Updates on a couple of former Nationals

Updates on a couple of former Nationals
Tony Plush is trying to return to the big leagues, and Joel Hanrahan is trying to pick up where he left off prior to elbow sugery. Nyjer Morgan, the talkative former Nationals, Brewers and Pirates center fielder who went by the nickname "Tony Plush," is attempting to land a major league contract after spending the 2013 season playing in Japan, his agent told ESPN.com. Morgan hit .294 with 11 homers in 108 games for Yokohama in Japan's Central League last year. The speedster got off to a...

A few quick Harper notes

A few quick Harper notes
The internet seemed to be abuzz yesterday when quotes from Bryce Harper ran in an ESPN.com story about how players try to bulk up during the offseason in order to combat the natural weight loss that occurs during a season. "I want to go into spring training about 240, 245 (lbs.)," Harper said in the story. "I'll lose about 20 pounds during the season." Various Web sites picked up the story and it quickly spread. Ah, the Internet. In reality, this is the same offseason plan that Harper...

Spring training will change under Williams (Rhymes re-signs)

Spring training will change under Williams (Rhymes re-signs)
Usually, sometime after the first of a new year, two things used to happen: The Nationals announce a list of players signed to minor league contracts who are getting invitations to spring training, and the postal carrier shoves a couple of tax forms in among the bills and junk mail. Well, looks like the Nats' list of non-roster invitees will go the way of the tax form booklets, which have all but disappeared now that most of the country files online. Oh, the Nats will still have some...

Zimmerman may move from third to first, but when?

Zimmerman may move from third to first, but when?
With first baseman Adam LaRoche's two-year deal set to expire after the 2014 season - pending the unlikely scenario where he has a monster year and both he and the Nationals agree to exercise a $15 million option for 2015 - there will soon be a new round of chatter about third baseman Ryan Zimmerman switching positions. It seems like an inevitability that Zimmerman will eventually move across the diamond to first base. He's locked into a six-year, $100 million deal that begins this season...

Which long-term extension do Nats get done first?

Which long-term extension do Nats get done first?
While Mike Rizzo has finished most of his offseason heavy lifting, the Nationals general manager can't sit back and coast until opening day against the Mets at Citi Field. What few holes existed on the blueprint for 2014 are filled; now Rizzo can turn his attentions to more far-reaching pursuits. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and shortstop Ian Desmond are both in line for long-term extensions. Both want to remain in Washington, which is pretty logical considering they are both home-grown and...

Are the Nats the team to beat in the NL East?

Are the Nats the team to beat in the NL East?
I went into spring training this year feeling that the Nationals were the favorites in the National League East by a pretty wide margin. I wasn't alone in this line of thinking. In fact, I believe the vast majority of the baseball world was with me. The Nats, after all, were coming off a 98-win season and their first division title in team history, had seemingly improved their roster with the additions of Dan Haren, Rafael Soriano and Denard Span, and would go into the 2013 season having...

Redding, Barrett rejoining organization, Gardner new Triple-A Syracuse manager

Redding, Barrett rejoining organization, Gardner new Triple-A Syracuse manager
The Nationals have added former major league catcher Michael Barrett to their minor league staff and will bring in a former Double-A Manager of the Year to be the new skipper at Triple-A Syracuse, a source with knowledge of the appointments told MASNSports.com. Also, former Nationals pitcher Tim Redding is back with the organization after being named pitching coach at short-season Single-A Auburn. Billy Gardner Jr., the 2012 Southern League Manager of the Year with Montgomery of the Tampa...

Nats' offseason maneuverings getting rave reviews

Nats' offseason maneuverings getting rave reviews
We've learned that teams don't win based on how strong their offseason was. The 2013 Blue Jays and 2012 Marlins are recent proof of that. We've learned that teams don't win based on how complete their team appears to be on paper. The 2013 Nationals taught us that. Because of last season's disappointment in D.C., Nats fans probably won't get too excited about anyone declaring them the winner of the winter. It doesn't matter how strong your team looks in December or February. What...

LaRoche on Williams, McLouth and his health

LaRoche on Williams, McLouth and his health
Adam LaRoche might be back from his USO Holiday Tour, but he's got a little bit of time to relax before baseball takes over again. Deer season, after all, runs through January 15th. After that, LaRoche will start prepping for the 2014 season, one that he hopes goes better than the one both he and the team put up in 2013. We know how things went from a team perspective, and we know how much LaRoche is itching to follow up a disastrous season on a personal level. The now-34-year-old hit...

Back from trip abroad, LaRoche, friends reflect on meaningful USO Holiday Tour

Back from trip abroad, LaRoche, friends reflect on meaningful USO Holiday Tour
You'll have to forgive Adam LaRoche if he wasn't totally up to date on the moves the Nationals had made over the last week or so. Seated at a table at the Occidental Grill on Pennsylvania Avenue last night, a couple of reporters briefed LaRoche on the Jerry Blevins trade and Corey Brown being designated for assignment, and LaRoche quietly took it all in. It was the first Nats news he had heard since leaving the country to be part of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin...

