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Close Call's 2013 offseason losers

8. Nick Johnson: Retired at age 34

So, this is more of a throughout-his-career type thing, but Johnson was never able to reach his full potential. Let's take a look at his 162-game averages for a few categories: he averaged 18 home runs/162. If he'd played full seasons in each of the 13 years since he started in '00, he'd have a career total of 234 (rather than the 95 he has). His 723 hits would go up to 1,833, and his 398 RBI would become 1,001. Plus, he probably wouldn't be retiring at 34. But due to tons of injuries, the closest Nick got to a full season was playing 147 games with the '06 Nationals.

7. Roy Oswalt: Remains a free agent

Oswalt was one of the most consistently dominant pitchers in baseball for a number of years with Houston, and had a 3.69 ERA as recently as 2011. While '12 was the worst statistical year of his career, it was his first year in the AL, and he was battling an injury all season. It was also the first season he'd ever appeared regularly out of the bullpen, which can be a tough transition for an 11-year veteran. In a pitching market that's been basically completely harvested, he's the best option left out there who isn't tied to draft pick compensation, and yet the only significant interest in him has been from the Mets, who want him to be their closer.

6. Dallas Braden and Armando Galarraga

Braden remains a free agent, and Galarraga signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in January. They share some history, as Braden's Mother's Day perfect game in 2010 was less than a month before Galarraga's infamous blown call game, in which umpire Jim Joyce blew a call, saying the hitter who came up with 2 outs in the 9th while Galarraga had a perfect game going was safe at first, when really the first baseman had him out by a full step. Galarraga retired the next batter to complete the one-hitter.

Braden pitched just 3 games in '11 and none in '12 due to shoulder injuries, and was thus released by the A's in October. He's always shown promise and talent; he owns a career 4.16 ERA (which has gotten lower each season he's pitched) and a 1.325 WHIP.

Galarraga was somewhat of a random guy to throw a near-perfect game; aside from his rookie season in '08 when he had a 3.73 ERA, his numbers have never been particularly noteworthy, but his 3 full seasons in Detroit showed that he can be a solid back-of-the-rotation guy for a team that needs him. He's going to have a tough time breaking into a deep Reds rotation led by Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman.

How the kind of mighty have somewhat fallen.

5. New York Yankees

Could this be the year the Yankees don't make the playoffs? Or even, maybe, just maybe, finish last--yes, last-in the AL East???

When you're the New York Yankees, an offseason in which your only significant moves are signing Travis Hafner and Kevin Youklis, whose ages add up to 68, is not just a loss, but it's downright baffling. The Bronx Bombers were tied to a number of free agents and potential trade targets, but never bade that big splash. That, plus injuries to Derek Jeter (though he's supposedly going to be ready for Opening Day), Alex Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson, plus even more steroid allegations surrounding A-Rod--are worrisome for the team. Their superstars are aging, and they barely avoided being ousted as division champs by the resilient Orioles last year. All of the other teams in the AL East have made significant additions this offseason, and the Yanks will face some stiff competition.

4. Javier Vazquez: Remains "retired"

At 35, the 14-year veteran pitcher announced his retirement following the 4th-best season of his career in 2011. The former Expo drew significant interest from around the league, including form the Nationals, but a knee injury this offseason ended any hopes of him pitching in 2013. He'd likely have received either a well-paying last-minute contract by a team looking to round out its rotation before opening day, or an even better deal once the season starts when a team loses a pitcher to injury. However, the injury ended all of those talks, and it's looking more and more like he won't treat his retirement in a Favre/Jordan/Clemens-esque sense, but that he's really done for good.

3. Eli Whiteside

A backup catcher with 2 World Series rings, Whiteside has bounced around "faster than a beach ball at a Nickleback concert" (to quote Hot Rod) this offseason. The Giants placed him on waivers shortly following the season. Then, on November 5, the Yankees claimed him off of waivers, then put him back on waivers. On December 3, he was claimed by Toronto from the Yankees, and then by Texas from Toronto that same day. Hopefully he's in Texas to stay for the forseeable future, but he had a crazy couple of months there. He is a serviceable defensive backup, though he's coming off a couple of dreadful offensive years.

