Nationals primed to make jump from rebuild to contention sooner than expected

The Nationals entered the season with low expectations and stumbled through the campaign’s first half at the bottom of the NL East at 36-53. However, something changed following the All-Star break. Washington started to win series after series and has now posted a 28-25 record in the second half.

A young core led by CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Lane Thomas, MacKenzie Gore, and Josiah Gray has helped turn a corner following a 107-loss campaign last year. The building blocks of the next good Nationals team are starting to show.

“We’re having much more of a fun summer covering this team than I thought we were going to,” longtime Nationals broadcaster Bob Carpenter told theScore in August. “I thought we were going to have to be making excuses every night like, ‘This guy is young, and this is happening.’”

MLB Rumors: Stephen Strasburg’s Nationals Retirement Press Conference Canceled

The Washington Nationals reportedly won’t be honoring Stephen Strasburg on Saturday after all.

According to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, the planned retirement press conference for the pitcher ahead of Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers has been canceled….

As for the contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted the Nationals still had to pay the rest of it out:

That contract is apparently at the center of the most recent decision, as Ghiroli reported, “it was the Nationals who approached Strasburg about retiring and paying him the full amount of his contract, sources briefed on the matter say. The team wants to change the terms.”

Stephen Strasburg, the Nats’ World Series MVP, plans to retire

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg plans to retire, according to three people familiar with the matter, ending a career that started with unprecedented hype, peaked with a World Series MVP award in 2019, and ultimately was derailed by injury. He last pitched in a game in June 2022.

A news conference is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 9 at Nationals Park, before the Nationals play the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, Strasburg pitched just 31⅓ innings after signing a seven-year, $245 million contract in December 2019. And since undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021 — a procedure that included the removal of a rib and two neck muscles — he logged just 4⅔ innings, all in one start that led to more pain and tingling in his shoulder and neck.

The financial implications of Strasburg’s retirement were not immediately known Thursday afternoon. But in similar cases, players and teams have reached settlements that typically lower the total money remaining on a contract. After this season, Strasburg’s contract had an average annual value of $35 million for three more years.

Why the Nats don’t ride their bullpen cart: A Washington Post investigation - NO PAYWALL

Trip Morgan is a bit lonelier these days. That’s what happens when you’re one of the Washington Nationals’ eight bullpen cart drivers and none of their relievers will take a ride.

“Now do I try to entice people?” said Morgan, who’s driven the cart since it was introduced in the summer of 2018. “With the visitors, I will stick the tail right next to the door, almost blocking them so they have to really think about it before jogging into the game. I don’t do that with the home team, I just get close so they know I’m there and able to drive them in. But I hope some of our relievers take me up on it soon. I miss the company.”

Nationals extend manager Davey Martinez, close to deal with GM Mike Rizzo: Sources

As the Washington Nationals remain for sale, ownership is taking steps to keep the architects of their 2019 World Series championship team.

The Nationals have signed manager Davey Martinez to a two-year contract extension and general manager Mike Rizzo also is close to a new deal, according to sources briefed on the discussions.

Martinez, 58, also is getting a club option for a third year. Rizzo, 62, is expected to sign a deal of similar length. Both are completing the option years on their current agreements.

Boswell: The Nationals were right to let their beloved stars leave

These days, your best deals are often the ones that didn’t get made. Washington illustrates the double-edged point. The Nats are burdened by a $245 million deal with Stephen Strasburg through 2026 at $35 million a year. Patrick Corbin, essential to the title but a horrid 21-51 since, is off the books after 2024. Then, free at last.

What’s easy to forget is that the Nats’ predicament could have been so much worse.

The $440 million and $215 million offers that Soto and Rendon turned down, and the free agent auctions the Nats refused to enter that brought Turner $300 million and Scherzer $130 million, may turn out to be the best billion dollars of deals never made. In real-time sequencing, the Nats would never have signed all of them. But if, for example, they’d just gone full-market on Soto and Turner, they’d have dug a payroll Grand Canyon.

Right now, the positions held in the Nats’ title run by those four wonderful stars, who’ll earn north of $125 million this season, are held by Abrams, 22, Gray, 25, Thomas, 27, and Candelario, 29, who earn $8.7 million. Combined.

You’ll never find a better illustration of MLB’s wicked sense of humor, as well as the foolishness of most massive contracts, than the current stats of those players.

Nationals put Victor Robles on IL one day after dugout tiff

The Nationals placed center fielder Victor Robles on the 10-day injured list with back spasms for the second time this season Wednesday, a day after Washington starter MacKenzie Gore questioned Robles’ effort on a fly ball that fell for a single.

