SB Nation - Ian Desmond

Washington Nationals: Winter Meetings Wrap.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:28:33 -0000

More photos » by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo found the catcher he wanted at the Winter Meetings, now the Nationals need to add some pitching. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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Before the Winter Meetings, the Washington Nationals made clear that they did not think it was absolutely essential that they add the pitching help they need from the top of the free agent class or within the three-day span of the Indianapolis Winter Meetings, as DC GM Mike Rizzo explained to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, who wrote in a 12/2/09 article entitled, "Pitching the focus for Nats at Meetings", that fans shouldn't, "...look for the the Nationals to attempt to break the bank," in pursuit of free agent help, as they did last Winter in their pursuit of Mark Teixeira, who we've been told, time and again, was seen as a once-in-a-generation talent, but instead should accept the fact that it's more, "...likely that Rizzo will make trades."

(cont.)...

BACKPAGE:

• The LIST.

• Oh...AND LIVAN HERNANDEZ!

• Guzman To Second, Desmond At Short?

• Bally To The Bullpen? WT...

BACKPAGE:

• The LIST as the DC Faithful are calling it, (ed. note - "No one is calling it that."), that Rizzo gave to Washington Post writer Chico Harlan for an article entitled, "Reading Material, Shopping Lists", of pitchers that the Nationals were interested in this winter, started with 14 names, but as the Winter Meetings officially end following tomorrow's Rule 5 Draft, the list has been shortened some, from, "Jason Marquis, Randy Wolf, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jon Garland, Kevin Millwood, Tim Hudson, Brad Penny, Joel Piñeiro, Braden Looper, Jarrod Washburn, Brandon Webb, Brett Myers, John Smoltz and more..." to, as the Post's Chico Harlan wrote in two Nationals Journal posts entitled, "The starting pitching shopping list", and "The starting pitching, Pt. II":

"(Jon Garland and)...almost every established free agent starting pitcher except the A-lister, John Lackey. So, the Nats would entertain the possibility of Jarrod Washburn, Joel Pineiro, Vicente Padilla, Jason Marquis, and John Smoltz."

• Oh...AND LIVAN HERNANDEZ!

After Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin wrote about Elijah Dukes' winter, he added a note to the end of an article entitled, "Nationals notes: Dukes, L. Hernandez", about the Washington Nationals making contract with the agent for Mr. National Himself, Livan Hernandez, the original Nationals' Ace, who has openly expressed his desire to return to the nation's capital since the end of the '09 season. Mr. Sheinin writes that Hernandez's agent, "(Barry) Praver would not characterize the talks", but in the Washington Post writer's opinion it would take, "...a one-year contract with a low base and ample performance incentives."

-- (ed. note - "Do you want to see Livan Hernandez return to the Nationals? From what I've read in the comments, it's pretty much split amongst the DC Faithful...Should the Nationals let Livan teach Strasburg the eephus?")

• Guzman To Second, Desmond At Short?

MLB.com's Bill Ladson was Twittering throughout the Winter Meetings, letting Nationals' fans know what was going on long before it went into print (as were the Washington Times' writers), and the biggest revelation out of the final day in Indianapolis was that the Nationals had made up their minds about what to do with their twenty-ten middle infield:

"It appears the Nats will take a chance with Cristian Guzman at second base. That means Orlando Hudson is not coming to DC."

Does that mean that Ian Desmond is officially a "Go!" at short? Are the Nationals still going to try to find another option at short?

• Bally To The Bullpen? WT...

The other interesting thing that MLB.com's Bill Ladson Twittered was the idea that:

"The Nats may rely on some of their youngsters in the bullpen. Luis Atilano, Collin Balester and Craig Stammen are candidates."

As the Nationals' system produces more pitching, some of the older starters who haven't established themselves are going to have to make the move to the pen to make room for the next wave of pitchers. Is Balester on that list in your mind? (ed. note - "Not mine.")...What about J.D. Martin? Shairon Martis? Atilano? Stammen? Ross Detwiler? Is this Washington's way of saying why sign relievers when we have all these arms under contract?

