SB Nation - Josh Willingham

Braves at the Winter Meetings... Wha' Happened?

gondeee — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:02:29 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox was one of the main attractions when he gave a pres conference at the Winter Meetings.

It was such a tumultuous few days, some of us may have forgotten what exactly the Braves did and got out of baseball's Winter Meetings. Here's a recap:

Rumors coming into the meetings had Rafael Soriano "leaning" towards accepting the Braves offer of salary arbitration, instead of declining like he should and netting the Braves 2 draft picks.
Those rumors increased once folks got to Indianapolis.
We had a fun first-day rumor about Yankees reliever Brian Bruney possibly heading to the Braves, but he ended up going to the Nats.
The Braves had interest in Nats outfielder Josh Willingham, but the Nats weren't willing to part with him.
There has been a lot of interest on the trade front in Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson, but nothing else was mentioned after that first day.
After a night of sheer agony and waiting, Soriano finally set the rumors right and accepted arbitration from the Braves.
Because of that decision, the Braves had to DFA Ryan Church, whom they still have not traded (nor likely will).
Like clockwork, Soriano's agent asks the Braves for a trade, thusly skirting the free agent compensation system.
There was some rumored interest by the Braves in free agent Xavier Nady.
But the trading of surplus pitching dollars was top priority over anything else, and our Meeting's were seemingly put on hold until the Soriano situation could be resolved.
Finally, in the middle of the night, we learned that Rafael had been moved to the Rays for a mighty return of... Jesse Chavez.
As if the Braves had not been slighted enough during the meetings, they lost promising lefty Edgar Osuna in the Rule 5 draft to none other than the Royals.

The Soriano trade is not yet official, the two sides are apparently awaiting the medical files or pending physicals to consummate the deal. Tampa Bay got a steal of a closer for next season at a reasonable $7 million-plus. A condition of the deal was that the Rays agree in principal to sign Soriano before the deal was complete.

The good news for the Braves is that we apparently don't have to send any money to the Rays, and thus the whole Soriano Surprise was just an unpleasant distraction that netted us a durable middle reliever for our bullpen next year. Jesse Chavez won't blow anyone's socks off, but in a pen where Cox likes to run people out there day after day, Chavez seems to be a guy that can be abused in that way. He's also a childhood friend of Jo-Jo Reyes, and was good friends with Nate McLouth when they were teammates with the Pirates.

The Soriano Surprise may have been a sour point for some fans, but the original thinking was that the team would not offer him arbitration, and it was only a few days before the deadline that we learned they would. Wren knew the risks, and instead of not offering him arbitration and ending up with nothing, they rolled the dice and ended up with a serviceable and affordable major league middle reliever. As weird as that is, I'd call it a win. Especially since we likely needed another middle bullpen guy like Chavez anyway.

Osuna was not a huge loss in the Rule 5, and the Braves usually do one of the best jobs of any organization of scouting their own players, so while he has talent, the Braves obviously thought more of some of the other guys they protected.

We have to believe that the main goal accomplished at the Meetings for the Braves was to lay the groundwork for a future trade of Derek Lowe. They should know the full market by now, and whether they need to wait until after Lackey signs or not. Hopefully we'll see some movement on one of those fronts soon, and hopefully he can bring back some sort of more valuable return than a Jesse Chavez, though to clear payroll, I may be willing to accept such a return if it means we can sign a bat.

Washington Nationals: Rule 5 Draft/Winter Meetings Wrap.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:31:53 -0000

by Nati Harnik - AP

The Washington Nationals will reportedly select Yankees' left-hander Zack Kroenke No. 1 overall in today's Rule 5 Draft and then send him back to NY to complete the Brian Bruney trade. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

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• While you were sleeping the Washington Nationals were still out there in Indianapolis talking trades, talking to agents and attempting to make one last deal before the end of the 2009 Winter Meetings. At 11:16 pm EST Wednesday night, the Washington Times reported via Twitter that the New York Yankees would have Washington draft the Yanks' 25-year-old left-handed '05 5th Round draft pick, pitcher Zach Kroenke, "...first in (the) Rule 5 Draft," and then, "..trade him back (to NY) to complete the Brian Bruney deal." Continuing the report, Washington Times' writer Ben Goessling noted in an article entitled, "Nats will select Kroenke first in Rule 5", that, "Kroenke's value increased this week after (NY) traded left-hander Phil Coke," in the three-team blockbuster deal with the D-Backs and Tigers, and now Kroenke, the Lincoln, Nebraska native and University of Nebraska product:

"...could find work on the team as a lefty specialist next season, and there has been enough interest in the 25-year-old that the Yankees are afraid of losing him."