Washington selected the contract of outfielder Derek Hill from Triple-A Rochester to replace Robles on the roster. Robles was sidelined by back spasms from early May until this past Friday. He had started five straight games since his return.

Manager Dave Martinez said Robles told him after Tuesday night’s loss to St. Louis that his lower back was bothering him while running. Robles also got a poor jump on a deep fly ball on Monday that glanced off his glove for a triple. Robles skidded into the center-field wall after failing to make the grab.

“The more I watched him, the more I watched his jumps and stuff, something didn’t look that right, but he kept telling me he was fine,” Martinez said. “After last night I wanted to really sit down with him and talk to him and get out of him exactly what I thought he’d say.”

MASN dispute ends for now with Orioles owing Nationals $100 million

For years, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been at odds, feuding over how much MASN—their shared broadcast partner—should owe in rights fees. As a concession to Baltimore for accommodating a new team in its local market (the Nationals relocated from Montreal in 2005), the Orioles received a majority ownership stake in MASN, effectively granting them control over Washington’s rights fees.

MASN offered $200 million for the Nationals’ TV rights from 2012-16 ($40 million annually), a sum they flatly rejected, countering at $475 million. The sides lawyered up, presenting their case before MLB’s Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee, which determined Washington should receive an additional $100 million. The Orioles fought to have that ruling vacated, arguing the decision be overturned on grounds that MLB and the Nationals had used the same law firm, representing an obvious conflict of interest.

Nats’ Dave Martinez decries ‘brutal’ baseline call in wild loss

Washington manager Dave Martinez began his postgame availability by holding up a picture that showed Meyers running on the grass on his way to first.

“There it is right there,” Martinez said. “Take a look at it. Is that on the line? I don’t think so. I’m over this play. Seriously. They need to fix the rule. If this is what the umpire sees that he’s running down the line, I’m tired of it. I’m tired of it. Fix it. We lost the game, and he had nothing to say about it because he can’t make the right call. Brutal.”

Ignoring the specific call here the general issue is a hobby horse of mine.  I don’t understand why MLB doesn’t implement the softball base rule Put a “runner’s base” on the foul side of first base.  Right now there is just no way for a runner to stay in the runner’s lane and touch the base.

Beasley: Bryce Harper “can handle” starting season with Nationals

Beasley: Bryceslist: Killer job.

New Triple-A Syracuse manager Tony Beasley believes Harper could use some more seasoning but has also demonstrated hints of the complete package
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“I would hate to see him come all the way through the system quickly, skip levels and then get the major league level and really skid,” Beasley said. “The thing he has that is special, and I have talked to him about it, is his mindset - the way he believes and the level of confidence he has and his ability to play the game of baseball. I don’t think you want to shake that, especially at this age. I don’t think you want to take the chance of shaking that.”

...But all you can go on is what you have seen and Beasley believes in what Harper has produced in one season. He believes it is a very positive sign for what lies ahead for the Nationals and their top prospect.

“I think so far he has done outstanding. That is the tough call for general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Johnson (to make). All we can do as a minor league field staff is to prepare him as best we can for on and off field situations. I think so far he is way, way ahead of his years and he gets it. I think (Harper) really understands it,” Beasley said.

So, is Harper ready?

“If he gets the call out of spring training this year,” Beasley said, “I have a feeling that he can handle it.”

Kilgore: The Nationals look like Prince Fielder favorites

Prince busters…going one step beyond?

And if the Rangers aren’t going to sign Fielder, the Nationals have to be considered the frontrunner now. Who else is there? Any team planning to make a stealth run at him probably would not have risked waiting until late January to make its move. The Brewers and Mariners have been on the periphery, but not as involved as the Nationals. You never know, but it looks like the Fielder sweepstakes is the Nationals’ to lose.

The process has been fascinating, and it looks for now as if the Nationals have played it perfectly. They held firm at their price for Fielder, and with the apparent (and stunning) relative lack of interest in one of baseball’s great sluggers, the market has come to them. They let agent Scott Boras dictate the terms of the Jayson Werth negotiations last winter. The Lerners struck back this time. Or at least that’s the appearance right now.

In the background of their discussions with Fielder lies the Nationals’ under-construction television deal with MASN. Like the Rangers, the Nationals could soon be expecting more cash from their rights fees. The details are few, but the stakes are explained in the story from today’s paper, with help from Chuck Greenberg, an architect of the Rangers’ massive TV deal.

