Soto wins second straight Silver Slugger Award
Soto wins second straight Silver Slugger Award
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Juan Soto's monster second half was enough to earn the young Nationals star his second straight Silver Slugger Award. We'll find out in one week if it was enough to earn him his first MVP award. Soto was honored tonight as one of the recipients of the 2021 Silver Slugger Award, handed out annually to the best offensive player at each position in his league, as voted on by managers and coaches late in the regular season. He joined former teammate and fellow MVP candidate Bryce Harper along...
What kind of payroll is reasonable to expect from Nats next year?
What kind of payroll is reasonable to expect from Nats next year?
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The Nationals' lengthy run as one of baseball's most consistently successful franchises coincided with ownership's willingness to spend like one of the sport's richest franchises. In each of the last nine seasons, dating back to 2013, the Nats had one of the majors' 10 highest payrolls. They peaked, appropriately, in 2019, spending more than $205 million on players' salaries en route to their first World Series championship. And while the final tally has fluctuated a bit year to year, it...
Notes on free agent dollars, Vespi's Fall Stars nod and more
Notes on free agent dollars, Vespi's Fall Stars nod and more
Steve Melewski
Orioles
If predictions prove to be mostly accurate, this winter's baseball free agent class will bring in some huge collective dollars in salary. Some big contracts could be signed. How this all plays out is pending the collective bargaining talks on a new labor contract, but there will come a time when the deals get done, and the contracts could be something. Last year via free agency, just three players signed total deals of $100 million or more. They were George Springer (six years, $150 million)...
Orioles agree to contract terms with Rico Garcia
Orioles agree to contract terms with Rico Garcia
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The desire for more pitching depth has led the Orioles to right-hander Rico Garcia. The Orioles have agreed to terms with Garcia, 27, on a minor league deal pending a physical, according to a source. He didn't pitch this summer and went on the 60-day injured list with Double-A Richmond on May 17 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. Garcia became a minor league free agent this month. The Rockies selected Garcia in the 30th round of the 2016 draft out of Hawaii Pacific University. The...
An offseason of uncertainty begins for Nationals
An offseason of uncertainty begins for Nationals
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The World Series ended last week. They held a parade in Atlanta. More than 180 players officially became free agents. The general managers' meetings are currently taking place in Carlsbad, Calif. Suffice it to say, the offseason has begun. And for the Nationals, it's an offseason loaded with more questions and less certainty than anyone around here has experienced in a long time. Some winters, the storylines and the objectives are crystal clear. This winter? It's anybody's guess, with the...
If Kjerstad produces as expected, O's have deep depth in the outfield
If Kjerstad produces as expected, O's have deep depth in the outfield
Steve Melewski
Orioles
The recent news that young outfielder Heston Kjerstad is a full go at the Orioles' instructional league camp in Florida was encouraging and a nice move forward for the player selected No. 2 overall from the University of Arkansas in the 2020 draft. He was the third-highest player ever taken by the organization. But dealing with the effects of myocarditis has kept him off the field and created some uncertainty about his future. And while there are no guarantees going forward, the Orioles now...
Wondering whether a winter Orioles report resurfaces
Wondering whether a winter Orioles report resurfaces
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The sorting of fact from fiction, of rumor from real, is one of the most taxing but necessary activities of the baseball offseason. A winter wonder which. I discovered that the Marlins had interest in Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander prior to the 2021 season, but it didn't go anywhere. Santander was the reigning Most Valuable Oriole and despite losing his arbitration hearing, his salary jumped from $572,500 to $2.1 million. It made sense to keep Santander and it made sense to check the...
Taking a closer look at some minor league free agents (updated)
Taking a closer look at some minor league free agents (updated)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
No matter if baseball's Winter Meetings proceed as planned next month in Orlando, Fla., or are shelved while a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will be keeping both eyes on the major and minor league free agent markets. Large sums of cash won't be spent, but there are ways to upgrade the roster and depth at the highest levels of the farm system. Venturing to the minor league side allows the Orioles to increase camp...
Can Stewart solidify his spot on 40-man roster?
Can Stewart solidify his spot on 40-man roster?
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Earlier this week, I wrote about outfielder Yusniel Diaz and the importance of staying healthy in 2022 and putting up the kind of numbers that finally get him to the majors - and at least keep him on the 40-man roster. Then there's DJ Stewart, also an outfielder who brought big-time expectations into the organization. Diaz after being the central figure in the Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers. Stewart after being the 25th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Florida State...
Juan Soto named a finalist for 2021 National League MVP award
Juan Soto named a finalist for 2021 National League MVP award
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto was named one of three finalists for the 2021 National League Most Valuable Player award, announced Monday on MLB Network. It is Soto's second time being named a finalist for a Baseball Writers' Association of America award, as he finished second in the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year award voting. The winners of the Most Valuable Player awards will be announced live on MLB Network on Thursday, November 18. Other finalists include Philadelphia...