2015 Washington Nationals: Third Time's a Charm?

JimRiceHOFer

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Current roster for the 2015 Nationals:

Starting Lineup:
C  - Wilson Ramos
1B - Ryan Zimmerman
2B - Dan Uggla
SS - Ian Desmond
3B - Yunel Escobar
LF - Bryce Harper
CF - Denard Span
RF - Jayson Werth

Bench:  Jose Lobaton, Clint Robinson, Danny Espinosa, Tyler Moore, Michael Taylor

SP - Stephen Strasburg
SP - Max Scherzer

SP - Jordan Zimmerman
SP - Gio Gonzalez
SP - Doug Fister
Closer - Drew Storen

Bullpen -  Tanner Roark, Matt Thornton, Aaron Barrett, Blake Treinen, Sammy Solis, Matt Grace

Minors Shuttle/Backups/DL:
P - Taylor Jordan, Erik Davis, Christian Garcia, Felix Tavares, Eric Fornataro, A.J. Cole, Scott McGregor, Mitch Lively, Craig Stammen (DL-15), Rich Hill, Casey Janssen (DL-15), Felipe Rivero (DL-15), Jose Valverde
OF - Brian Goodwin, Derrick Robinson, Tony Gwynn Jr., Matt den Dekker, Reed Johnson (DL-15)
IF -  Emmanuel Burriss, Wilmer Difo, Chris Bostick, Trea Turner, Ian Stewart, Kila Ka'aihue, Anthony Rendon (DL-15)
C - Devin Ivany, Steven Lerud, Dan Butler
 
Free Agents:
Asdrubel Cabrera - signed with Tampa
Nate Schierholtz
Scott Hairston
Rafael Soriano
Adam LaRoche - signed with White Sox
Ross Ohlendorf
 
Spring Training Non-Roster Invitees:
Manny Delcarmen
Emmanuel Burriss
Dan Uggla
Mike Carp
Heath Bell
Ian Stewart
Steven Lerud
Tony Gwynn, Jr.
Rich Hill
Kila Ka'aihue
Cutter Dykstra
Evan Meek
 
Departures:
Matt Purke - released
Jhonaton Solano - released
Pedro Florimon - claimed off waivers by Pirates
Ryan Mattheus - elected free agency
Ross Detwiler - traded to Rangers
Steven Souza - trade with Rays/Padres
Travis Ott - trade with Rays/Padres
Tyler Clippard - trade with A's
Jeff Kobernus - released
Sandy Leon - traded with Red Sox
Kevin Frandsen - released
Jerry Blevins - traded to Mets
Xavier Cedeno - traded to Dodgers
 
Arrivals:
Chris Bostick - trade with Rangers
Abel de los Santos - trade with Rangers
Joe Ross - trade with Rays/Padres
Trea Turner - trade with Rays/Padres
Dan Uggla - signed to minor league deal
Heath Bell - signed to minor league deal
Ian Stewart - signed to minor league deal
Clint Robinson - signed to minor league deal
Scott McGregor - signed to minor league deal
Mitch Livley - signed to minor league deal
Mike Carp - signed to a minor league deal
Steven Lerud - signed to a minor league deal
Yunel Escobar - trade with A's
Max Scherzer - signed free agent
Derrick Robinson - signed to a minor league deal
Casey Janssen - signed free agent
Tony Gwynn, Jr. - signed to a minor league deal
Rich Hill - signed to a minor league deal
Matt den Dekker - trade with Mets
 

JimRiceHOFer

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Nationals close to resigning Kevin Frandsen
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2014/11/13/nationals-close-to-re-signing-kevin-frandsen/
 
Frandsen, 32, is eligible for arbitration, and the deadline to tender contracts for arbitration-eligible players is Dec. 2.
 
