Nats' most significant moves in January

Nats' most significant moves in January
As the calendar turns to a new year this January, a new baseball season is on the horizon. When it will actually begin, however, remains to be seen. The lockout is currently keeping teams from making any major league roster moves, which is a shame because Mike Rizzo is usually very busy during the year's first month. No matter the pace of an offseason's free agent market, we have seen the Nationals general manager put together a competitive roster well before the start of spring training year...

Nationals need Taylor to contribute offensively

Nationals need Taylor to contribute offensively
The Nationals came from behind to drop the Orioles 7-6 on Wednesday night, scoring five runs and pounding out six hits in the last two innings. Down 6-2, center fielder Michael A. Taylor charged up the rally with a two-run homer off of Orioles right-hander Alec Asher. It was his first homer since July 15, 2016 against Pittsburgh. Taylor also contributed an RBI single in the fourth that plated the Nationals' first run of the night. He also smacked a run-scoring double Monday night in...

Duquette: "Still looking for opportunities to build the club"

Duquette: "Still looking for opportunities to build the club"
The Orioles maintained interest in free agent outfielder Ben Revere this winter, engaging again in talks with his representative. However, there doesn't appear to be a financial fit and Revere is expected to sign with another team - perhaps as early as today. The Nationals non-tendered Revere after he batted .217/.260/.300 in 103 games, but he hit .306/.342/.377 in 2015 with the Phillies and Blue Jays. A strained oblique in April pretty much ruined his final season in D.C. Revere, 28, bats...

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...

Nats non-tender Revere, retain others (including Espinosa)

Nats non-tender Revere, retain others (including Espinosa)
Ben Revere's tenure with the Nationals has ended after one disappointing season. Danny Espinosa's tumultuous tenure with the organization will extend into its ninth year. The Nationals elected not to tender a contract to Revere before tonight's 8 p.m. deadline, cutting the outfielder loose and making him a free agent. Four players who are eligible for arbitration - Espinosa, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Tanner Roark - all were tendered contracts. The latter three were all expected,...

Nats face tender decisions before deadline tonight

Nats face tender decisions before deadline tonight
So much of what the Nationals do this winter is dependent on something else they do. They won't know if Trea Turner is their center fielder or shortstop until they either acquire another outfielder or not. They won't know if Danny Espinosa is still their shortstop until they know if Turner is switching positions. There are dominoes lined up all over the place, but most of them can't fall until the first one does. Which may finally begin to happen today. Whether they're able to consummate a...

Could the Nationals give Revere another chance?

Could the Nationals give Revere another chance?
In all of the discussions we've had since the season ended six weeks ago about the various choices the Nationals have for their 2017 outfield, we've kind of glossed over one more option that isn't all that outrageous: bringing Ben Revere back as the starting center fielder. Revere turned into a forgotten man over the season's final two months, once he was bumped from his starting job by Trea Turner. That bumping was more than deserved, but it left Revere with virtually no role down the...

Was Revere's rough year an anomaly or should Nats move on?

Was Revere's rough year an anomaly or should Nats move on?
As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Ben Revere, who was acquired to be the club's center fielder and leadoff man but wound up losing his starting job by late-summer. PLAYER REVIEW: BEN REVERE Age on opening day 2017: 28 How acquired: Acquired from Blue Jays for Drew Storen, January 2016 MLB service time: 5 years, 149 days 2016 salary: $6.25 million Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2017, free...

Dusty Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions

Dusty Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions
The Nationals' decision to carry only seven relievers with a six-man bench for the National League Division Series boiled down their opponent for this first round of the playoffs and the fact that several of their position players are still dealing with nagging ailments. Manager Dusty Baker said the Dodgers' left-handed-laden lineup necessitated the carrying of three lefties in his NLDS bullpen. And with Daniel Murphy (buttocks), Bryce Harper (thumb), Jayson Werth (back), Ryan Zimmerman...

Nats go with seven relievers for NLDS (Roark starting Game 2)

Nats go with seven relievers for NLDS (Roark starting Game 2)
The Nationals' finalized roster for the National League Division Series includes only seven relievers but six bench players, not to mention several notable names left out altogether. For their best-of-five series with the Dodgers, the Nationals opted to carry only 11 total pitchers. That leaves a seven-man bullpen of closer Mark Melancon; right-handers Shawn Kelley, Blake Treinen and Reynaldo Lopez; and left-handers Marc Rzepczynski, Sammy Solis and Oliver Perez. Among those left out of the...

Nats have many factors to weigh on final NLDS roster decisions

Nats have many factors to weigh on final NLDS roster decisions
The Nationals have until 10 a.m. Friday to submit and announce their roster for the National League Division Series. Don't be surprised if they take every last minute available to them before finalizing which 25 players will take the field against the Dodgers. These decisions are easier said than done, and Dusty Baker, Mike Rizzo and everyone else involved in the process have some legitimately tough decisions to make. "Do you keep some veterans?" Baker asked rhetorically on Wednesday. "Do...