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• Nationals Rumors At The Official Site, The Times and The Post.

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals Rumors At The Official Site, The Times and The Post.

• MLB.com's Bill Ladson was still up and reporting at 2:00 am last night (this morning), sending out a Tweet which updated the persistent rumors of the New York Mets' interest in Washington Nationals' outfielder Josh Willingham by writing:

"The Mets wanted to know which player the Nats wanted for OF Josh Willingham, but the Nats told New York they plan to hold on to J.W."

• In an article wrapping up the news from the third day of the Winter Meetings entitled, "Nats searching for arms, backup infielder, MLB.com's Bill Ladson went on to write that Washington, "...still has interest in right-hander Livan Hernandez, the team's own free agent, and right-hander Jason Marquis," and in addition to some of the other pitchers' names that were mentioned as being on the Nationals' radar last night, Washington was still, "...looking for an infielder, most likely a backup second baseman to help the team defensively," now that they had decided to go ahead with their plans to move Guzman to second base next season.

• Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's last report of the night entitled, "Rizzo Day III Briefing", quoted the DC GM Mike Rizzo talking about Washington's pursuit of a middle infielder, writing that, "Rizzo now sees the signing/acquisition of a 2B as being more likely, especially with free agents Adam Everett and Bobby Crosby off the market," and quoting Mr. Rizzo himself, who states that he, "...think(s) there's certainly more second baseman available of interest than there are shortstops of interest," though Mr. Rizzo doesn't mention the names of any infielders in particular.

Mets Pursuing Josh Willingham And Juan Rivera?

Eric Simon — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:31:48 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

"I am the subject of an unsubstantiated rumor!" (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Just to be clear, any headline you see here with a trailing question mark should be considered unsubstantiated -- or marginally substantiated -- and is being posted here for the purpose of discussion.

With that in mind, Joel Sherman is reporting that the Mets are pursuing Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham (which we kind of already knew) and Angels outfielder Juan Rivera.

MLB Trade Rumors: Winter Meetings Coverage Begins Monday

raygu — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:17 -0000

by Aaron J. Latham - AP

2 months ago: San Diego Padres' David Eckstein, left, celebrates with teammate Adrian Gonzalez, right, after they scored on Gonzalez's home run in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Aaron J. Latham)

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We at Fake Teams will be covering the trades and signings that occur at the Winter Meetings that start today in Indianapolis. We will address the fantasy impact of the trades and signings that occur this week and throughout the offseason. The biggest name discussed at the Winter Meetings will be the Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

Some of the rumored deals could involve the following players changing uniforms:

Steve Henson from Yahoo Sports tweeted the following last night:

The Dodgers have 3-4 teams interested in $$ Juan Pierre and a 3-team deal is being explored to get L.A. a bad-contract starter in return.
The "bad contract" starter the Dodgers might get for Juan Pierre would not be Derek Lowe, a source said. That bridge has burned.

It appears the Yankees and Red Sox are the favorites for Roy Halladay. Halladay to the Yankees for a package of Jesus Montero and Phil Hughes? Halladay to the Red Sox for Clay Buchholz and Josh Reddick? Halladay to the Phils for J.A. Happ and Michael Taylor? The Giants may make sense for Dan Uggla, but where would he play with Freddy Sanchez at second? I'd be shocked if Adrian Gonzalez isn't dealt to the Red Sox now that former Sox Jed Hoyer is the new GM in San Diego. Josh Willingham in Atlanta makes sense.

Would the rumored Milton Bradley-Pat Burrell deal result in one of the worst outfields in the majors? How can Pat Burrell and Alfonso Soriano play in the same outfield? Pierre makes sense in St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati, especially with Dusty Baker managing the Reds. Pierre for Arroyo??

