Suzuki, Difo find new homes for 2021

Suzuki, Difo find new homes for 2021
Not that either was expected to return to D.C. for another season, but a pair of notable Nationals players from recent years - Kurt Suzuki and Wilmer Difo - officially found new homes Friday. Suzuki signed with the Angels for one year and $1.5 million. Difo agreed to a minor league contract with the Pirates that will include an invitation to big league camp this spring. The Nationals had long since decided to part ways with both players, so the news didn't come as a huge surprise. But we'll...

Winter ball updates on Robles and Barrera, plus other notes

Winter ball updates on Robles and Barrera, plus other notes
Center fielder Victor Robles is hitting well in the first week of Dominican Winter League play, slashing .316 with a .908 OPS. He has one homer, two RBIs and only three strikeouts in 19 at-bats over five games for Aguilas Cibaenas. Emilio Bonifacio is hitting .300 in three games and Wilmer Difo is hitting .250 over five games. Right-hander Paolo Espino did not allow a run for Toros del Este in his first appearance, with one hit, one walk and one strikeout. Espino made his major league debut for...

Martinez on Soto, García, Cabrera, Scherzer, Difo and more (updated)

Martinez on Soto, García, Cabrera, Scherzer, Difo and more (updated)
Manager Davey Martinez did not have a definitive answer during his pregame media access today as to when left fielder Juan Soto will return to the Nationals lineup. Soto has been dealing with a sore elbow and has missed a couple of games. "He's going to come in, he's going to do some activation stuff," Martinez said during his Zoom video session with reporters. "We will see how he feels." Second baseman Luis García was pulled in the middle of Sunday's game at Atlanta because of heel...

Kieboom returns to play every day, Difo dropped from roster

Kieboom returns to play every day, Difo dropped from roster
Their lineup ravaged by a recent spate of injuries, the Nationals recalled Carter Kieboom from their alternate training camp today, plugged their struggling prospect into tonight's lineup against the Braves and declared him their starting third baseman for the rest of this abridged season. Kieboom, who had been optioned to the camp in Fredericksburg on Aug. 26, was already in Atlanta as part of the club's traveling taxi squad for this weekend's series at Truist Park. Team officials liked the...

Castro to have right wrist surgery on Friday

Castro to have right wrist surgery on Friday
Nationals second baseman Starlin Catro will have surgery on Friday to repair his broken right wrist. If everything goes well in rehab, Castro expects to be back around the beginning of October. "Castro will have surgery on Friday," manager Davey Martinez said on today's pregame Zoom call. "They are putting a pin in his wrist. I talked to him this morning. He sounded upbeat. He said by doing it this way, he can recover a lot quicker. He said, 'Just get to the playoffs and I'll be back...

Nats DFA Bonifácio, option Bourque to get roster to 28

Nats DFA Bonifácio, option Bourque to get roster to 28
In order to get down to the league-mandated 28-man roster by noon ET today, the Nationals optioned right-hander James Bourque to their Fredericksburg site and designated for assignment veteran Emilio Bonifácio. With the return of Wander Suero, Bourque's appearances would have diminished. Bourque appeared in two games, most recently 1/3 of an inning July 28 against the Blue Jays in which he walked Teoscar Hernández and induced a groundout by Cavan Biggio to end the ninth inning. On July...

60-game season might be perfect equalizer for Kieboom

60-game season might be perfect equalizer for Kieboom
The decision to play 60 games was a hot topic the past few weeks between Major League Baseball and the players' union. The number was pretty much forced to be around 50 or 60 games because the calendar had already reached late June and the previous official schedule had teams finishing on Sept. 27. The biggest question in the Nats lineup for 2020 was finding a replacement for star third baseman Anthony Rendon, who signed a lucrative offseason free agent deal to join the Angels. The Nats' top...

Defense and team speed cornerstones to Nationals' success

Defense and team speed cornerstones to Nationals' success
Defense and speed are cornerstones of good teams, and they were important parts why the Nationals were so good in 2019. The Nats outfield was the best in baseball, based in Runs Prevented (26) and Outs Above Average (29) last season during their run to a first World Series title for the franchise. This combined total of 55 beat out the Houston Astros for the top spot by a wide margin. Houston had 12 Runs Prevented and 14 Outs Above Average last season as a team for a total of 26. Here's is the...

Nats could go many different ways with 26th roster spot

Nats could go many different ways with 26th roster spot
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The most significant of Major League Baseball's rule changes for the upcoming season is the three-batter minimum that will now be required for every reliever that enters a game. (With an exception granted for anyone who finishes an inning, even if it's only one batter.) Less discussed but not necessarily less significant is the addition of a 26th man to the active roster. For as far back as any of us can remember, a baseball roster consisted of 25 players. "We're...

New-look infield must answer plenty of questions this spring

New-look infield must answer plenty of questions this spring
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the infield ... So much of the Nationals' World Series-winning roster returns intact this spring, but one aspect of the roster has undergone some serious change since we last saw this team take the field. An infield that was among the most productive in the majors is going to look quite different this time around, thanks to one huge departure and...