The Nationals were pleased with Frandsen’s impact in the clubhouse and on the field last season. He hit .259/.299/.309 in 236 plate appearances and filled in all over the diamond because of injuries to starters. He played 21 games in left field, played 16 games at third base, 13 at second and nine games at first. Entering the season, Frandsen had five starts in the outfield but was willing to play left field when Harper was injured.
 

TheYaz67

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Whether it is Cabrera or someone else, I just hope they do not start the season with Espinosa at 2nd base.  He can be infuriating to watch at the plate trying to hit every pitch over the wall, regardless of count or situation...
 

JimRiceHOFer

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Nats release Jhonaton Solano
 
http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2014/11/nats-release-jhonatan-solano.html
 
Solano appeared in 36 big league games between the 2012 and 2013 seasons, and impressed in his first taste of major league action, hitting .314/.351/.571 in 37 plate appearances in 2012. He hit two homers and drove in six when helping to fill in for an injured Wilson Ramos that year.
 
The move leaves the Nats with 38 on their 40-man roster.
 

JimRiceHOFer

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ator603

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interesting conspiracy I've heard kicked around is the nats trade zimmerman, who has one year left on his contract, and go hard after scherzer, who was originally drafted by mike rizzo
 

TheYaz67

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Oh crap, Cecil Fielder is an infielder....
 
Seriously though, sad to see Detwiler leave - he came up when the team was still crap at an early age (23)/before he was really "ready" and got knocked around a bit back in 2009/2010, which I think kind of affected his confidence/development.  Finally put it all together in 2012 when he got those 27 starts and pitched to a 3.40 ERA, but the combination of him taking a small step back the next year and other guys coming off the DL/guys they acquired (Gio and Fister) pushed him into the bullpen.  When the curve is working and all his stuff is down in the zone, he is effective albeit not overpowering, and I think the Rangers will be glad they got him....
 

JimRiceHOFer

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JimRiceHOFer

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Rays, Padres, Nationals agree to 11-player trade
 
RAYS GET …
Steven Souza, outfielder, from Nationals
Travis Ott, pitcher, from Nationals
Rene Rivera, catcher, from Padres
Burch Smith, pitcher, from Padres
Jake Bauers, first baseman, from Padres
 
PADRES GET …
Wil Myers, outfielder, from Rays
Ryan Hanigan, catcher, from Rays
Jose Castillo, pitcher, from Rays
Gerardo Reyes, pitcher, from Rays
 
NATIONALS GET …
Joe Ross, pitcher, from Padres
Trea Turner, shortstop, from Padres (in June as a PTBNL)
 

JimRiceHOFer

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Mike Carp signed by Nats

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2015/01/some-arbitration-notes-and-minor-league-signings.html
*minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training
 
Carp, who had a breakout year with the Red Sox in 2013, batting .296/.362/.523 with nine homers and 43 RBIs in 86 games with the World Series champions, saw his production drop off last season.
 
He batted just .175/.289/.230 in 59 games between the Red Sox and Rangers, and was designated for assignment by Boston in July. He was granted free agency by the Rangers in late September.

*Also signed former Phillies AAA Catcher, Steven Lerud, to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training
 

TheYaz67

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Nats stockpiling ex-Red Sox players, now having acquired catcher Dan Butler from the Sox in exchange for Daniel Rosenbaum.  Nats already have alot of catching depth, so Butler will have to excell in camp I think to have a shot....
 
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/01/nationals-acquire-dan-butler-from-red-sox-for-danny-rosenbaum.html
 
 
As the Red Sox give up on one of their organization’s development success stories in Butler, so too the Nats finally part with Rosenbaum. The 27-year-old rose from a 22nd-round pick to the highest levels of the minors and even earned a Rule 5 selection before the 2013 season.
 
A prototypical soft-tossing, crafty lefty, Rosenbaum has not carried his domination of the lower minors into the upper ranks. Across 178 1/3 Triple-A frames, he owns a 3.94 ERA with 5.6 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Rosenbaum will need to finish rehabbing back from Tommy John surgery last spring before he can take the hill for the first time in the Sox organization.
 
