabled list with left shoulder inflammation. Davey...

What happened to the Nationals?

What happened to the Nationals?
It's the most pervasive question in Washington this summer, at least in the realm of sports: What happened to the Nationals? The answer isn't nearly as simple as many would like. If only there was one concrete reason for the Nationals' slow descent from division favorites to a sub-.500 club trying to hang on for dear life. But the truth is, a combination of things had to come together this season to create this mess. Alter any one of them, and the story of the 2018 Nats might be totally...

Madson goes on DL, Solís sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)

Madson goes on DL, Solís sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)
ST. LOUIS - On the heels of back-to-back bullpen implosions caused both by injury and poor performance, the Nationals brought in two new relievers - Tim Collins and Trevor Gott - for tonight's game against the Cardinals and removed Ryan Madson and Sammy Solís from the active roster. Madson, who turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 loss via David Bote's walk-off grand slam Sunday night in Chicago, was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury (the official diagnosis was lumbar nerve...

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)
ST. LOUIS - And we're back for another evening of exciting Nationals baseball at Busch Stadium. What does tonight have in store for the D.C. nine? It's tough to imagine anything more dramatic (or devastating) than what this team has experienced in the last 48 hours. But at this point, nothing should surprise you. We don't yet know the state of the Nats bullpen for tonight's game, but reinforcements have arrived. Ryan Madson and Sammy Solís are not listed on the lineup card for tonight's...

There's no quick fix to Nationals' bullpen woes

There's no quick fix to Nationals' bullpen woes
ST. LOUIS - Every manager has to enter every game with a plan in mind for bullpen usage. He considers that night's starting pitcher. He takes into account who pitched the previous night, who warmed up and who's available tonight. He sets contingencies for an abrupt exit by the starter and/or extra innings in which someone is needed to provide length. He might even consider who's scheduled to start the next night, in case a reliever needs to be held back for that possibility. Davey Martinez...

Madson didn't reveal back injury until after walk-off loss

Madson didn't reveal back injury until after walk-off loss
ST. LOUIS - As Ryan Madson was struggling on the mound in the bottom of the ninth Sunday night at Wrigley Field, Davey Martinez was unaware his fill-in closer was battling anything other than a loss of command. By the time Justin Miller had begun throwing off the bullpen mound behind the ivy in right field, the bases already were loaded and David Bote was stepping to the plate. Had Martinez known Madson was dealing with back pain that shot down his right leg and, according to the veteran...