Are Nats only in market for lefty reliever or perhaps more?

Are Nats only in market for lefty reliever or perhaps more?
The Nationals are in the market for bullpen help this winter. Just like every winter. Guess you have to admire their consistency, right? The good news is, they're in less of a bind this winter than they've usually been in the past. With Daniel Hudson, Will Harris, Tanner Rainey and Kyle Finnegan all returning, they've got a solid core group of right-handers already on the staff. What they don't have is a left-hander, now that Sean Doolittle is a free agent. So that's probably priority No....

Nats have multiple paths in search to bolster infield

Nats have multiple paths in search to bolster infield
The Nationals need a big bat, someone to hit behind Trea Turner and Juan Soto, and the most logical position for that person to play is a corner outfield position. But it doesn't have to work out quite like that. Just as, let's say, a presidential candidate has more than one path to 270 electoral votes, general manager Mike Rizzo has more than one path to try to boost his club's lineup. The state of the Nationals infield is very much in flux as the offseason begins. We know Turner is...

Catching market includes one big star, few other options

Catching market includes one big star, few other options
It's perhaps not their No. 1 need this winter, but the Nationals absolutely need to add another catcher this winter. Unless they're willing to enter 2021 with Yan Gomes as the clear-cut starter and either Raudy Read or Tres Barrera as his backup, the Nats are going to have to acquire somebody. That somebody could be a frontline starter who relegates Gomes to the bench. Or it could be somebody who shares the job with Gomes, much as Kurt Suzuki did the last two seasons. The good news: There's...

Nats could go in one of several directions for rotation help

Nats could go in one of several directions for rotation help
We looked at potential free agent outfielders that might interest the Nationals on Tuesday. Today we turn our attention to their other big need this winter: a No. 4 starter to replace the departing Aníbal Sánchez. Some teams don't prioritize a No. 4 starter. The Nationals do. Look back at their best seasons over the last near-decade, and they've pretty much always had a good fourth starter. Look back at their worst seasons during this run, and they've pretty much always had a problem...

No shortage of free agent outfielders for Nats to consider

No shortage of free agent outfielders for Nats to consider
Rank the Nationals' most significant needs this winter and there's no debate what tops the list: a big bat. Someone who can hit behind Trea Turner and Juan Soto. Someone who can lengthen the lineup. Someone who can fill the void created by Anthony Rendon's departure last winter. (And, yes, obviously this all could've been avoided if the Nats just re-signed Rendon, but there's no sense re-litigating that one now.) This big bat could come in a variety of forms and could play one of several...

Where the Nats' payroll stands as the offseason begins

Where the Nats' payroll stands as the offseason begins
We raised the question Sunday of the Nationals' approach to this winter, whether they might be willing to go against the expected grain of most of the league and aggressively pursue free agents while everyone else attempts to drag the process out and save money. We have no idea at this point if it's even within the realm of possibility, mostly because we haven't heard a word from the front office about the financial state of the organization at the end of a year in which there were no fans...

As others cut costs, should Nats look to spend big this winter?

As others cut costs, should Nats look to spend big this winter?
The start of free agency in baseball has long failed to live up to whatever advance hype comes along with it. If the first day of free agency in the NFL, NBA and NHL resembles Walmart on Black Friday, in Major League Baseball it looks more like a group of seniors strolling through the mall concourse at 9 a.m. on a random Tuesday. Owners don't send their private jets out at the stroke of midnight to pick up potential big-name targets. Agents prefer to drag the whole process out and wait for the...

One year later, it's time for new-look Nats to look ahead

One year later, it's time for new-look Nats to look ahead
They celebrated the anniversary of the Nationals' Game 7 World Series victory Friday night, commemorating the moment at 11:50 p.m. when Daniel Hudson struck out Michael Brantley on a down-and-in slider to set off a wild celebration at Minute Maid Park in Houston, at Nationals Park in Washington, and in homes and bars throughout the region. My god, has it really been a year? It has. And so much of what we're experiencing today bears so little resemblance to that glorious moment on Oct. 30,...

Nats decline options on Eaton, Sánchez, Kendrick, Thames

Nats decline options on Eaton, Sánchez, Kendrick, Thames
The end of the World Series last night meant the start of the offseason today, and the Nationals wasted no time making the first of many consequential decisions they'll face during what should be a busy winter. The Nats declined to pick up the 2021 contract options they held on Adam Eaton and Aníbal Sánchez and declined to pick up their portions of the 2021 mutual options on Howie Kendrick and Eric Thames. All four veteran players immediately become free agents and are allowed to begin...

Harrison returns to Nats for another year on $1 million deal

Harrison returns to Nats for another year on $1 million deal
Josh Harrison joined the Nationals four days into the 2020 season. The veteran utilityman quickly made himself invaluable on and off the field, so much so that the club wasted no time ensuring he'd be back in 2021. The Nationals re-signed Harrison to a one-year deal this morning, making the 33-year-old the first of their pending free agents to get a new contract that will keep him in Washington for another season. He'll earn $1 million in base salary, plus an additional $250,000 in...