That the Nationals parted with an upper-level arm, rather than the usual cash settlement, could indicate that there was slightly more at work here than the average DFA deal. It could be that Washington faced competition in pursuing Butler and/or that the organization felt it had enough depth and was ready to move on from Rosenbaum, who would become a minor league free agent after the end of the season.
 

TheYaz67

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Hmmmm, lots of SSs and 2B men being acquired by the Nats, which is making some folks think that Desmond is absolutely being moved ASAP as soon as they can find a reasonable trading partner who wants him....
 

dcmissle

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Quite possible. This is consistent with the way Rizzo does business. He is not going to pay through the ass simply because there is a hole at second. There is from time to time wish casting from us RS fans on one trade or another that Boston can bamboozle the Nats on. Not going to happen. Rizzo does not deal from weakness and, if anything, unreasonably tries to win every trade, though with some success -- e.g., Fister.
 

jose melendez

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I've got to assume that Desmond and Zimmerman are gone after this year, if not earlier.  The Escobar move does not make a lot of sense to me, given they gave up their best relief pitcher for him. Maybe last year was an injury driven aberation for Escobar, but he's a meh offensive player at best and last year he had a -1.6 dWAR.
 

dcmissle

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jose melendez said:
I've got to assume that Desmond and Zimmerman are gone after this year, if not earlier.  The Escobar move does not make a lot of sense to me, given they gave up their best relief pitcher for him. Maybe last year was an injury driven aberation for Escobar, but he's a meh offensive player at best and last year he had a -1.6 dWAR.
I think that assumption is solid on Desmond, less so on Zimmerman. The trade reflects a couple of things, IMO. Rizzo has effectively raised the white flag on his "blind spot", Espinosa. They are not counting on him to rebound at the plate. Second, they will not be in the Desmond business long term, barring a dramatic turnaround from recent seasons that suggest he has plateaued and may even be on the downside. The latter frees up $100+ MM, which could be steered to Zimmerman. The Zimmerman wish casting in the Hamels thread is not well grounded barring the Nats being out of the race by the next trading deadline, which seems highly unlikely.
 

BigPapiLumber Co.

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I don't know how to embed tweets, but Heyman and Rosenthal reporting it's between the Nats and one other team to sign Scherzer to a 7-year deal.
 
That would be ... something!
 

E5 Yaz

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BigPapiLumber Co. said:
I don't know how to embed tweets, but Heyman and Rosenthal reporting it's between the Nats and one other team to sign Scherzer to a 7-year deal.
 
That would be ... something!
 
If it were Washington, they have to have a deal lined up to trade one of their starters
 

JimRiceHOFer

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Deal with Scherzer for 7 years/$210 mill.
 
http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/106764378/nationals-max-scherzer-agree-to-seven-year-210-million-contract
 
FOXSports.com reported that half of Scherzer's seven-year deal with the Nationals will be deferred; he'll receive $15 million per year for 14 years. That means he'll be on the Nats' books through 2028. Yahoo Sports reported that Scherzer's deal also includes a $50 million signing bonus to be paid out over an unspecified amount of time.
 

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Nats add Derrick Robinson on Minor league deal
 
http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/107288540/nationals-sign-outfielder-derrick-robinson-to-minor-league-deal
 
Robinson, 27, reached the Majors with the Reds in 2013, playing in 102 games and spending time at all three outfield positions. The switch-hitter batted .255/.322/.323 over 216 plate appearances, with seven doubles, three triples and eight RBIs. He stole four bases in nine attempts.
 
Robinson didn't play last season after having surgery on his left shoulder.
 

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Nats sign Casey Janssen
 
http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/01/28/washington-nationals-casey-janssen?xid=nl_siextra
The one-year deal is worth $5 million and includes a 2016 mutual option, according to Rosenthal. The contract will also include an option buyout. 
Janssen, 33, has played all eight of his MLB seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. Over the last three seasons, he earned 81 saves, including a career-high 34 in 2013. 
in 2014, Janssen finished with 25 saves and a 3.94 ERA in 50 appearances. He made $4 million last season with Toronto. 
 