Washington Nationals: Monday At The Winter Meetings.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:56:36 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Former New York Yankees' reliever Brian Bruney has designs on the closer's role in DC, we'll see what Mike MacDougal and Drew Storen have to say aboot that... (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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According to The Bill James Handbook 2010 Pitcher Projections, if Brian Bruney finds a role in the Nationals' bullpen, be it as a closer or somewhere in set-up or middle relief, DC fans can expect the 27-going-on-28-year-old right-hander to throw about 50.0 innings and allow 45 hits and 5 HR's, while walking 34, striking out around 48 and posting a (3-3) record with a 4.88 ERA. The year 2000 D-Backs' draft pick, (when DC GM Mike Rizzo was out there), who was released by Arizona in '06, signed by New York shortly thereafter and then today traded to Washington, D.C. told Washington Post writer Chico Harlan (in a welcome return) in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Bruney wants the chance to close", that, (and get this, cause it's all kinds of backwards):

"'I felt like New York was a good stepping stone with lots of pressure-filled situations. But to be honest, I had talked to my agent and I said, 'I can't wait to get to the place where I can try and close somewhere.'"

Whether or not he imagined Washington as that hypothetical "somewhere" Mr. Bruney does not say. Nationals' Skipper Jim Riggleman does, however, offer his opinion on his late-game options to Mr. Harlan, who quotes the full-time manager stating that, "As we sit here right now it's undetermined who would be our closer." That's got to be good news to Mike MacDougal and Drew Storen who no doubt have designs on the closer's role...

BACKPAGE:

• Garland Is A Target.

• Riggleman On The Radio.

BACKPAGE:

• Garland Is A Target.

I mentioned yesterday that ESPN.com's Peter Gammons was reporting on the fact that Washington was talking to free agent pitcher Jon Garland's agent, Craig Landis and also noted that only a few days earlier DC GM Mike Rizzo had told MLB.com's Bill Ladson just a few days earlier in an article entitled, "PItching is a focus for Nats at Meetings", that he didn't see the Nationals, "...going after that super free agent like Matt Holliday or Jon Garland." Luckily things were cleared up this afternoon, as Bill Ladson sent out two Tweets from the Meetings which read:

"General manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals have interest in right-hander Jon Garland."

"The news comes a week after Mike Rizzo told MLB.com that he didn't see the Nats going after Jon Garland."

In MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article on the the Nationals' now-clearly-stated-interest in Garland entitled, "Nats eye free agents Garland, Ausmus", Mr. Rizzo tells Mr. Ladson:

"We have interest in Jon Garland. We have the whole time," Rizzo said. "He is one of the 10 names we have talked about the whole winter."

Well at least we know the list that Washington Post writer Chico Harlan published in his Nationals Journal post entitled, "Reading Material, Shopping Lists" was fairly accurate:

"Jason Marquis, Randy Wolf, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jon Garland, Kevin Millwood, Tim Hudson, Brad Penny, Joel Piñeiro, Braden Looper, Jarrod Washburn, Brandon Webb, Brett Myers, John Smoltz and more."

(ed. note - "If you aren't following MLB.com's Bill Ladson (twitter.com/washingnats), the NatsTownNews, (twitter.com/NatsTownNews) or the Washington Times' writers Ben Goessling and Mark Zuckerman, (twitter.com/washtimesbb), you're really missing out, they had the Bruney trade out to fans a good 30-40 minutes before it was reported anywhere else...Well, actually I think the New York Post's Joel Sherman (twitter.com/nyp_joelsherman), had it first, but I doubt they're will be any more deals with NY teams...Do not trade the Hammer to the Mets, Rizzo...")

• Riggleman On The Radio.

• DC Manager Jim Riggleman appeared on XM's Inside Pitch with Casey Stern and Buck Martinez, where he told the two announcers that he knew the Washington had their, "...work cut out for them," in 2010, but the team, "...had a good draft last year, we hope to have another good draft this year, and just keep accumulating talent," in the hope that, "...that talent will manifest itself eventually in a lot of wins. We owe it to our fans, they've been great, they've been very supportive, very enthusiastic in Washington, so we want to get them some wins."

• Mr. Riggleman says it was important to get the time in as the interim manager that he did at the end of the '09 campaign because he was able to see, "...parts of our ballclub come up, you know, those September call-ups, prospect-type guys, I got to see them, I got to see our regulars. I got to see guys in different positions...move some people around. Guys hitting in different parts of the lineup, what makes guys tick, you get to know the players, and you know, just the moods of the players, the ebbs and flow, and all that was huge, cause a lot of things they got to learn about me are out of the way also..."

• Buck Martinez asks Mr. Riggleman what the future holds for Jesus Flores? In Mr. Riggleman's opinion, "...that's a huge point," because Flores, "...is important part to our lineup. He's a good catcher, our pitchers like throwing to him, he's a leader behind the plate, but he's a big part of our lineup offensively. So, he's a question mark. Physically, we hear that he may be ready mid-Spring-Training...but you know how that is...as a manager you have to live by Murphy's Law a little bit, so we have to operate in a manner of, well maybe he won't be ready. So, we've probably got to try to fortify our catching a little bit here, you know, during the meetings."