Poll

Who is more likely to get traded during the Winter Meetings this week?

Washington Nationals: Welcome To The Winter Meetings...

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:51:28 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

ESPN's Peter Gammons reports that the Nationals have talked to free agent pitcher Jon Garland's agent. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

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The first report concerning the Washington Nationals to come out of the Winter Meetings is from ESPN's Peter Gammons who writes in a post on his blog entitled, "Notes from the winter meetings", that the Nationals, "...(want) to sign a couple starters, and they are talking to (Jon) Garland's agent Craig Landis." Of course...DC GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson, just the other day, in an article entitled, "Pitching the focus for Nats at Meetings", that though the Nationals realize, "Pitching is a priority," in his opinion:

"'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. I don't see us going after that super free agent like Matt Holliday or Jon Garland. I don't see us playing on that level. We don't think it's a fit for us.'"

Garland, the 30-year-old right-handed veteran of 10 MLB seasons, became a free agent when the LA Dodgers, who'd acquired him from Arizona on August 31, 2009 in exchange for a PTBNL, declined Garland's $10.0 million dollar option for 2010. In 2009, Garland, who earned $6.25M, was (11-13) in 27 starts for the D-Backs and 6 with the Dodgers, for whom he was (3-2) with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP down the stretch as LA took the NL West by 3.0 games over Colorado.

(ed. note - "I'll put the Twitter feed up here later this morning and update throughout the day...if and when anything happens...")

BACKPAGE:

• NY Times' Writer On Mets And Willingham.

BACKPAGE:

• NY Times' Writer On Mets And Willingham.

Early Monday morning, New York Times' writer Ben Shpigel, in an article entitled, "Minaya Arrives In Indy, Feeling No Pressure To Make Moves", reported on the rumors of the NY Mets' interest in DC outfielder Josh Willingham, confirming that there was interest in the Mets' part, but as Mr. Shpigel writes:

"...Washington's Josh Willingham...fits precisely what they need: a right-handed hitting left fielder with power. But the Nationals, realizing Willingham is a prime chip, want a lot in return, making such a trade unlikely."

No word on what the Mets would be willing to part with or what the Nationals are asking for in return for their soon-to-be 31-year-old outfielder who hit 29 doubles and 24 HR's last season, collecting 61 RBI's and posting a .260 AVG, .367 OBP and a .496 SLG.

Washington Nationals: Winter Meetings Update.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:55:50 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Detroit Tigers' pitcher Edwin Jackson is being offered around by the Detroit Tigers, who are seeking to cut payroll this offseason. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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In following up on yesterday's article about the pitchers the Nationals were targeting at the upcoming Winter Meetings, (at least according to Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin, who wrote, in an article entitled, "Nats aren't expecting hot stove fireworks", that Washington was interested in the Braves' Javier Vazquez, the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco and the Tigers' Edwin Jackson), I thought I'd look into what sort of return the Detroit Tigers were looking to get for right-hander Edwin Jackson, and Jackson in particular, only because I continue to read articles every day about how eager the Tigers reportedly are to cut payroll by dealing either Jackson or outfielder Curtis Granderson, if not both...

In YahooSports.com's Jeff Passan's article a few weeks back (11/24/09) on the clubs interested in Cuban left-hander Noel Arguelles (who signed Saturday with Kansas City) entitled, "Cuban defector Arguelles attracts suitors", Mr. Passan seemed astonished by, as he put it, "The level to which Detroit is foisting right-hander Edwin Jackson on anybody who will listen – 'It's like they want to give him away,' one executive said, 'and I don’t really understand why.'"

On November 30th, SI.com's Jon Heyman sent out a Tweet which read:

"#tigers sought young pitchers brandon morrow and shawn kelley for edwin jackson. #mariners apparently said no."

Seattle Times' Mariners Blog writer Geoff Baker wrote the next day in an article entitled, "Report: Mariners turned down deal for Edwin Jackson", that his initial reaction to the offer was that, "...those two arms would have been too high a price to pay for Jackson alone. After all, Jackson will be a free agent in two years and his pricetag is considerably higher than Morrow and Kelley put together," and MLive.com writer James Schmehl wrote in an article entitled, "Seattle Mariners reject Tigers offer...", that he understood why the Mariners would be loath to include Morrow in any deal with Detroit:

"It's understandable why the Mariners backed out on dealing for Jackson. Morrow would come very cheap for the Tigers after he fell 50 days shy of Super Two status."

