SB Nation - Ricky Nolasco

Nolasco Agrees to $3.8 Million Contract

GameFish — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:57:11 -0000

Ricky Nolasco has avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1-year, $3.8 million deal.

Ricky Nolasco, who started on Opening Day this past season, has reached agreement on a one-year, $3.8 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

In his second year of arbitration, Nolasco is coming off an up-and-down campaign where he finished 13-9 with a 5.06 ERA.

"Ricky was dominant at times in 2009, and I think you're going to see Ricky have a really, really good year in 2010," said Matt Sosnick, Nolasco's agent.

A $1.4 million raise? I think I'm in the wrong business. Then again, my slider needs some work.

Fantasy Baseball: 2009 xFIP Leaders and Some 2010 Sleepers

raygu — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:32:02 -0000

Recently, Fangraphs has teamed up with The Hardball Times to include the THT pitching stat called Expected Fielding Independent Pitching, or xFIP.
xFIP is Expected Fielding Independent Pitching. This is an experimental stat that adjusts and "normalizes" the home run component. Research has shown that home runs allowed are pretty much a function of flyballs allowed and home park, so xFIP is based on the average number of home runs allowed per outfield fly. <strong>Theoretically, this should be a better predicter of a pitcher's future ERA</strong>

With that said, here are the 2009 xFIP leaders:

Name	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	ERA	FIP	xFIP	E-X
Javier Vazquez	9.77	1.81	5.41	0.82	1.03	0.297	76.60%	2.87	2.77	2.82	0.05
Tim Lincecum	10.42	2.72	3.84	0.4	1.05	0.297	75.90%	2.48	2.34	2.87	-0.39
Roy Halladay	7.83	1.32	5.94	0.83	1.13	0.313	79.00%	2.79	3.06	3.05	-0.26
Dan Haren	8.75	1.49	5.87	1.06	1	0.28	77.00%	3.14	3.23	3.08	0.06
Jon Lester	9.96	2.83	3.52	0.89	1.23	0.323	76.90%	3.41	3.15	3.13	0.28
Zack Greinke	9.5	2	4.75	0.43	1.07	0.313	79.30%	2.16	2.33	3.15	-0.99
Justin Verlander	10.09	2.36	4.27	0.75	1.18	0.328	72.70%	3.45	2.8	3.26	0.19
Ricky Nolasco	9.49	2.14	4.43	1.12	1.25	0.336	61.00%	5.06	3.35	3.28	1.78
Josh Beckett	8.43	2.33	3.62	1.06	1.19	0.302	71.60%	3.86	3.63	3.35	0.51
Adam Wainwright	8.19	2.55	3.21	0.66	1.21	0.309	80.40%	2.63	3.11	3.36	-0.73

Here are some sleepers for 2010 based on the difference between their 2009 ERA and xFIP:

Name	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	ERA	FIP	xFIP	E-X
Ricky Nolasco	9.49	2.14	4.43	1.12	1.25	0.336	61.00%	5.06	3.35	3.28	1.78
Carl Pavano	6.64	1.76	3.77	1.17	1.37	0.335	66.10%	5.1	4	3.96	1.14
Livan Hernandez	5	3.28	1.52	0.93	1.56	0.326	67.30%	5.44	4.44	4.78	0.66
Cole Hamels	7.81	2	3.91	1.12	1.29	0.325	72.10%	4.32	3.72	3.69	0.63
Jorge de la Rosa	9.39	4.04	2.33	0.97	1.38	0.316	71.60%	4.38	3.91	3.76	0.62
Jason Hammel	6.78	2.14	3.17	0.87	1.39	0.337	69.50%	4.33	3.71	3.81	0.52
Mike Pelfrey	5.22	3.22	1.62	0.88	1.51	0.321	66.70%	5.03	4.39	4.52	0.51
Josh Beckett	8.43	2.33	3.62	1.06	1.19	0.302	71.60%	3.86	3.63	3.35	0.51
Derek Lowe	5.13	2.91	1.76	0.74	1.52	0.33	68.70%	4.67	4.06	4.19	0.48
Brett Anderson	7.7	2.31	3.33	1.03	1.28	0.317	67.00%	4.06	3.69	3.61	0.45

You can see there is a correlation between high BABIP, low LOB% and the E-X column. The E-X column takes the difference between the putcher's ERA and his xFIP. I have written about previously, how Ricky Nolasco could be a very undervalued pitcher come draft day 2010. I have him in the UBA league at $10, but risk losing him if I don't give him a raise. This table screams to give him a raise, but I am not so sure.