• Ian Desmond? Buck Martinez says that Desmond looked like he was, "...made to play in the big leagues." Riggleman's impression of the potential starting shortstop? "Ian really played well for us in September. Tim Foli was his manager in Triple-A, and Tim said, 'You know the guy can make all the plays.' He's really, after the '08 season, for whatever reason, I think there was an injury involved, in '08, '08 was a little bit lost year for him, so in '09 the expectations were not as high, but he came out of nowhere, reestablished himself as maybe our best position prospect...came to the big leagues and played very well, hit some balls out of the ballpark, displayed a great arm, good hands, good range, he's just got to settle down a little bit, make the routine play a little more consistently, but you would be willing to live with the few mistakes that he might make because he's an extraordinary athlete."

• How important is adding experienced players like Brian Bruney to the Nationals' locker room? "That's always important," according to Mr. Riggleman, "...if you can get those guys, that's big. And as you said, Bruney has been in some big ballgames, I don't think that we're going to be able to put him in a situation that's going to intimidate him after where he's pitched, but, you know, we had that last year, a guy like Ronnie Villone, was a great presence on our ballclub. Ronnie pitched in big ballgames throughout his career, and any time you can get those kind of guys to mentor some of your other players it's huge, and we'll always welcome those kind of guys in our clubhouse."

Jim Riggleman With Ed Randall On "Talking Baseball".

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:56:16 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Washington Nationals' manager Jim Riggleman joined Ed Randall on "Talking Baseball" this afternoon to discuss the state of the Nationals. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Washington Nationals' Manager Jim Riggleman appeared on Ed Randall's "Talking Baseball" this weekend to talk about the Nationals with Mr. Randall and guest host, former New York Yankee and the first DH Ron Blomberg. Mr. Blomberg heaped praise on the Nationals' skipper for the job he's done in his career on the bench, and congratulated Riggleman for earning the full-time job with Washington. Mr. Riggleman replied simply that he was, "Fortunate to have stayed in the game," after his playing days ended and, "...really honored to do it."

Jim Riggleman (on the 2010 Nationals): "We've got nowhere to go but up, we've got our work cut out for us. You know it's a tough division, because the Phillies, their players are pretty much in their prime right now, and they just won the division two years in a row, and the Mets won't be putting the team out there that they did last year, you know, at one time last year I think the Mets had five All-Star players all on the DL at the same time, so the rest of us in the division are going to have to contend with the Mets this year on a more serious basis. It's a lot of work cut out for us, but that's why they call it the big leagues, it's not supposed to be easy..."

• Listen to Ed Randall's Talking Baseball with Jim Riggleman...HERE

• Recap of the interview after the JUMP...

Asked what it was like to wait out the Washington Nationals' search for a full-time GM, Mr. Riggleman describes it as a situation unlike what DC GM Mike Rizzo seemingly went through before he shed the interim tag, telling Mr. Randall that,"...it really was not agonizing," as opposed to the previous year's wait with Seattle before Riggleman lost out on the full-time job to Don Wakamatsu. This time around with Washington, however, Mr. Riggleman says:

Jim Riggleman: "...(we) felt like we did everything we could do, our players responded, we played hard, we were very competitive on a nightly basis when we were out of the playoff hunt early on, we just kept going at it hard, we kept working hard, and I felt like there was nothing else we could do, if it didn't go my way as far as becoming the manager of the ballclub, I would not have had any regrets."

Mr. Riggleman, as Mr. Randall points out, grew up in Maryland, but rather than following the local Orioles, Mr. Riggleman says that, "...you kind of grow up following the team that...whatever paper you read, and we would get the Washington Post, so I was a Senators' fan...," "And loving Frank Howard, right?" Mr. Randall interjected:

Jim Riggleman: "You know people would go to those ball games and just stick around to Frank's last at bat cause the ball club was generally losing, and people would watch Frank gets his last at bat in the eighth inning or whatever and leave."

Mr. Randall began the interview by stating that he believed the Nationals, "...have come a long way...in terms of rebuilding their farm system, and there may in fact be impact players that are going to help them this coming year," and Mr. Randal returns to the state of the Nationals' system later in the interview:

"Ed Randall: When the team came down from Montreal there was effectively no farm system, and now you have guys that not only could come up for you, Jim, in 2010, but make an impact. Everybody of course knows about Strasburg, and I want to ask you about him in a moment separately, but there's another fine pitcher, Drew Storen, who may come, Ian Desmond who was up for you at the end of the year, and frankly, you need this kind of support in order to get out of where the Washington Nationals have been."