Morrow, the Mariners' '06 1st Round pick, taken 5th overall, was the top-ranked pitcher in Seattle's system in 2006. The then-22-year-old right-hander (now 25) debuted in the Majors in April 2007, and over his first 3 major league seasons, he's moved back and forth between starting and relieving, putting together an (8-12) career record thus far, with a 3.96 ERA in 131 G, (15 GS), over which he's pitched 197.2 innings, collecting 16 saves, 204 K's (9.3 K/9) and posting a 1.47 WHIP, (+1.7 WAR, 5.05 FIP). Shawn Kelley's a 25-year-old right-hander taken in the 15th Round of the '07 Draft, who debuted with Seattle last season and was (5-4) with a 4.50 ERA in 40 relief appearances in which he allowed 45 hits, 23 runs, 9 HR's and 9 BB (1.8 BB/9), while recording 41 K's (8.0 K/9).

It doesn't sound like the Tigers are looking for a Josh Willingham in return...What, if anything, would you be willing to give up to get Edwin Jackson from Detroit?

Speaking Of Willingham...

MLB.com's Bill Ladson (twitter.com/washingnats) sent out a twitter message this morning, before he boarded a plane for Indiana and the Winter Meetings, which read simply, "The Mets have interest in Josh Willingham. I'll have more on Nationals.com," and later in the afternoon, MLB.com's Mr. Ladson published an article entitled, "Nationals' Willingham on Mets' radar", wherein Mr. Ladson wrote that according to a "baseball source" we can, "Add the Mets as one of the teams who have interest in Nationals left fielder Josh Willingham," along with the Giants, Mariners and Braves.

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi wrote about Atlanta's interest in acquiring Willingham in a mid-November update of their, "MLB Offseason buzz", report entitled, "Nats Drawing interest in Willingham", where one or both of the authors questioned why the Nationals would want to, or if they could afford to trade their left fielder before noting that, "The Braves, looking for a right-handed power hitter, like Willingham but harbor concerns about his defense and past back troubles."

So unless Mr.'s Ladson, Rosenthal, Morosi and the Boston Globe's Nick Carfado all have the same sources, those are the four teams in the market for the Nationals' left fielder. Mr. Ladson, back in his article "Nationals' Willingham on Mets' radar", cautions the teams seeking to work out a deal that they shouldn't, "...look for the Nats to give Willingham away. Washington would most likely want pitching in return. Who it wants from New York is not known, though."

• Check Out what the Mets fans at the SB Nation's Mets blog, Amazin' Avenue, think of a deal for Josh Willingham.

Poll

What Will The Nationals Accomplish At The Winter Meetings In Indianapolis?

Off to Indy!

Eli Greenspan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:03:57 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

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Getting ready to drive over to Indianapolis in the next half-hour or so. Here are a couple links to get everyone through the day:

The Marlins are reportedly close to trading closer Matt Lindstrom, FOXSPORTS.com's is reporting. Approximately six teams are interested in the closer, who struggled to find his form in 2009. However, with a high-90s fastball, he could make for a very effective middle-to-late inning reliever.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com is reporting that the Mets are interested in Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham. Willingham can hit for power, showing that in D.C. by hitting .260 with 24 home runs.
The Mets also have interest in Rod Barajas, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
The Rays and Cubs are no close to a deal for Milton Bradley, according to Jon Heyman. The Mets are trying to work Luis Castillo into the deal, which is also slowing things down.
The Reds are showing interest in free agent pitcher Noah Lowry, according to MLBlogs.com.
One AL source says the Yankees will consider Rich Harden at the Winter Meetings.

See you guys on the other side.