The Nationals, experts say, can expect enough new revenue from their renegotiated rights fees to pay for Fielder’s potential contract – and then some. Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor and sports business expert, said signing Fielder could enhance the Nationals’ argument for higher rights fees from MASN.

“I think it would,” Zimbalist said. “Somebody like Fielder offers the possibility of not only the team being more competitive, but generating excitement in his own right.”

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

Bob Carpenter to return to MASN as voice of Nats

and Face Palm Santangelo to return as the facepalm of Nats.

Late last year, it appeared Carpenter would not return to the booth after the Nats didn’t pick up his option last August, but both sides managed to come to terms recently. Calls to Carpenter were not returned.

It will mark Carpenter’s seventh season in the broadcast booth for MASN. He is known for the catch phrase, “See you later,” whenever a Nationals player hits a home run.

F.P. Santangelo will continue to be Carpenter’s broadcast partner. Santangelo is the fifth TV partner for Carpenter, who has worked with Tom Paciorek, Don Sutton, Rob Dibble and Ray Knight.

Former Major Leaguer Howie Koplitz passes away at 73

What is there to say…

WTOP.com | Nationals signs Mark DeRosa to a 1-year contract

The Washington Nationals have signed free-agent utility player Mark DeRosa to a one-year contact.

Mark DeRosa

Report: Gio Gonzalez traded to the Nats for four top prospects

here were multiple reports in the past hour or so that the Athletics were moving close to trading Gio Gonzalez, with most suggesting the Nationals as the most likely destination and some random Red Sox speculation.  Now Keith Law reports that a deal has been struck:  Gonzalez to the Nationals for four prospects: A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, and Tom Milone.

This is a huge haul for Gonzalez, it seems to me. According to John Sickels, these guys rank as the Nationals’ third, fourth, sixth and ninth best prospects.  And given how good the Nationals’ number one and number two prospects are — Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon — you could easily move all of those numbers up if they had come from other organizations.

Thanks to Chet.

Grantland (Rany J): The MLB Prospect Bubble

In 21st-century baseball, when teams do overpay in prospects, it’s usually for stars. Most famously, in 2007 the Braves gave up Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (who started to find himself this season after a trade to Boston) — but at least they traded for Mark Teixeira, an acknowledged superstar.

The blowback from the Teixeira trade seems to have made teams even more conservative about trading prospects, even for elite major league talent. As a result, for perhaps the first time in baseball history, minor league prospects seem to be overvalued by MLB front offices. ...

To put this in terms that Billy Beane can understand: We’ve reached a point where trading away prospects is the new market inefficiency. ...

For that reason, an ambitious team with a deep farm system — the Royals, for instance, or the Nationals — should take advantage of MLB general managers’ prospect fetish to cash in some of their lottery tickets for established players who might help them win in 2012.

Rany makes some excellent points here. Prospects can serve two purposes for an organization - building blocks on the parent club or trade chits for the pieces that will get you over the hump - and teams seem to be more inclined these days to use them for the first purpose without giving enough thought to using them for the second purpose.

Steinberg: Jim Riggleman intends to manage in the big leagues again

Illusions in a twisted mind to save from self-destruction…hmm, it’s the Riggle room. (Hey Porter)

But Riggleman would not agree. In fact, he told Jim Bowden and Casey Stern of SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio that his explicit goal is another crack at an MLB job.

...“I don’t look at it as I HAVE to go back there, I look at it as it’s a pleasure to go back there. You know, you don’t want to get stagnant, you don’t want to say this is where I’m at, this is where I’m gonna be. I have every intention of managing in the big leagues again, and if general managers are afraid of me, then they have to look at that list of people who have also resigned. And I’m not gonna name names, but there are some pretty good Major League managers — a couple of them are going to go to the Hall of Fame — who have resigned during their time in baseball.”

Of course, most of the interview was focused on that decision Riggleman made to resign, and he seemed willing to admit that probably it wasn’t the most career-savvy thing to do.

“The way I’ve explained it to people, I think I did the right thing, probably not the smart thing,” Riggleman said. “You know, sometimes there is a difference. And I think for my own situation I did do the right thing, but certainly it’s not a smart thing to do to give up a Major League managing job….

“Because people are not gonna have all the information. And I certainly am moving on and am not really gonna disclose information, because I have great respect for the Nationals and what they have achieved and what they will continue to achieve. But when all the information isn’t out there, there’s gonna be a lot of people who think how dare you do that! And believe me, I would probably be one of those people who would be thinking that way.”

Rosenthal: Nats working hard to land Gio Gonzalez

Ibanez GIO! Oh, wait…that’s Philly.