Jim Riggleman: "No question. The backbone of the game is scouting and our scouts have done a good job in recent years. They've really put together some talent. I saw one publication ranked us pretty low in terms of overall talent in the minor leagues, but we feel that we're getting real close to the point where, if we need a player, that we're going to be able to go down into our minor league system and bring that player up and play center field, or give us a little bump off the bench if needed, or be that pitcher who solidifies our rotation, whether it's a young guy like Detwiler (Ross), or John Lannan, who's actually become our No. 1 guy right now, those guys are from within the system and it's a product of good scouting."

Asked what the future holds for the Nationals' No. 1 pick, Stephen Strasburg, Riggleman says that newly hired senior adviser to the GM, Davey Johnson told him that, "You might have to send him out to the minor leagues pretty quick, because the more you see him the more you're going to want to keep him," but while Strasburg was the No. 1 prospect in the nation for a reason, according to the DC Skipper:

Jim Riggleman: "...there's a process you go through, the grind of the work you do, the amount of throwing you do, the sidework you do, the preparation, and I think realistically he'll probably get acclimated to professional baseball in the minor leagues, whether that's Double-A or Triple-A, but you know, we all feel like, unless there was something physically that stopped him, we all feel that he'll be with us maybe as early as May, as late as June..."

The current Face of the Franchise™? Mr. Riggleman says that Ryan Zimmerman, and he does call him the Face of the Franchise™, obviously, "...has had some good coaching...":

"Jim Riggleman: "...whether it was his father, or a high school, college coach, combination of all of it, he really knows how to play the game...the physical things he does in the game are All-Star level. He's one of those guys, that you just rarely...off the top of my head, I cannot think of a mistake he made on the field, you know, as far as not taking the extra base or running when he shouldn't run, or going to the wrong base or anything..."

In closing, Mr. Riggleman says that he sees reasons to believe, "We're hoping that a guy like Strasburg and John Lannan, who we already have on the ballclub, are going to solidify that rotation, and guys like Zimmerman and Desmond will be the future of the organization position wise."

Washington Nationals' Farm System 26th Out Of 30 Acc. To SI.com, Baseball America.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Charles Dharapak - AP

Stephen Strasburg, The New Face Of the Nationals' Franchise? (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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In summing up the state of the Washington Nationals' system in the lastest edition of Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's Top 10 Prospects list, Mr. Fitt writes that outside of, "Catcher Derek Norris and shortstops Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa...there were few other bright spots in the minor leagues," and that's reflected in the fact that the top three picks in this year's draft are immediately ranked amongst the top ten prospects in the DC system. Mr. Fitt's colleague at Baseball America, John Manuel, published an article entitled, "MLB's best and worst farm systems", today at SI.com, which revealed the five teams at the top and five at the bottom of the list, where you'll find the Washington Nationals, who finished 26th overall in the majors in terms of minor league talent, with Mr. Manuel explaining:

"Nationals: They have the best prospect in the game in No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg, plus solid talents in catcher Derek Norris, right-hander Drew Storen and shortstop Danny Espinosa. Beyond that, though, the Nats have very little help, especially at the upper levels, which is a pity considering the state of the big-league roster."

Judging by his actions so far this fall, it would appear that DC GM Mike Rizzo agrees with this assessment of the Nationals' system...

...considering he's made a total seventeen additions to the front office, with names like Roy Clark, the former Atlanta Braves' Scouting Director, former Mets' and Team USA Manager Davey Johnson, Colorado Rockies' Asst. GM Kasey McKeon and the Boston Red Sox' Latin America coordinator Johnny DiPuglia and thirteen others moving to Washington. Mr. Rizzo told Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell in an 11/19/09 article on the restructuring of the Nationals' FO entitled, "This National intelligence estimate is decidedly favorable", that he believes the Nationals have, "...caused a buzz in the sport," and people want in, because, in his own words, as quoted by Mr. Boswell, "They know this is a baseball shop."

• Make That 18 Additions...

The Nationals today decided to make one last edition to the front office before they head into the Rule 5 Draft on December 10th, adding the original Mr. Rizzo, DC GM Mike Rizzo's father Phil Rizzo, who's been a scout for more than 40 years. LINK: Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin says the elder Rizzo will be a senior advisor to the GM in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Rizzo hires his pops".

• ESPN The Mag...