McLouth deal official, Corey Brown DFA

McLouth deal official, Corey Brown DFA
ORLANDO, Fla. - Greetings from Orlando International Airport, where I've just arrived through the security checkpoint to news that the Nationals' deal with outfielder Nate McLouth is official. That means McLouth passed his physical and that his $10.75 million deal is official. The Nationals envision the veteran, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, as a perfect fourth outfielder, since he's able to play all positions, is a plus defender and adds a dimension of speed to the bench. In...

Nationals lose Adrian Nieto to White Sox in Rule 5 Draft (updated with quotes)

Nationals lose Adrian Nieto to White Sox in Rule 5 Draft (updated with quotes)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Nationals won't be selecting anyone in today's Rule 5 Draft because their 40-man roster is full, but they lost minor league catcher Adrian Nieto to the White Sox with the No. 3 pick in the major league phase of the Rule 5. Nieto, 24, was a fifth-round pick out of American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. He hit .285/.373/.449 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs at high Single-A Potomac in 2013. The White Sox will pay the...

Rizzo discusses the Blevins trade

Rizzo discusses the Blevins trade
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the Nationals looked over the market for left-handed relievers, considering both free agent and trade options, they were looking to find a certain type of player: a relatively young southpaw whose contract offered more than a year of team control and who came with a price tag that made sense for the organization. Under those qualifications, they were able to narrow their search. It left them discussing three or four trade proposals with various teams and making an...

As the market for lefty relievers turns

As the market for lefty relievers turns
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Yup, another entry on left-handed relievers. This is what happens when the team you cover has addressed pretty much every other area of its roster. You write entry after entry about the search for a left-handed reliever. One of the Nationals' top targets when it came to left-handed relief, Eric O'Flaherty, could be close to coming off the market. And it certainly appears that he won't be landing with the Nats. Multiple outlets have reported that there's a good...

Williams meets the press

Williams meets the press
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - I passed along some quick-hit notes from Matt Williams' session with reporters earlier today, but now that our meeting with general manager Mike Rizzo is done and I've had a chance to settle in a bit, I can provide some more in-depth quotes from the Nationals' new skipper. Since being named Nats manager more than five weeks ago, Williams has tried to hit the ground running. He's met with a handful of Nationals players, integrated himself in organizational meetings...

The evolution of Matt Williams' managerial style

The evolution of Matt Williams' managerial style
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla - One of the most interesting storylines that will play out when the Nationals arrive at Space Coast Stadium for their first spring training under new skipper Matt Williams is his evolution as a manager. While Williams has said he wants to be aggressive - playing to players' strengths, forcing things on offense and making opponents defend against his club - Williams is pretty much a blank canvas as a manager. Yes, there was some fill-in work at Double-A Mobile, and a...

Heard in the lobby ...

Heard in the lobby ...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Nationals are a team generating a bunch of chatter in the lobby here at the Swan and Dolphin Resort, with a few players being discussed by various teams as potential trade targets. Yahoo! Sports reported yesterday that the Nationals are shopping Danny Espinosa, and while there are teams that have had conversations with the Nats about Espinosa, I've been told that general manager Mike Rizzo is not actively looking to deal the 26-year-old infielder. As one source...

Evaluating some trade rumors, plus Rizzo on extensions for Desmond, Zimmermann

Evaluating some trade rumors, plus Rizzo on extensions for Desmond, Zimmermann
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - A bit ago, a tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports came across my laptop saying that the Nationals are currently shopping infielder Danny Espinosa. The timing of this report was a bit ironic, given that Nats general manager Mike Rizzo had just finished his session with local reporters, during which he talked up Espinosa and his ability to serve as a quality backup at multiple infield positions, including third base. This much is clear: the Nationals still hold...

A couple of interesting updates on the lefties, plus a cool note

A couple of interesting updates on the lefties, plus a cool note
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - We're scheduled to meet with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo in less than an hour, but I've got a few notes from the lobby to pass along before we head up to Rizzo's suite to quiz him on the Nats-related happenings during Day One of the Winter Meetings. The Nats continue to monitor the market for left-handed relievers, and as they do so, they might have to take one interesting wrinkle into account. I've heard that Boone Logan, a lefty who has spent the last...

We're off for Orlando

We're off for Orlando
Well, here we go. The most hyped four days of the offseason officially begin tomorrow, and so for myself and the rest of the MASNsports.com staff, it's off to Orlando today, a day ahead of the start of the Winter Meetings. Don't let the location of the meetings fool you, however. If I see sunlight for a total of 30 minutes during the entirety of the Winter Meetings, I'll consider it a victory. This isn't exactly the trip you take if you're interested in working on your tan or hitting the...