Poll

Should I give Nolasco a $5 raise in 2010?

BBTF's ZiP Projections for the Marlins

craig — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:30:58 -0000

The Baseball Think Factory put out their yearly computer projections for the Marlins. Here is a tidbit of their intro:

The Marlins, given an ownership willing to invest in the team, have a lot of talent. They have a player who may very well be the best player in baseball over the next 10 years. Some decent supporting cast in the offense and some high-upside hitting prospects. Josh Johnson was healthy, throwing 209 innings, and Ricky Nolasco had one of the best 5.06 ERA seasons around. But Marlin fans still have no reason to believe that they're seeing the start of something rather than the end of something. Even Ramirez's extremely reasonable 6-year, $70 million contract doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be a Marlin for the rest of the contract. The Marlins continuing to win 85-90 games relies on Beinfest and Hill continuing to spin straw into gold faster than Jeff Loria can give it away, which is a very difficult task.

If you want to check the whole thing out, go here:

2010 ZiPs Projections - Florida Marlins

As with all projections they have their fallacies, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun to look at during the offseason. And sometimes they are even more fun to look at after the season is over and do the "What were they thinking?" analysis.

Alfredo Amezaga non-tendered

craig — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:13:14 -0000

The Marlins did not tender a contract to Alfredo Amezaga, it is official.

Alfredo is now a free agent.

Apparently they were concerned with the fact that he is still recovering from microfracture knee surgery and that he hasn't started a running program. The Marlins are leaving the door open to the possibility of re-signing Alfredo later on, but there is a problem with that. The problem is the Marlins cannot enter into negotiations with Alfredo again until March 2, 2010. That is the day when players are mandated to report to spring training. Which gives him a lot time to prove to the other clubs he is good to go while the Marlins are sitting on the sidelines.

The salsa warm up leading, life of the clubhouse, pulse of the team, unbelievable defensive specialist, fan favorite Alfredo Amezaga may never be a Marlin again. It is a sad day. Oh sure, the move that the club made is completely understandable and was the right move. But still. That really doesn't make you feel all that much better.

In other news, the Marlins reached a one-year deal with Ronny Paulino and tendered contracts to Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross, Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Leo Nunez, Renyel Pinto and Anibal Sanchez.

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?

Find A Middle Infielder?

4 votes

Find A Legit Starting Pitcher Or Two?

24 votes

Find Some Bullpen Arms?

9 votes

Find A Healthy/Reliable Catcher?

0 votes

Find A Veteran Starter To Mentor Staff?

14 votes

A Tour Of The Second-Most In-City Monuments In The U.S. Outside of DC?

23 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed

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?

Ricky Nolasco being shopped?

craig — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:16:23 -0000

This tidbit about Ricky Nolasco came to my attention and it was a cause of some concern.

While Rizzo declined to talk about players Washington would like to acquire in a trade, a baseball source indicated that the Nats have interest in Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who won 13 games this past season.

My first reaction was, this has to be a joke. I mean, I have an interest in being a billionaire but that doesn't mean it is going to happen. Then the darker side took over me and I thought, won't we have to throw in Cody Ross also in order to get Bonifacio, Jr.?

After awhile I couldn't stand it anymore and I emailed Ricky's agent, Matt Sosnick, and asked if the Marlins were shopping Nolasco, here is what he was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to say (via email):

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.

First things first, if the Marlins were indeed shopping Ricky, one would think Mr. Sosnick would know. Since he can't confirm the rumor, I will sleep better. I hate the offseason.

Second things second, I completely agree that Nolasco is in line for an outstanding 2010. Ricky has the stuff to be dominating, that has been proven. And if you want an explanation for the rough patches early on last season, you don't have to get real fancy. In 2007, Ricky had elbow problems and only threw 21.1 innings for the Marlins. In 2008, Ricky was great but threw 212.1 innings. Generally the acceptable increase, especially for a young arm, is 30 innings over the previous year. Now, everyone knew he was going to throw more than 50 innings in 2008 but over 200 is a ton for coming off elbow problems. So it wasn't surprising when at times he wasn't as sharp last season. But last year he only threw 185 innings, so there wasn't an increase in stress on his arm. Meaning, he should be good to go.