In case you somehow missed it, the 1st and 3rd names on Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's list of the Nationals' prospects, Stephen Strasburg and his fellow '09 1st Round pick, pitcher Drew Storen, are featured in the latest newsstand edition of ESPN the Magazine, in an article by Ryan McGee entitled, "Next No. 4: Stephen Strasburg", which focuses on the relationship between the two pitchers Mr. McGee labels the "Ace and the Closer" responsible for saving baseball in the nation's capital, though Strasburg's having none of the savior talk:

"'If people think that I, or we, the two of us, are going to save the Washington Nationals by ourselves -- we just aren't. I'm not planning on pitching 162 games, and I don't think Drew is planning on saving 162 games. Every fifth game, I'm going to do what I can. And every other game, Drew is going to do what he can. But whenever we get to the big leagues, it can't just be us.'"

(ed. note - "Well worth a read, the link is for INSIDERS only, but the mag is on the newsstand tomorrow...Here's a video of the photoshoot for the article which somehow made it's way onto the YouTube..."):

Should the Washington Nationals Spend $20 Million This Winter Just Because They Have It?

Dave at Nats News Network — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:52:50 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

4 months ago: FILE - In this July 13, 2009 file photo, Washington Nationals vice president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, left, and president Stan Kasten, speak during a news conference discussing the team's managerial situation in Washington. After 5 1/2 months of doing the work of the Washington Nationals' general manager, Mike Rizzo is getting the title, too, sources in Major League Baseball familiar with the Nationals' plans said Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

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There are plenty in the Natosphere that want Mike Rizzo and the Washington Nationals to make a big splash and sign a bunch of free agents this winter to improve the product on the field.

After two-straight 100-loss seasons, I'm sure Rizzo is tempted to make a run at Matt Holliday, John Lackey, etc. But prudence, rather than exuberance, should rule the day.

If you take a good look at the Nats 2010 lineup, the hitters are credible enough to imitate a wild card caliber team.

But should the brass spend $20 million this winter just because they have it?

The answer, after the jump...

If Nyjer Morgan can replicate his season from last year (minus the season-ending injury) and Cristian Guzman has one .300-hitting season left in him, those are decent enough table setters in front of All-Star 3B Ryan Zimmerman and sluggers Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham.

The six-seven-eight hitters are going to be a combination of Elijah Dukes in right field, Jesus Flores (once healthy) at catcher, and Ian Desmond at shortstop.

Solid at the plate, and somewhat better in the field with Desmond replacing Guzman at short, and the Guz sliding over to second base.

And as long as "Running" Jim Riggleman doesn't call for a suicide squeeze every other game they should score enough runs to field a fairly competitive offense, just like last season.

Combine that with the prospect of having a couple of really decent trade chips at this year's deadline (Dunn, Willingham), and some of the minor league talent starting to show (Espinosa, Norris), the Nats have a reason to feel somewhat optimistic about the future of the lineup.

The problem is pitching, both starting and relieving.

Rizzo went on record last summer stating a preference for finding two starters to take some of the pressure of youngsters John Lannan, Ross Detwiler, Garrett Mock, Collin Balester, J.D. Martin, Craig Stammen at the major league level, while not rushing the more highly regarded prospects still in the minors, such as Stephen Strasburg, Aaron Thompson, Brad Meyers, et al.

And there's even more talent in the lower minors, with '09 draftees Trevor Holder and A.J. Morris just coming into their first full season as professionals.

Should the Nats spend $20 million this off-season, just because they have it?

Already one of the lower payrolls in the big leagues, the Nats see at least that much coming off the books this season, as the contracts of Dmitri Young, Ronnie Belliard, Nick Johnson, and Austin Kearns all either expired, were traded, or bought out.

They could even afford to offer Scott Olsen arbitration, get stuck with a 25-year old lefty recovering from shoulder surgery, and still have monopoly money to throw around.

But again, should they?

There are two "Type A" free agent starters available this season, John Lackey and Randy Wolf. Signing either would require the Nats to surrender their second round draft pick in the 2010 draft.

For a club whose best players are still several years from their prime, this doesn't seem to be prudent to me.

There are a bunch of "Type B" starters available that might be interesting, costing the Nats a little less, a second round pick. But most of these players are either injury cases (Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden, Carl Pavano), old (Randy Johnson, Andy Pettitte), of questionable pedigree (Doug Davis, Braden Looper, Jason Marquis, Joel Piniero), or just bat-guano crazy (Vicente Padilla).

Do the Nats give up a chunk of the future to acquire any of these gentlemen? There's not a name in there that doesn't scare me to one degree or another.