Steve Mears: Is it time for the Nationals to tweak their lineup?

Steve Mears: Is it time for the Nationals to tweak their lineup?
Is it time to rearrange the lineup to thwart the competition? The Nationals have been stacking left-handed hitters Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper for months. Both players hit left-handed pitchers well. Harper actually has a higher slugging percentage (eight points) against left-handed pitchers versus the right-handed pitchers, but his on-base-percentage is 53 points lower against left-handers. Would the lineup do better putting Anthony Rendon between Murphy and Harper to take advantage of the...

Revere's struggles have not deterred Baker's confidence

Revere's struggles have not deterred Baker's confidence
Manager Dusty Baker opted to give center fielder Ben Revere the night off in Baltimore on Tuesday. Revere has struggled, hitting .186 (18-for-97) in his last 30 games, with one homer, seven RBIs and nine strikeouts. Revere has not played as much recently with the addition of Trea Turner and his introduction to center field. His on-base percentage is just .259 this season, well off his career mark of .321. But Baker said the Nationals need Revere to get more consistent and he will be valuable as...

Game 124 lineups: Nats at Orioles

Game 124 lineups: Nats at Orioles
BALTIMORE - Well, tonight's opener of the annual Beltways Series has an entirely new and unexpected storyline, huh? If you missed the news earlier, the Nationals have placed Stephen Strasburg on the disabled list with right elbow soreness and recalled A.J. Cole from Triple-A Syracuse to start tonight in his place. We will certainly be getting more information shortly, but first some background to the situation: Strasburg went through all of his normal between-starts routines over the weekend...

On Werth's streak, Revere's catch and Glover's odd win

On Werth's streak, Revere's catch and Glover's odd win
ATLANTA - Some more thoughts and reactions from Friday night's wild 7-6 Nationals win at Turner Field ... * It was never going to be the kind of streak that drew national headlines or would be recalled by people at the drop of the hat years from now, so Jayson Werth didn't put more stock in it than it deserved. Still, the end of the veteran's streak of consecutive games reaching base had a slight bittersweet tinge to it. Werth went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, bringing the streak to a halt...

Zimmerman, Lobaton set to return from DL on Friday

Zimmerman, Lobaton set to return from DL on Friday
ATLANTA - Ryan Zimmerman and Jose Lobaton are on their way to Atlanta and are expected to be activated off the disabled list in time for Friday night's game at Turner Field, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said today. Both Zimmerman and Lobaton completed a three-day rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse, emerging with no issues and convincing club officials they're ready to return. "They're on the way now," Baker said prior to the Nationals series opener against the Braves. "There's a...

Revere making plays to stay on field; update on Ramos

Revere making plays to stay on field; update on Ramos
It hasn't been the smoothest season at the plate for center fielder Ben Revere, and he would be the first to acknowledge it. The oblique injury to begin the season sidetracked what he was hoping would be a quick start. Unfortunately, Revere has struggled for consistency at the plate. His .212 average is way down from what he has been able to do every season since 2012: .294, .305, .306, (.298 with the Phillies, .319 with the Blue Jays). His career on-base percentage is .322, but this year it...

"Little things" cost Scherzer in latest no-hit bid

"Little things" cost Scherzer in latest no-hit bid
It has become somewhat commonplace in these parts, and so folks tend not to get overexcited when it happens. Make no mistake, though, Dusty Baker knew what was going on with Max Scherzer, just as every one of the 30,978 spectators at Nationals Park knew it. "Everybody was thinking it. You were thinking it," Baker said of Scherzer's no-hit bid against the Indians. "Because he knows how to close out those games. Then it went from a no-hitter to a loss in a matter of time, and we couldn't...

Scherzer loses no-hitter, then 3-1 game to Cleveland

Scherzer loses no-hitter, then 3-1 game to Cleveland
Max Scherzer made yet another run at history on the mound, but a quick flurry of events in the top of the seventh combined with a lack of run support from his teammates left the right-hander and the Nationals to stew over a 3-1 loss to the Indians on a night that appeared to be headed for a much happier conclusion. Scherzer held Cleveland hitless into the seventh in his latest attempt at a third career no-hitter before things fell apart. Francisco Lindor's one-out single up the middle broke up...

Marty Niland: In a postseason atmosphere, Nats come up big


Marty Niland: In a postseason atmosphere, Nats come up big

Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants was the kind of game the Nationals needed badly to win this season. Although they had the second-best record in all of baseball and the second-largest division lead in the National League, seven games over the Miami Marlins, the Nats needed to distinguish themselves from another top team. So in a game pitting two evenly matched division leaders, in which heroes of big games past had a chance to do it again, the Nats made the plays the Giants...