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Nats sign Tony Gwynn, Jr. to a minor-league deal
 
http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/110979264/tony-gwynn-jr-signs-minor-league-deal-with-nationals
 
Gwynn, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, spent last season with the Phillies, hitting .152 in 105 at-bats with three RBIs and three stolen bases. The 32-year-old has a chance to make the team as its fourth outfielder. With outfielder Jayson Werth limited as he recovers from Jan. 9 right shoulder surgery, Gwynn will get his share of playing time at Nationals camp.
 

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Nats trade Sandy Leon to the Red Sox for Cash
 
http://m.redsox.mlb.com/news/article/115516100/red-sox-acquire-catcher-sandy-leon-from-nationals
 
The switch-hitting Leon, who is out of Minor League options, will probably form a catching tandem with Ryan Hanigan, a right-handed hitter. What the Red Sox will send to Washington for Leon is not yet known.
 
Leon, who hails from Venezuela, played 33 games (26 starts) for the Nationals over the past three seasons. He hit .189 with a homer and five RBIs.
 

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@JamesWagnerWP: Anthony Rendon getting second opinion from Dr. James Andrews today.
 

TheYaz67

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JimRiceHOFer said:
Nats have released super-sub Kevin Frandsen
 
.086 batting average in ST may have had something to do with that...
 
Little concerned with how injured this team is starting the season (Werth, McLouth, Span, Rendon) - include the now gone LaRoche, and that is 4 of the 5 team's 2014 leaders in oWAR missing, some for a while.  That, and you know Zimmerman is going to injure something soon.
 
Could be counting on the awesome pitching staff to win a bunch of 2-1 games in the first couple months....
 

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Clint Robinson makes Opening Day roster, Mike Carp, Rich Hill sent down
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2015/04/04/clint-robinson-makes-opening-day-roster-mike-carp-and-rich-hill-re-assigned/
 
Robinson earned the chance with a consistent spring in which he hit .320 over 50 at-bats, slugging .580 with two home runs and five doubles. Drafted by the Royals in the 25th round in 2007, he spent a year each with the Blue Jays and Dodgers over the past two seasons. He has three hits in 14 big-league plate appearances.
 

jose melendez

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The Nats are now 1-4 and appear to have a serious offensive problem.  In their first five games, they have yet to score more than 3 runs, and they've only gotten there once.
 
Admittedly they're missing 1/3 of their starting line up and 2/3 of their outfield.  Kind of makes me wonder if they might be a match for some of the Sox's excess outfield talent.
 

TheYaz67

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Even in the games they somehow manage to score in, their defense betrays them.
 
So, 16 of the starting shortstops in the League have yet to make an error, and then there's Ian Desmond of the Nats, who has 6 already by himself in 8 games.  That's as many as 22 "best" (aka non-error making) shortstops combined have made so far, in about 130 games....
 
He also should have come home on Craig tonight in a tie game in the 7th on the road, which is not counted as an error but ended up being the difference in the game.
 
Got to right the ship against a cold Phillies team at home this weekend or they are going to struggle to get to a decent April record...
 

jose melendez

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The Nats look much better with their outfield back.  Spann looked pretty good yesterday, which suprised me.  With his muscle injury, I really expected him to look like crap for the near future.
 

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Rendon diagnosed with oblique strain
 
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12823599/anthony-rendon-washington-nationals-diagnosed-oblique-strain
 
Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon will have to wait to resume his minor league rehab stint after being diagnosed with an oblique strain on Monday.
 
The Nationals originally had hoped that Rendon, who finished fifth in the National League MVP voting last season after hitting .287 with 21 home runs and 83 RBIs, would be able to return by late this week.