2. Kyle Lohse: Remains a free agent

A 12-year veteran, the righty had by far the best season of his career at 33 years young in '12. He's the lone remaining Type A free agent, and there are likely two reasons he's still on the market: He probably has a pretty high asking price, and, more importantly, signing him would cause the signing team to lose their first-round draft pick this year. Lohse is likely somewhat overrated, due to his age and his career tendencies (his 2.86 ERA last year and 3.39 ERA in '11 were his two lowest, and only the second and third sub-4 ERAs of his long career). However, he's always been a reliable innings eater (he's averaged 28 starts per season in his career), and thus would be a good addition to any team.

It's worth noting that, if he waits to sign with a team until after June's draft, he'll no longer be tied to compensation. We'll see if he's willing to sacrifice playing time to get a better deal with a better team. He can also be the guy out there available for contenders who lose a starter to injury.

1. Miami Marlins

Can you say fire sale? And no, I don't mean Die Hard 4. The Marlins, less than a year after their makeover--new stadium, new players, huge payroll--basically hit the self destruct button this offseason. Here's who they traded away: Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio, and Heath Bell. Here's the "big names" they've added: Juan Pierre, Yunel Escobar, Placido Polanco, John Maine, Casey Kotchman, Chone Figgins, and Jon Rauch.

The guys they traded away, aside from Buck and Bonifacio, were all previously faces of franchises. Those seven new guys' ages average out to 33.14 years.While many of them were previously fantastic players, most of them are well over the hill; Maine hasn't pitched in the big leagues since '10, and most of the other guys are at least 3 years removed from their best seasons.

All of these trades has upset rising superstar Giancarlo Stanton, who's probably the one remaining guy the Marlins really need to have on their side to avoid full-on riots in the streets of Miami. Owner Jeffrey Loria is one of the most hated men in Florida right now.

~Close Call~

#Nick Johnson #Roy Oswalt #Dallas Braden #Armando Galarraga #Cincinnati Red #New York Yankees #Javier Vazquez #Eli Whiteside #Kyle Lohse #Miami Marlins #Hot Rod

Close Call's 2013 offseason winners

This offseason has been as busy as any, with clear cut winners and losers among both players and teams. Close Call has identified 2 teams and 5 players each as winners and losers. This is the first of two posts, containing the winners.

Winners

8. Ryan Dempster: Signed 2-year, $26.5 million deal with Boston on December 19

As a secondary Cubs fan due to my North Side-based lineage, I've always been a fan of Ryan Dempster's. After 6 relatively mediocre years to start his career in Florida and Cincinnati, Dempster put together 9 great years in the top half of Chicago's starting rotation, amassing 67 wins in almost 1,200 innings of 3.74 ERA and 1.318 WHIP ball. He seemed to really hit his stride at Wrigley when the Cubs witched him from a closer back to a starter in '08, his lone All-Star selection as a Cub in a year he finished 6th in the Cy Young voting. Last year, amid his torrid start to the season in which he was shutting down batters left and right en route to career bests in almost every relevant statistical category, the irrelevant Cubs traded him to the perennially contending Rangers for prospects. He saw a significant dip in his numbers upon his arrival to Texas, and at 35, is no spring chicken. Despite his age and a mere 12 AL starts in 15 years, he signed the lucrative deal with the Red Sox, who are looking to rebuild.

7. Rafael Soriano: Signed a 2-year, $14 million deal with Washington on January 17

No man in baseball, past, present, or future, would EVER want to have to replace the great Mariano Rivera, and an equal number of people could actually accomplish that, in the eyes of Yankee fans. In New York's first season without Mo since before Monica Lewinsky was a household name, however, Soriano did a more than adequate job. Following a 45 save, 1.73 ERA, 0.802 WHIP season in Tampa Bay, he was brought on by the Bronx Bombers to be the eighth inning setup man for Rivera, and he was just OK (412 ERA, 39.1 IP, 1.167 WHIP in 42 appearances). However, when Mo went down with an RGIII tear ACL tear in April of this past year, Rafael stepped in and saved 42 games, while putting up a 2.26 ERA and allowing just a 1.167 WHIP. As impressive as those numbers are, Soriano was just given another big dollar deal with another reigning division champion, which already has not one, but two experienced closers on staff (Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard--whio the Nats originally acquired in a trade with the Yankees--combined for 79 saves in the past two years). Soriano turned 33 in December.