Nats find new lefty first baseman in free agent Thames

Nats find new lefty first baseman in free agent Thames
The Nationals have found themselves this year's left-handed first baseman. Eric Thames, who averaged 24 homers and an .848 OPS the last three seasons for the Brewers, has agreed to terms on a contract with the Nats that guarantees $4 million, a source familiar with the with deal confirmed. Thames, who must pass a physical before the deal is official, will earn a $3 million salary this year, with a $1 million buyout of a mutual option for 2021 likely to be enacted after the season. Thus the...

Source: Hudson returning to Nats on two-year deal

Source: Hudson returning to Nats on two-year deal
Turns out last week's signing of Will Harris didn't prohibit the Nationals from bringing back Daniel Hudson. Hudson and the Nats are finalizing a new deal that would keep the veteran reliever in D.C. for two more seasons at the fairly reasonable price of $11 million (plus incentives), a source familiar with the terms confirmed this afternoon. Once completed, Hudson would rejoin a Nationals bullpen that on paper looks much stronger now than it did for most of the 2019 season, when it ranked...

Free agent spending: Some do it, some don't

Free agent spending: Some do it, some don't
Remember last winter when baseball free agent spending was moving at a crawl. If it was even moving that fast. The top contracts were not signed until after spring training had started. On Feb. 21, 2019, the San Diego Padres signed former Oriole Manny Machado to a 10-year deal worth $300 million. A week later, the Phillies signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year deal worth $330 million. But sometimes big dollars don't equate to big wins. The Padres went 70-92 and finished in last place. The Phillies...

Strasburg making direct pitch to Rendon, Nats to sign new deal

Strasburg making direct pitch to Rendon, Nats to sign new deal
SAN DIEGO - While Stephen Strasburg was motivated to get his new deal with the Nationals done early this offseason, Anthony Rendon appears to be more willing to let the free agency process play out over the course of the winter. If Rendon somehow winds up rejoining the Nationals, though, Strasburg may play a key role in making it happen. The World Series MVP and new recipient of the largest contract ever given to a pitcher has been actively trying to convince Rendon to return to Washington...

Guerra returning to Nationals on minor league deal

Guerra returning to Nationals on minor league deal
SAN DIEGO - It's not nearly as big a deal as the others they've given out so far this winter, but the Nationals did make sure they're bringing back yet another member of their World Series roster who could have been headed elsewhere. The Nats agreed to terms with reliever Javy Guerra on a minor league contract for 2020 late Monday night, according to a source familiar with the signing. The deal would pay the veteran right-hander $1 million if he makes the opening day roster, with more money...

Fates of second-tier free agents just as critical to Nats' chances

Fates of second-tier free agents just as critical to Nats' chances
So much attention has been paid - and will continue to be paid - to the Nationals' two biggest free agents this winter: Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. But let's not forget the host of other key veterans from their World Series roster who currently aren't under contract, because their fates are plenty important to the franchise's chances in 2020 as well. Friday's deal to bring back Howie Kendrick for one guaranteed year at $6.25 million plus a mutual option for 2021 is a really...

Nationals finalizing deal to bring Kendrick back in 2020

Nationals finalizing deal to bring Kendrick back in 2020
The Nationals are finalizing a deal with Howie Kendrick to bring the postseason hero back for at least one more season. Kendrick and the Nats have agreed to the framework of a one-year contract that will pay him $6.25 million in 2020, with a mutual option for 2021, a source familiar with the deal confirmed this morning. The deal, first reported by the Washington Post, is pending a physical. It's an increase in salary for the veteran infielder, who turns 37 in July and made $4 million this...

How much can the Nats actually afford to spend this winter?

How much can the Nats actually afford to spend this winter?
There's a lot of talk about the Nationals and money right now, namely how much money they can spend in an attempt to keep Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. This comes after managing principal owner Mark Lerner, in an interview with former tennis player, lawyer and agent Donald Dell on NBC Sports Washington, claimed the club "really can only afford to have one of those two guys." This perhaps caught a lot of folks off guard, if not for the actual message than for the fact Lerner was...

What to make of other clubs' pursuits of Rendon and Strasburg

What to make of other clubs' pursuits of Rendon and Strasburg
Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon are free agents. They've been free agents for a month now. One or both could still end up re-signing with the Nationals. But right now, they're free agents. Which means they're free to talk to any club that wants to talk to them. It all sounds so basic, but sometimes we tend to forget basic matters. As much as everyone in Washington wants to believe Strasburg and Rendon prefer to return to the only franchise they've ever played for, you just don't...

Source: Gomes, Nats agree on two-year, $10 million deal

Source: Gomes, Nats agree on two-year, $10 million deal
The Nationals and Yan Gomes agreed to terms Wednesday night on a two-year, $10 million contract, ensuring the club will keep its productive catching tandem together for another season at a discounted price. The deal isn't official yet, but a source confirmed the two sides came to agreement Wednesday evening. ESPN.com was first to report the signing. The Nationals had declined a $9 million club option on Gomes earlier this month, instead paying off a $1 million buyout, but did express interest...