Washington Nationals: Winter Meetings Targets...Starting Pitching.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:30:21 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Can the Nationals pull off a trade for the Tigers' Edwin Jackson, one of three pitchers mentioned as targets by the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin wrote this afternoon, in an article entitled, "Nats aren't expecting hot stove fireworks", about the Washington Nationals' goals for next week's Winter Meetings. Mr. Sheinin restates what the Nationals have been saying all fall and continue to repeat heading into the start of the Meetings on Monday, they want to add, "At least one veteran starting pitcher, at least one reliable veteran reliever, a catcher and perhaps a middle infielder," and are now favoring trades over free agent signings as the avenue through which they'd like to address those needs, but for the first time, Mr. Sheinin identifies some of the pitchers the Nationals are looking at:

"Among the possible targets are pitchers whose contracts their teams are looking to shed, such as Atlanta's Javier Vazquez (one year remaining at $11.5 million), or arbitration-eligible pitchers whose teams need payroll savings, such as Florida's Ricky Nolasco or Detroit's Edwin Jackson."

(cont.)...

The Detroit Tigers, according to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi's 11/11/09 article entitled, "Sources: Tigers open to trading All-Star Jackson", which quotes "multiple major league sources" as the source of the reports, have, "...made Jackson available on the trade market as part of an effort to alleviate their payroll crunch," though Mr. Morosi updated the situation in Detroit today in an update of FOXSports.com's, "Latest Buzz from the MLB offseason", subtitled, "Sources: Tigers not likely to trade Cabrera any time soon", wherein Mr. Morosi writes that though the Tigers probably can't deal Miguel Cabrera for a variety of reasons:

"'If the team dealt Cabrera, team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski would have less motivation to deal starter Edwin Jackson and popular center fielder Curtis Granderson."

But since the Tigers don't think they can contend without Cabrera's power in their lineup, in Mr. Morosi's opinion, "At this point, the sources believe that the Tigers are more likely to trade Jackson and/or Granderson than Cabrera." Jackson, a 26-year-old right-hander originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, was traded to Tampa Bay in 2006 and then moved to Detroit last December in a Winter Meeting trade that sent outfielder Matt Joyce to the Rays. In his third full season in the majors (7th overall), the right-hander was (13-9) with a 3.62 ERA in 33 starts and 214.0 IP in 2009, over which he posted a 1.26 WHIP, walking 70 (2.9 BB/9) while recording 161 K's (6.8 K/BB) with a (+3.5) WAR value according to Fangraphs.com.

The Atlanta Braves, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman's blog post entitled, "Wren heading to Indy with a shorter shopping list", will be heading into the Winter Meetings with the intention of, "...finding at least one bat and a suitor that is willing to deal for either Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez." The Washington Post's Mr. Sheinin points to right-hander Javier Vazquez's 1-year/$11.5 million dollar deal which the Braves would be seeking to shed as the reason the Nationals' might be able to pry the 33-year-old former Montreal Expos' draft pick who's now pitched for the Expos, Yankees, D-Backs and White Sox, away from the Braves, for whom he was (15-10) with a 2.87 ERA in 32 starts and 219.1 IP in 2009, over which he allowed 181 H, 70 ER, 20 HR and 44 walks (1.8 BB/9), while collecting 238 K's (9.8 K/9) and posting a 1.03 WHIP and a (+6.6) WAR rating.

Two days before Mr. Sheinin mentioned the Nationals' interest in the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco, MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Pitching the focus for Nats at Meetings", wrote that, "...a baseball source indicated that the Nats have interest in Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who won 13 games this past season," prompting the SB Nation's Florida Marlins blog FishStripes' Craig Strain to email Nolasco's agent Matt Sosnick, who replied, as quoted in an article entitled, "Ricky Nolasco being shopped?":

"I haven't heard anything about that, but I believe that he is going to have a monster year in 2010. He is the most underrated player that I represent."

(ed. note - "Emailing the agent? Brilliant...I wonder when in the process of a trade the agent would know?")

Nolasco, a soon-to-be 27-year-old right-hander drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 4th Round of the 2001 Draft and subsequently traded to Florida in a deal in which the Marlins acquired pitchers Sergio Mitre, Renyel Pinto and Nolasco in return for outfielder Juan Pierre, signed a 1-year/$2.4 million dollar deal, avoiding arbitration, is once again eligible and headed for a raise after his fourth MLB season, in which the Corona, California native was (13-9) with a 5.06 ERA in 31 starts and 185.0 IP in which he allowed 188 hits and 104 ER, walking 44 (2.1 K/9) and striking out 195 (9.5 K/9), while posting a 1.25 WHIP, with a (+4.2) WAR value.

