Notes on Wieters, Barrett and draft position

Notes on Wieters, Barrett and draft position
Rumors are both a blessing and a curse to baseball's offseason. A blessing because a good rumor can stoke the fires of the hot stove, keeping baseball talk alive during the coldest and longest days of the winter. A curse because a rumor, when unchecked, can take on a life of its own. Don't believe me? Then look at the interest the Nationals reportedly have in free agent catcher Matt Wieters, who is ready to take his career beyond Baltimore, which drafted, developed and was home to the...

No. 9 Nats prospect: Pedro Severino

No. 9 Nats prospect: Pedro Severino
The Nationals lost starting catcher Wilson Ramos to a devastating ACL injury at the very end of the 2016 regular season. Ramos is recovering well and was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays to a two-year deal. The Nationals quickly re-signed veteran backstop Jose Lobaton and reacquired Derek Norris, who began his career as a Nationals draft selection in 2007 and went on to success with the Oakland A's and San Diego Padres. But in 2016, the Nationals also got a chance to see the potential of catcher...

Despite down offensive year, Norris' pedigree convinced Rizzo of bounceback possibility

Despite down offensive year, Norris' pedigree convinced Rizzo of bounceback possibility
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The Nationals reacquired veteran catcher Derek Norris from the Padres last week for a minor league pitcher. With the transaction, Norris returned to the club that he started out with from 2007-2011. After being traded to Oakland in 2011 in the deal for Gio Gonzalez, Norris got into a nice groove. In 2014, he made the American League All-Star team, hitting .270 with 19 doubles, 10 homers and 55 RBIs. In 2015, he moved to the Padres, where he connected with a career-high 33...

More thoughts on yesterday's moves and non-moves

More thoughts on yesterday's moves and non-moves
Friday turned out to be a busy day for the Nationals, but not for the reason many were expecting. There was no trade with the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen, not yet at least. But there was a trade with the Padres for Derek Norris. And there was the non-tendering of Ben Revere, coinciding with the tendering of Danny Espinosa. What does it all mean in the bigger picture? Some thoughts on each of the moves (and non-moves)... * The McCutchen trade didn't happen yesterday, which may have prompted...

Nationals sign Lobaton to one-year deal, avoid arbitration

Nationals sign Lobaton to one-year deal, avoid arbitration
The Nationals announced a player transaction this afternoon, but not the transaction many have been on pins and needles on while they wait for it to be completed. Pushing a proposed trade with the Pirates for star outfielder Andrew McCutchen aside for at least a moment, the Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Jose Lobaton, avoiding arbitration with the popular veteran catcher. Terms of the deal weren't immediately known, but Lobaton was due to receive a modest raise from his...

How does Lobaton fit into Nationals' 2017 catching plans?

How does Lobaton fit into Nationals' 2017 catching plans?
As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Jose Lobaton, the reliable backup catcher who was thrust into a bigger role after Wilson Ramos was injured. PLAYER REVIEW: JOSE LOBATON Age on opening day 2017: 32 How acquired: Acquired from Rays with Felipe Rivero and Drew Vettleson for Nathan Karns, February 2014 MLB service time: 5 years, 138 days 2016 salary: $1.3875 million Contract status:...

NLDS Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

NLDS Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers
And so it has come to this. Game 5. Winner-take-all. One team heads to Chicago this weekend for the National League Championship Series. One team heads home for the winter, wondering what might have been. We've experienced this once before during this era of D.C. baseball. The final outcome is one that continues to haunt everyone. Tonight's result could go a long way toward pushing those bad memories aside. This is, quite simply, Max Scherzer's game. He's rested. He's ready. He was brought...

Baker and veterans have kept dugout calm in face of adversity

Baker and veterans have kept dugout calm in face of adversity
The calmness in the dugout during the series has been evident. The Nationals have fallen behind 4-0, 2-0, 1-0 and 5-2 early in each game of this series. Three of the four times the club came back to tie or take the lead in that game. In the first game, they cut the deficit to 4-3 and had a few chances to take the lead. Despite 36 strikeouts in the last three games, the Nats have won two of those contests and had Game 4 tied at 5-5 in the eighth on Tuesday. The veteran core of Jayson Werth,...

Win or lose Game 5, Nationals have proven something this year

Win or lose Game 5, Nationals have proven something this year
When they take the field shortly after 8 p.m. tonight, Max Scherzer leading the way, the Nationals will be facing far more than the Dodgers in a do-or-die baseball game. They'll be facing their own demons, the demons of two previous postseason failures, the demons of two other regular season failures during this five-year run of excellence, the demons of Washington's entire sports existence that have prevented any of the city's major pro clubs from so much as reaching the final four of its...

Marty Niland: Lobaton's homer was no October surprise to Baker

Marty Niland: Lobaton's homer was no October surprise to Baker
The National League Division Series between the Nationals and Dodgers may be knotted at one game apiece, bit when it comes to drama and momentum, the Nats are clearly ahead after Sunday's 5-2 victory And while fans are rightly cheering backup catcher Jose Lobaton as the unlikely hero the team needed to even the series, let's not overlook one clear advantage the Nats have in this series that made his momentous fourth-inning swing possible: manager Dusty Baker. It's easy to criticize a...