Where does Carter Kieboom fit best in Nationals infield?

Where does Carter Kieboom fit best in Nationals infield?
Few players will have a microscope trained on them in spring training like Carter Kieboom, who will get a laser focus usually not afforded rookies. It will take another move and several weeks to determine exactly what role Kieboom will have with the Nationals in 2020, and in that way alone, the upcoming camp will be a lot like Kieboom's first on the major league side last spring. Back then, he would have made Crash Davis proud by spouting the appropriate cliches about being happy to have...

Nationals have trade chips if they're inclined to deal

Nationals have trade chips if they're inclined to deal
The entire baseball world today makes it way to San Diego, where on Monday the 2019 Winter Meetings open for business. As always, the focus will be on free agents, many of them key members of the Nationals' championship roster. But the odds of Stephen Strasburg or Anthony Rendon signing this week probably aren't great. Agent Scott Boras is still in the preliminary stages of a courtship process with several franchises that could drag on well into the winter. So perhaps the more likely...

Nationals face several decisions at deadline (Strickland signed)

Nationals face several decisions at deadline (Strickland signed)
It's non-tender day across Major League Baseball, a day when a handful of players from each club worry they might get dumped but in most cases survive to live another day. How's this all work? Well, players who are eligible for salary arbitration - those with more than three years but fewer than six years of big league service time - must be tendered a contract by 8 p.m. today. All that means is that teams must declare their intention to sign those players to 2020 contracts. They don't have...

Nats sign Difo for $1 million, avoiding arbitration

Nats sign Difo for $1 million, avoiding arbitration
The Nationals have agreed to terms with Wilmer Difo on a 2020 contract that will pay the utility infielder $1 million if he's on the big league roster, a source familiar with the deal confirmed this afternoon. The signing, which was first reported by USA Today, comes one day before Major League Baseball's deadline for clubs to tender contracts to all arbitration-eligible players. It means Difo and the Nationals will avoid going to arbitration, but it doesn't guarantee him the full $1...

Nats keep home field hopes alive with another win (updated)

Nats keep home field hopes alive with another win (updated)
The day-after-clinch game is always a tricky matter. All the moreso when the team in question still has something left to play for over the season's final few days. The Nationals wanted to take it easy tonight, less than 24 hours after they clinched a spot in next week's wild card game. They also wanted to maintain their slim lead over the Brewers for home field advantage next Tuesday night. They found a way to accomplish both during a 5-2 victory over the Phillies. A game that started off...

Game 158 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 158 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
It's the day after a clinch, and that always makes for some, uh, interesting lineup decisions. Like Brian Dozier leading off. Or Asdrúbal Cabrera playing third base. Or Wilmer Difo starting at shortstop. All of those are true of the Nationals lineup tonight, and understandably so. Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner can definitely benefit from at least one (if not more) days off. Truth be told, this lineup has more regulars in it than you might expect under the circumstances. Including all three...

Nationals call up Taylor and Difo; Barrett returning, too

Nationals call up Taylor and Difo; Barrett returning, too
The Nationals today added outfielder Michael A. Taylor and infielder Wilmer Difo to the expanded September roster. Taylor was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg and Difo was recalled from Triple-A Fresno. Double-A Harrisburg tweeted out that reliever Aaron Barrett was returning to the Nationals. He was not in the clubhouse before today's game. Here is the emotional video when Barrett was told he was going back to D.C. by Senators manager Matt LeCroy: The moment Aaron Barrett found out he was...

Game 137 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (Taylor, Difo recalled)

Game 137 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (Taylor, Difo recalled)
The Nationals promised more September call-ups, and they have delivered with two more additions today: Michael A. Taylor and Wilmer Difo. Taylor's promotion from Double-A Harrisburg isn't surprising, given Adam Eaton's lingering knee injury (we will hopefully know more about that soon). Taylor hit only .248 with a .324 on-base percentage and 69 strikeouts in 57 minor league games, but he did get hot down the stretch, hitting .383 with six doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs in his last 12 games...

Turner is back, plus updates on injured players and other notes

Turner is back, plus updates on injured players and other notes
For the first time since April 2, Trea Turner is back with the Nationals, playing shortstop and leading off tonight against the Cubs. Turner missed 39 games with a broken right index finger. "It was real nice to write his name in the lineup," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "He's been itching to get back, as we all know. He's excited to be back. No expectations. I told him to go out there and play the game and do what you do best. "He's been working diligently for a while now....

Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs
The Nationals embark on a challenging three-game series tonight at home at they welcome in the first-place Cubs. Fresh off their first series win since April 18, the Nats face a Cubs squad that has gone 9-1-1 in their last 11 series. Chicago's loss to Cincinnati last night marked its first series loss since April 7 against the Brewers. Since starting the season 2-7, the Cubs have won 23 of 3 games. Washington would love to have a run even close to that after stumbling out of the gates, just...