6. Edwin Jackson: Signed a 4-year, $52 million deal with the Cubs on January 2

E-Jax, a member of the 2012 Division Champion Nationals, has bounced around a LOT in his 10 MLB seasons. He's been on 6 different teams since '08, and 7 teams since his debut in '03. Despite his desire to sign a multi-year deal similar to this one last season, he agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal with the Nats last February, and at least maintained, if not increased, his stock as a free agent--despite some struggles in September and October. He'll join a rebuilding Cubs team with a lot of young pitchers that will need mentoring, including former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija.

5. Washington Nationals

Ok, so I'm a little biased here. But, as I've mentioned twice already, this team won the NL East in 2012, and this offseason they did nothing but add. Their only two notable losses are Jackson, who they replaced with Dan Haren, who is arguably an upgrade, and Michael Morse, who they traded away becasue, due to a full outfield and first base, would not have received any kind of significant playing time. They re-signed Adam LaRoche, who had team-high numbers of home runs (33), RBI (100), and walks (67), and was top three on the team in batting average (.271), OBP (.343), hits (155), and doubles (25). They added a third proven closer to their superior bullpen in Soriano, and finally acquired a true center fielder/leadoff man in Denard Span, who is under team control through 2015 on a relatively modest deal. Those additions, combined with several strategic minor league and bench additions, should put the Nats on the fast track to repeat as baseball's best regular season team.

4. Zack Greinke: Signed a six-year, $159 million deal with the Dodgers on December 10

Anyone who signs a deal for that kind of money should be considered a winner in all aspects of life. Combine that with early career worries about Greinke's mental stamina, and he's golden. Greinke burst onto the MLB's collective radar in 2009, when he started the season with 29.2 consecutive scoreless innings, and went on to win the Cy Young award. He joins a high-expectations Dodgers team with a mammoth payroll and a ton of star power.

3. Josh Hamilton: Signed a 5-year, $133 million deal with the Angels on December 15

Hamilton's contract was a year and $26 million less than Greinke's. So why is he higher on the list? Several reasons: 1. He's making $100k more per year than Greinke (which may seem like pocket change compared to the size of these deals, but hey, I'd love to even be making just that $100k this year). 2. As much uncertainty as surrounded Greinke early in his career, Hamilton had even more--and more recently. He was on the restricted list from '03 to '05 due to drug and alcohol problems, and was on 3 different teams before he played a game in the big leagues. He overcame those obstacles, however, and went on to crush 142 homers in Texas over the next 5 years, making the all star team each time, and winning the 2010 MVP award (a year in which he hit .359). Despite his heroics, however, Rangers fans were happy to see him go, as his .227 career postseason batting average in 3 years earned him cascading boos in his final game as a Ranger (in the 1-game playoff against the Orioles this year in which he went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts). Hamilton will also have plenty of lineup support, as he'll join Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, both of whom hit 30 home runs last year (a career low for Pujols, who is sure to "bounce back" this season). Between those 3 guys, they have 13 top-5 MVP finishes, and 4 MVPs.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

Speaking of star-studded teams, these guys take the cake. Here's what they've done significantly this offseason (so far): Signed outfielder Melky Cabrera to a 2-year deal. Acquired R.A. Dickey from the Mets. And oh yeah, acquired Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, and Emilio Bonifacio (and John Buck, who they traded away in the Dickey deal) from Miami. 3 of those guys are former faces of franchises, and for good reason. Buerhle, Dickey, and Johnson, when healthy, are all ace-caliber pitchers, and Jose Reyes is a fantastic shortstop with MVP potential each year. Combine those with several other good acquisitions and signings (including inking former Nat and clubhouse favorite Mark DeRosa to a minor league deal), and that makes Toronto a force to be reckoned with in the coming year