The Nationals, continuing their quest to add a left-handed starting pitcher, are pushing hard to land the Athletics’ Gio Gonzalez, according to major-league sources.

...To acquire Gonzalez, who is under club control for four more years, the Nats likely would need to part with at least one of their young starting pitchers, perhaps right-hander Brad Peacock or lefty Ross Detwiler. The team also is deep at catcher.

The Athletics earlier this month traded right-hander Trevor Cahill and lefty reliever Craig Breslow for three young players — right-hander Jarrod Parker, outfielder Colin Cowgill and reliever Ryan Cook.

The team is entertaining offers for closer Andrew Bailey as well as Bailey, trying to collect as much young talent as possible as it prepares for a possible move to a new ballpark in San Jose.

Boston Red Sox - Red Sox have more competition than ever - The Boston Globe

This week’s Boston Globe Sunday baseball column.

Nationals do not bid on Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish

The identity of the team that won the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish has yet to be revealed, but it was not the Nationals. Washington did not submit a posting bid, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation, opting to stay on the sideline of a sweepstakes that will cost whomever lands the Japanese superstar upward of $100?million.

Damn it.

By the way, there’s another wonderful WaPo headline for Andy. Time to go back to grammar school.

Nationals Insider: Nats still rely on pro scouts

The Altria Group, Inc. gets needed stock bump!

That’s in stark contrast to what’s going on right now in Baltimore, where new Orioles GM Dan Duquette revealed Friday he’s dismantling nearly his entire pro scouting unit and relying almost exclusively on video and stats to evaluate players from other major-league and minor-league organizations.

The anti-scout movement has become a bit of a trend in baseball in recent years, but the Nationals continue to operate the old-fashioned way ... for the most part. The club did eliminate its advance scouting position last year, choosing to prepare for upcoming opponents off video scouting rather than having a human scout filing reports from the road the entire season.

But that’s the only area in which Rizzo has gone with video over human eyes. He still employs several pro scouts, led by director Bill Singer and bolstered by a group of special assistants to the GM that includes time-tested scouts like Kasey McKeon, Bob Schaefer, Jay Robertson and Ron Rizzi.

Hey, when you spent most of your adult life scouting ballplayers in person, you’ve gotta continue to believe in the old-fashioned method of player evaluation.

Yahoo Sports: Passan: Darvish bidding process is a cloak and dagger affair

The deadline for bids on Darvish is today at 5 pm (eastern time).  Passan makes the whole process sound like executives have spent several years in Australia bulding up an immunity to iocane powder just for this moment.

The Texas Rangers, for example, have told rivals they’re cash-poor this offseason. A TV deal that will net them $80 million annually doesn’t kick in until 2015. The purchase price of the team for the ownership group – jacked up in an auction by Mark Cuban – wound up tens of millions of dollars higher than expected and sucked up the $90 million signing bonus Fox Sports delivered. And the TV contract itself wasn’t nearly as lucrative as Chuck Greenberg, the club’s deposed CEO, purported it to be.

To which one GM said: “Yeah, right.”

And another executive said: “They’re sandbagging.”

CSNwashington: Vinny Castilla admits entry into HOF will be ‘difficult’

Former National Vinny Castilla is one of 27 players on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, but in a recent interview, the Mexican third baseman admitted it is unlikely he’ll earn a permanent spot in Cooperstown.

“It will be very difficult [for me] to get elected,” Castilla said in a Spanish-language interview earlier this month.  “But it is an honor just to be noticed, to be on the ballot.  I am very proud of being an option for those who vote, that is an accomplishment for me.”

But then CSNwashington follows up with…“Hall of an argument”.

No, we’re not going to argue that Vinny Castilla should be a Hall of Famer. But the previous post does bring to mind how baseball stats can be deceiving.

Castilla’s career batting numbers of .276 average, 320 homers and 1,105 RBIs aren’t that different from those of newly elected Hall of Famer Ron Santo: .277, 342, 1,331. And Santo achieved his totals in about 400 more games.

Again, we’re not arguing for Castilla to get into the Hall. Different eras, different kinds of players.

Just sayin’.

Interpreting Scott Boras’ Comments On Prince Fielder: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

The big concern for anyone signing Prince is that he will age like his father.

There has been some talk of Boras trying to get Fielder signed to a three or four year contract, so that Prince gets another bite at the free agency apple. That strategy, I would think, would work best for teams and Prince’s long-term earnings. Of course, who knows what silly offer could already be on the table? I am just glad the Red Sox already have Adrian Gonzalez.