?'s And LINKS For The DC Faithful...

At the trading dealine last July, MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote, in a blog post entitled, "Willingham, Dunn drawing interest", that the Tigres were interested in both Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn, both of whom they saw as potential designated hitters...Would you expect more than Edwin Jackson from Detroit in return for Willingham? Would the Tigers want more than the Hammer? What's the Nationals' equivalent of Matt Joyce, who was ranked as high as 7th in the Tigers' system in 2007? The Atlanta Braves, according to Boston.com's Nick Carfado's article entitled, "Lowe prefers not to be spun out of Braves' rotation", are one of three teams, along with the Giants and Mariners who are interested in acquiring the Hammer. Can the Marlins and Nationals please stop trading with one another? It's embarrassing...Will the Fish or Braves trade pitchers as good as Nolasco and Vazquez in their own division? Can the Nationals bring Javier Vazquez, an Expos' pick from the 5th round of the '94 draft back into the fold? Do the Nationals have any chance of acquiring any of these pitchers?

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

3 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?

Washington Nationals: Adam Dunn And Vladimir Guererro Rumors...

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:30:10 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Who said anything about the Nationals? Would Vladimir Guerrero make sense in DC? Not really... (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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MASNSports.com's Phil Wood took Phil Taylor of the Chicago Tribune to task over the weekend about the possible destination Mr. Taylor identifies for LA Angels' free agent outfielder Vladimir Guerrero in a recent article at the Boston Herald.com entitled, "Here are early projections on where top free agents will land", where he writes that the former Montreal Expos' All-Star could end up returning to the nation's capital:

"Washington has enough money to bring back the eight-time All-Star to his original franchise, making it more acceptable to trade Adam Dunn for some badly needed pitching."

Well...uh...

The Nationald do need pitching...but...the only Adam Dunn rumor I've heard so far this fall was in an stltoday.com article by St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Joe Strauss entitled, "Cards say Bay is not a priority" where Mr. Strauss wrote that, "The Cardinals heavily scouted the Washington Nationals before last July's trade deadline and retain interest in outfielders Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham," while also noting that Dunn, "...is entering the final season of a two-year deal that pays him $12 million in 2010," which makes Dunn a good bet to be moved at the deadline if the Nationals don't try to extend him, but as far as trading Dunn before the season starts as they'd have to in order to bring in Guerr...well, why even take the idea seriously, it makes no sense as MASNSports.com's Phil Wood points out:

"Guerrero is a likely future Hall of Famer, coming off a season where he appeared in only 100 games, due to a number of nagging injuries, including a strained pectoral muscle. Out of those games, he played only two in the field, DH'ing in the rest. Most scouts who've seen Guerrero the past couple of years don't believe he can be an effective defensive player anymore, despite his past reputation."

The fact of the matter, as a lot of folks said last winter, is that both Dunn and Guerrero are probably both more suited to a DH role at this point in their respective careers, though Dunn may have extended his NL career a bit with a somewhat successful move to first late last season, but I don't see any way in which Vladi Guerrero makes sense in DC...but as a former Montreal Expos' fan, I'm willing to be convinced...

(ed. note - "By an odd coincidence, and nothing else I assume, Adam Dunn was asked for a quote about the St. Louis Cardinals' two tall starters Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright that played as a soundbite on XM's MLB Home Plate Update last week around the time the NL Cy Young was announced...This is what Dunn had to say about the two right-handers against whom he's hit in 11 of 40 at bats (.275 AVG) with 1 double, 2 HR's, 4 RBI's, 10 walks and 12 K's... Dunn's opinion of Carpenter and Wainwright:

"They're both the exact same. They both have a big devastating curve ball, they have a really good slider, and uh, if they really want to mess you up they'll throw a changeup, so, they, uh, they're the exact same so..."

"Why Dunn, in particular, was asked, I'm not sure...")