And if the Type B's frighten, you can imagine what the rest of the list looks like. Reclamation projects, one-hit wonders, and former Nats (Odalis Perez or Daniel Cabrera, anyone?).

My advice to Rizzo? If you want to take a chance rolling the dice on Doug Davis, Joel Piniero or Jarrod Washburn, and can do it reasonably, via con dios.

Otherwise, let the stable of young guys that you have fight it out again this season, bolster your bullpen with the rest, wait for Jordan Zimmermann to recover from Tommy John surgery and Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen to arrive next season, THEN supplement with a veteran starter.

Just because you have $20 million to spend, doesn't mean you should.

Poll

Should the Nats spend a lot of money this off-season on players that won't be around when their core of young players are in their prime?

Yes, we still have to watch (and pay for) these games!

69 votes

No, I'm willing to stay the course until the young talent is ready.

62 votes

131 votes | Poll has closed

Washington Nationals: Winter Rumor Roundup.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:24:24 -0000

by J Pat Carter - AP

MLB.com's Bill Ladson's "baseball sources" think the Nationals might be targeting Marlins' right-handed starter Ricky Nolasco (pictured above). (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

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The Nationals Step Back From The Warming Hot Stove...

After offering both Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano arbitration yesterday, the Atlanta Braves have apparently signed left-handed closer Billy Wagner to what FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday night, in an article entitled, "Source: Braves, closer Wagner agree to deal", is a, "...one-year, $7 million contract with a vesting option for a second season." Mr. Rosenthal's "major-league source" also says that though either Gonzalez and Soriano, "...could accept one-year, non-guaranteed," deals to stay in Atlanta, "...both are drawing strong multi-year interest from other clubs."

MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Pitching the focus for Nats at Meetings", writes that the Nationals are probably not one of the teams expressing "multi-year interest" in either Gonzalez or Soriano, noting that fans shouldn't expect Washington to "...break the bank like they tried to do with first baseman Mark Teixeira during last year's Winter Meetings," :

"It's likely that Rizzo will make trades. So signing starter John Lackey or relievers Billy Wagner or Mike Gonzalez seem unlikely, unless they agree to a deal in Washington's price range."

Mr. Ladson quotes the DC GM explaining the Nationals' approach this winter, as he says:

"'We don't think that the free-agent class leads us to [pay big money],' Rizzo said. 'I believe the things we need or want the most are out there, and we are going to address it.'"

Though he doesn't mention the names of any relievers the Nationals could potentially trade for, according to Mr. Ladson's "baseball sources", adding a veteran starter to the Nationals' rotation is still a priority, and, "...the Nats have interest in Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco," a soon-to-be 27-year-old right-hander who is a combined (28-17) in the last two seasons, having collected 381 K's in 397.1 IP for Florida.

Mr. Ladson also writes in his article that, "As of now, it appears Washington will go into next season with Ian Desmond as its starting shortstop." FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi in their article entitled, "Latest buzz from the MLB offseason", write that Orlando Cabrera could have a tough time finding a new home this winter, identifying the Nationals as one of three teams, (along with the Tigers and Reds), who have interest in acquiring a SS, but, "...probably do not view (Cabrera) as an upgrade." Mr.'s Rosenthal and Morosi do note, however, that Orlando Hudson, whose name has surfaced several times in the last few years in connection with Washington, was not offered salary arbitration by the LA Dodgers, and thus, could be signed without the team that inks him losing compensatory draft picks...

The Nationals declined to offer any of their free agents arbitration, announcing on Tuesday, as reported in MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Nats elect to not offer arbitration", that it most likely means the end of Josh Bard, Livan Hernandez, Austin Kearns and Dmitri Young's time in DC, though he does mention that left-handed reliever Ron Villone, "...is arguably the only free agent who has a chance of coming back to the organization."

Washington Nationals: Shortstop Watch...Adam Everett?

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:35:36 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Detroit Tigers' shortstop Adam Everett (4) is one of the few SS options linked to the Nationals this winter...(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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There is actually a lot of free agent talk going on out there, it's just that none of it involves the Washington Nationals. You can look and see that the Red Sox, having lost SS Alex Gonzalez to the Toronto Blue Jays, are left with,"...virtually no choice but to sign Marco Scutaro," as FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi pointed out in an update of their article entitled, "Latest buzz from the MLB offseason", narrowing the field of available free agent infielders even further as DC GM Mike Rizzo searches for the player the Nationals intend to replace Cristian Guzman with, if they decide Ian Desmond needs a full year at Triple-A...