Washington Nationals: Hot Stove Update.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:39:22 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

Where will the Nationals turn for the help their roster needs this offseason? Can Mike Rizzo pull off a deal to improve their pitching? (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

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DC GM Mike Rizzo's tone when he told Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell (in an early September '09 article entitled, "Time to Make Most of This Horror Show", where he listed fourteen of the top free agent pitchers on the market), that he knew, "Some of (the pitchers) have club options that may be picked up...But that's a long list. We're going to get one of them," seemed much more assured than that with which he addressed the Nationals' approach to the upcoming Winter Meetings in MLB.com writer Bill Ladson's 12/2/09 article entitled, "Pitching the focus for Nats at Meetings", wherein he was quoted as stating:

"'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.'"

Two weeks ago, MLB.com's Bill Ladson's "baseball source" said in an article entitled, "Nats interested in free agent Lackey", that the Nationals were, "one of several teams who have expressed interest in free agent right-hander John Lackey", and Mr. Ladson held Washington's pursuit, last winter, of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, (who, of course, signed with New York), up as an example of how, for "...the second year in a row...the Nationals have been players for a big name free agent," but two weeks later, Mr. Ladson's writing that DC fans should not, "...look for the Nationals to attempt to break the bank like they tried to do with first baseman Mark Teixeira during last year's Winter Meetings." Uh?...

• What made DC GM Mike Rizzo and the Nationals change their minds?

• Should the Nationals be pursuing pitching talent via free agency?

• Did you seriously think that Washington would sign someone like John Lackey this winter?

• Will the Nationals and their new GM be able to trade for the talent they think they need?

• The Marlins' Ricky Nolasco? The Braves' Javier Vazquez? Someone in another division, please? Who should the Nationals be pursuing?

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."

Twins Weekend Notes: Thanksgiving Edition

Jesse — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:06:44 -0000

Mmmm...tryptophan...

Everyone finally waking up from that Thursday afternoon coma? Fantastic. There've been a few interesting notes of intrigue over the last few days, some of which have some concern with our Minnesota Twins, so let's check them out...

The highest-profile player discussed over the last few days? Rich Harden. MLB.com's Kelly Theiser says the Twins have interest, which is good to hear. Naturally any bets on the oft-injured ace would have to be hedged by the contract. I do like the idea of bringing in Harden, on the right deal, because at the very least he gives Minnesota a little more depth with a high-end arm. If and when he would eventually go down, the Twins would still have all the same arms available to replace him.
Miguel Angel Sano? No. Miguel Angel Jean? Si. From the same mailbag, Theiser informs us that our Domincan uber-prospect will be using his real surname, as opposed to his mother's maiden name. Batting second, for the Minnesota Twins, Miguel Jean...
We've talked about Dan Uggla here at some length, as well as Ricky Nolasco, but there were rumors this week that the Marlins were trying to unload Josh Johnson as well. As Ken Rosenthan notes those rumors have been dispelled, but for a few hours there my mind was working overtime.
Joe C. flashes a preview of the Twins' spring training schedule.
LEN III talks with Jake Mauer about a couple of good pitchers in the lower levels of the farm system.
On Tuesday Pat Neshek updated his blog with some info on how his rehab is coming. It sounds like he threw a simulated game of about 30pitches, and he was happy with his slider and his increasing velocity.
Over at MLB Trade Rumors this morning I found out Nick Johnson is looking for a two-year deal. There's no room for him in Minnesota, which is too bad because I wouldn't mind gamlbing on his infamous OBP skills.

Over in the UK they don't actually celebrate Thanksgiving...shocker, I know. But yesterday I hosted and made my first ever Thanksgiving dinner for a bunch of friends, and it actually went pretty well. After the break are just a couple of pics I took...it didn't turn out as awful as I thought it would!

The Brits thoroughly enjoyed the lefsa...

MEAT. A small turkey and a decent size ham. The ham was awesome.

Okay I didn't make these. I bought these frozen. No lies.