With surprise homer, Lobaton gets monkey off Nationals' backs

With surprise homer, Lobaton gets monkey off Nationals' backs
The reaction the moment Jose Lobaton made contact wasn't joyous. There was no instantaneous celebration in the Nationals dugout, nor in the batter's box when Lobaton connected with Rich Hill's 1-1 curveball in the bottom of the fourth inning and sent it soaring toward left field. Any other day, the Nationals would have been jumping up and down and Lobaton would have been flipping his bat before a triumphant trip around the bases. But with a persistent 25 mph wind blowing in from left field...

Lobaton's blast, bullpen's dominance help Nats win Game 2

Lobaton's blast, bullpen's dominance help Nats win Game 2
It had to come eventually. The Nationals simply couldn't keep squandering every single scoring opportunity they had in the postseason, right? No, there actually is enough talent in this lineup to deliver big hits in big spots. But who in their wildest dreams expected the guy to deliver the biggest hit of them all to be Jose Lobaton? The longtime backup catcher, pressed into a high-profile role after teammate Wilson Ramos tore his ACL during the final week of the regular season, indeed came...

Baker: No platoon for Zimmerman in NLDS (Nationals lose 7-4)

Baker: No platoon for Zimmerman in NLDS (Nationals lose 7-4)
It's no secret that Ryan Zimmerman has been the Nationals' most disappointing player this season, and Dusty Baker has given his veteran first baseman no shortage of opportunities to try to hit his way out of a months-long funk. With the postseason now nearly upon the Nats, there has perhaps been some reason to wonder whether Zimmerman will actually be part of the Nationals starting lineup, or whether Baker might consider some kind of platoon situation involving Clint Robinson or Stephen...

David Huzzard: Nats need role players to step up

David Huzzard: Nats need role players to step up
Wilson Ramos is lost for the postseason, Stephen Strasburg will miss the series against the Dodgers, and Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy are dealing with nagging injuries. To say the Nationals are entering the postseason not in their best shape is an understatement. In order to make a deep playoff run, the Nationals are going to need some guys to step up. This isn't uncommon for the postseason and the Nationals have been on the receiving end of it. Joe Panik and Pete Kozma are far from...

Charlie Fliegel: Who steps up in Ramos' absence?

Charlie Fliegel: Who steps up in Ramos' absence?
The season-ending injury to Wilson Ramos is obviously a big blow to the Nationals. And with everything Ramos has gone through, especially after the season he was having, it's hard not to feel sad for him. But the loss of one player, even one who was the team's second-best hitter this year, won't end the Nats chances. Ramos hasn't exactly been hitting well recently, with only a .764 OPS in the second half, but the team's production hasn't diminished - August was, in fact, their best month...

Following loss of Ramos, Lobaton and Severino spark Nats comeback

Following loss of Ramos, Lobaton and Severino spark Nats comeback
The Nationals began the day with the news that starting catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Manager Dusty Baker talked during pregame about the club's catching depth, and how important Jose Lobaton and Pedro Severino would be on the run the Nats hope to be on for the next month. Then Baker watched as Lobaton and Severino sparked a four-run comeback that turned a two-run deficit into a 4-2 victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. Lobaton led off...

Ramos tears ACL again, Nats try to replace All-Star catcher

Ramos tears ACL again, Nats try to replace All-Star catcher
The reaction among everyone in the Nationals dugout Monday night when Wilson Ramos crumpled to the ground and motioned for a trainer suggested an immediate recognition of the severity of what had just happened. Confirmation, though, came this afternoon when an MRI of Ramos' right knee indeed revealed a torn ACL, a crushing blow for the All-Star catcher, who suddenly will enter free agency coming off the second reconstructive surgery of his career, and for the Nationals, who suddenly have to...

Steve Mears: "Next man up" and the postseason roster

Steve Mears: "Next man up" and the postseason roster
The Nationals have been holding tryouts for the postseason roster, and last night, Dusty Baker made some calculated moves, some interesting moves and some moves out of necessity. The moves out of necessity were to replace Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, as both are nursing injuries. Then Baker had to replace Wilson Ramos, who left the game with an apparent right knee injury. Baker went to Pedro Severino over Jose Lobaton in what Baker described after the game as "next man up." While you...

Baker gives Harper "mental day off" vs. Marlins

Baker gives Harper "mental day off" vs. Marlins
MIAMI - Nationals manager Dusty Baker decided to give right fielder Bryce Harper a day of rest in the opening game of a three-game set at Marlins Park. Baker expects his cleanup hitter back in the lineup Tuesday against the Marlins' Jose Fernandez. Harper has struggled at the plate recently and Miami sends out left-hander Wei-Yin Chen tonight. Since September 10, Harper is just 1-for-18 (.056). "Everything is fine," Baker said. "I could see his concentration waning some so I thought I give...

Thoughts on the Nats' final trip to Atlanta's Turner Field

Thoughts on the Nats' final trip to Atlanta's Turner Field
When the Nationals play a three-game series this weekend in Atlanta, it will be the last time they see Turner Field. Next season, the Braves will have a new home - SunTrust Park - in Cobb County, 12 miles northwest of the current yard. You're asking, "Didn't Turner Field just open?'' You're right, it did. But the Braves say that the ballpark is already in need of $300 million in renovations, so they prefer a new one. Turner Field hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics and was reconstructed into...