Mr.'s Rosenthal and Morosi also provide the reasons the Red Sox have for looking at Scutaro alone, as the FOXSports' writers critique the other remaining free agents:

"...Orlando Cabrera's defense has declined, and many clubs believe that Miguel Tejada needs to move off short. Adam Everett is a terrific defender, but an even weaker hitter than (Alex) Gonzalez."

Everett, one of two SS's Mr.'s Rosenthal and Morosi identified as the Nationals' targets at short earlier this offseason, (alongside Gonzalez), hit just .238 with a .288 OBP, .325 SLG, 21 doubles, 4 HR's and 44 RBI's in 118 games over which he posted a .969 fielding percentage (5th best in the AL), committed 14 errors (6th most in AL) and helped turn 67 DP's for the Tigers. Everett's 13.6 UZR/150 ranks as the second best rating amongst shortstops in the American League, behind only the Orioles' Cesar Itzuris, (14.1 UZR/150) and third overall in baseball behind Itzuris and Jack Wilson (20.4) another light-hitting free agent SS who already signed elsewhere...Will the Nationals go after Everett, the solid defender to play behind their young pitchers, thinking they have enough offense up front? Is Everett an improvement over Cristian Guzman? (Guzman in '09 - .284 AVG, .306 OBP, .390 SLG, .696 OPS, .962 fielding percentage, (-2.6) UZR/150, 20 E's, 65 DP's.)

More and more DC fans are expressing the feeling that it's going to be the "in-house" candidate, Ian Desmond, at short when the season begins...

Washington Nationals: SS Search Update.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:43:14 -0000

More photos » by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announces the appointment of Jim Riggleman to the position of team manager, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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You have to like the confidence DC GM Mike Rizzo had in Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's early September Nationals Journal post entitled, "Reading Material, Shopping Lists", where he provided a list of pitchers-and-shortstops-of-interest on the market this winter, and then told Mr. Harlan, "'We're going to get one of them,'" or when he told USA Today sports writer Seth Livingstone, in an article last week entitled, "Organizational report: Nats' young talent provides hope", that the franchise was open for business, or as he put it himself:

"We have pieces that are attractive to other teams," general manager Mike Rizzo says. "We're leaving all avenues open. We're going to do what's best for the ballclub in the long term. We have several needs, and we're going to try to fill them by free agency, by trade or by waiver claim — any way we can."

Back in Mr. Harlan's article, before the season had even ended, Mr. Rizzo identified the team's offseason needs as, in Mr. Harlan's words, "A shortstop. A decent reliever. (Though probably not a top-of-the-line closer type; why waste the money?) At least one free agent starter. Maybe two, if Livo returns." Two of the shortstops on the list provided in that article, Alex Gonzalez and Jack Wilson, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, respectively, and in announcing Gonzalez's signing with the Jays, The Globe and Mail.com writer Jeff Blair revealed, in an article entitled, "Jays GM decides on defense", the asking price for a third SS candidate on Mr. Rizzo's initial list, Orlando Cabrera, who's said to be seeking a, "2-year, $12-million minimum deal...", from any team interested in his services.

Alex Gonzalez, was, you'll remember, one of two free agent shortstops the Nationals were said to be interested in according to FOXSports.com writers Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, who quoted "major league sources" in mid-November in their continually updated article entitled, "MLB Offseason buzz", who said the Nationals were looking at, "Alex Gonzalez, who still could re-sign with the Red Sox (and) Adam Everett, who still could re-sign with the Tigers," as they attempted to fill a need at short created by their decision to move Cristian Guzman to second. MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported earlier in November in an article entitled, "Nats show interest in DeRosa, Gonzalez", that Washington was looking at IF Mark DeRosa. Ian Desmond, the Nationals' 24-year-old "in-house" SS candidate, who hit for a combined .330 AVG with a .401 OBP, .477 SLG and an .878 OPS at two stops in Class-AA and AAA in '09, and went on to hit .280 with a .318 OBP, .561 SLG and an .879 OPS in 21 MLB games over which he collected 7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR's and 12 RBI's, according to Mr.'s Rosenthal and Morosi, "...probably needs more time at Class AAA."

Links:

• Will Washington's Willie Harris' friendship with Orlando Hudson lead him to join the Nationals, MLB.com's Bill Ladson couldn't help but ask. - MLB.com's Bill Ladson's, "Harris, Hudson form bond off the field".

• Washington Times' writer Ben Goessling stoked the Hot Stove in a live chat on Wednesday that might have been lost in the pre-holiday hustle, but it's worth a read as Mr. Goessling answers questions from a few names you might recognize like Brian from the Nationals Farm Authority; Hendo, aka Mike Henderson from Nationals Pride; Miss Chatter and yours truly, Ed Chigliak of Federal Baseball. I asked Mr. Goessling a question about the Rule 5 draft but when a few questions in a row covered the same territory, he answered my second query, which was simply, "Who debuts first, Storen or Strasburg?" to which he responded:

"I think it's Storen, simply because he's already been through a half-season in the minors and the Nats' response to the Strasburg hype will probably be to put him in the minors for a month or two, unless he's so good in spring training that they add him to the roster. But I think Storen has a great shot to make the team out of camp."

Mr. Goessling also talks about the 2010 rotation, the bullpen, just about everything. Great stuff...

• Twitterers...In case you missed the earlier notes, DC pitcher Collin Balester is now on Twitter. Drew Storen's been tweeting for a while now. The Washington Times' writers do as well...

• "Washington Nationals: Desperatley Seeking Shorstop" an early story about the Nationals' SS search here at Federal Baseball.com.

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospect Lists for 2010

raygu — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0000

In addition to the top 20 Prospect lists that SB Nation's John Sickels is writing up over at Minor League Ball, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus are working on their top 10, or 11 in the case of BP, prospect lists for 2010.

Today, I give you the Baseball America top 10 prospect lists for 2010 for the National League East teams:

Marlins

1. Mike Stanton, of

2. Logan Morrison, 1b

3. Chad James, lhp

4. Matt Dominguez, 3b

5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b/3b

6. Ryan Tucker, rhp

7. Kyle Skipworth, c

8. Isaac Galloway, of

9. Scott Cousins, of

10. Jhan Marinez, rhp

More after the jump:

Nationals

1. Stephen Strasburg, rhp

2. Derek Norris, c

3. Drew Storen, rhp

4. Ian Desmond, ss

5. Danny Espinosa, ss

6. Chris Marrero, 1b

7. Jeff Kobernus, 2b

8. Justin Maxwell, of

9. Michael Burgess, of

10. Destin Hood, of

Phillies

1. Domonic Brown, of

2. Kyle Drabek, rhp

3. Michael Taylor, of

4. Travis D'Arnaud, c

5. Trevor May, rhp

6. Anthony Gose, of

7. Sebastian Valle, c

8. Jarred Cosart, rhp

9. Antonio Bastardo, lhp

10. Domingo Santana, of

Mets

1. Jenrry Mejia, rhp

2. Wilmer Flores, ss

3. Fernando Martinez, of

4. Ike Davis, 1b

5. Brad Holt, rhp

6. Jon Niese, lhp

7. Reese Havens, 2b/ss

8. Josh Thole, c

9. Ruben Tejada, 2b/ss

10. Juan Urbina, lhp

Braves

1. Jason Heyward, of

2. Freddie Freeman, 1b

3. Julio Teheran, rhp

4. Mike Minor, lhp

5. Craig Kimbrel, rhp

6. Christian Bethancourt, c

7. Randall Delgado, rhp

8. Zeke Spruill, rhp

9. Cody Johnson, of

10. Adam Milligan, of

Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels' Washington Nationals' Top 20 Prospects.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:43:50 -0000

Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 Prospect in the Washington Nationals' system no matter which list you look at...

View full size photo »

A little over a week back Baseball America's Aaron Fitt unveiled his list of the Top 10 Prospects in the Washington Nationals' system, and now Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels has posted his own list of DC's top prospects in a post entitled, "Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2010". Both writers agree on the Top 3 with (RHP) Stephen Strasburg, (C) Derek Norris and (RHP) Drew Storen atop each list, with the first difference of opinion occuring over who is the highest-ranked shortstop in the Nationals' system , as Mr. Fitt places (SS) Ian Desmond fourth, one spot ahead of Danny Espinosa, while Desmond appears further down in Mr. Sickels' list as the 9th-ranked prospect overall in the DC system behind (1B) Chris Marrero, (2B) Jeff Kobernus, and (OFers) Michael Burgess and Justin Maxwell...Here's Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels' list of the Top 10 Prospects in the Nationals' system: (w/their BA ranking in parentheses):

Stephen Strasburg - RHP (1)
Derek Norris - C (2)
Drew Storen - RHP (3)
Danny Espinosa - SS (5)
Chris Marrero - 1B (6)
Jeff Kobernus - 2B (7)
Michael Burgess - OF (9)
Justin Maxwell - OF (8)
Ian Desmond - SS (4)
Bradley Meyers - RHP (N/L)

LINK:

• Washington Nationals Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball - John Sickels