1. Melky Cabrera: Signed a 2-year, $16 million deal with Toronto on November 19

Melky has had a very up-and-down career. Early on, the outfielder was touted as a future star with the Yankees, playing well in limited time in his first couple of seasons wearing pinstripes. However, his numbers fell in the next two years, and after a season with the Braves, he started hitting well again with the cellar-dwelling Royals in '11, batting .305 with 18 homers. Then, KC traded him to San Francisco last offseason, and he emerged early in 2012 as an MVP favorite, tearing it up with a .346 average and a .906 OPS in 113 games. However, in mid-August, Cabrera was found guilty of PED use for the first time, and had to incur the mandatory 50-game suspension (his last game before the suspension kicked in was, coincidentally, August 14 against the Nationals). Many were speculating whether Cabrera would receive interest from any team at all following the suspension, and if he did, how likely he would be to get a big league deal--let alone with a contender. The Jays, however, believed in him enough to sign him very shortly after the World Series ended, to an 8-figure deal.

Check back soon for Close Call's offseason losers.

~Close Call~

#Ryan Dempster #Boston Red Sox #Ragael Soriano #Washington Nationals #Edwin Jackson #Chicago Cubs #Zack Greinke #Los Angeles Angels #Los Angeles Dodgers #Josh Hamilton #Toronto Blue Jays #Melky Cabrera

Strasburg back to form in second Spring Training start; Rendon tearing it up

Healthy and ready to go, Stephen Strasburg figures to be the Nationals' Opening Day starter in 2013, without an innings limit hanging over his head. Stras had a less-than-stellar Spring Training debut, allowing a two-run homer in his first of two innings in which he struck out one. Last night, however, he looked like his old self again, fanning 6 in three innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 walks and a run in a 10-inning, 4-4 tie with the Mets last night.

Anthony Rendon recorded two RBI in a 1-for-2 night, hitting a run-scoring double and a run-scoring force out. The 2011 sixth overall draft pick has played well in his 5 Spring Training games; he's now 5-for-11 (.455) with two doubles and a home run, as well as 5 RBI and just one strikeout.

After 6 Spring Training games, the Nationals are 1-3-2.

~Close Call~

#Stephen Strasburg #New York Mets #Anthony Rendon

Baseball quote of the day

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." -Ted Williams

#Ted Williams #Baseball Quote of the Day

A look at what other former Nats have done this offseason

Yesterday, we took a look at where former Nats have gone via free agency this offseason. Here's a glimpse at other transactions involving ex-Nationals:

Traded

Joel Hanrahan: The Pirates sent the closer, along with second baseman Brock Holt, to the Red Sox for RHPs Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel, utility IF Ivan De Jesus, and outfielder Jerry Sands. The Nationals traded Hanrahan, who had disappointed in the Washington bullpen (but has saved 76 games the past 2 seasons with Pittsburgh), to the Pirates along with former uber-prospect Lastings Milledge for Sean Burnett and Nyjer Morgan. When that deal was made, the headlines were about Milledge and Morgan, but neither of them currently has a job in MLB (Millege has been a free agent since September of 2011, and appeared in just 2 games for the White Sox in '11; and Morgan just signed a deal with a Japanese team because nobody in MLB gave him a big league contract). Meanwhile, Burnett just signed a lucrative 2-year deal with the Angels, and Hanrahan got a big paycheck from Boston after the December trade.

A.J. Cole: The RHP returned to the Nats organization in a 3-team trade that sent Michael Morse to Seattle, while bringing, along with Cole, righty reliever Blake Treinen, and a player TBNL to DC from Oakland, who received catcher John Jaso from the Mariners. Cole was originally sent to Oakland bvy the Nats last offseason in the package that landed us Gio Gonzalez.

Brad Peacock: Another pitcher involved in the Gio deal, Peacock was traded with left fielder/first baseman Chris Carter and catcher Max Stassi from Oakland to the Astros for SS Jed Lowrie and RHP Fernando Rodriguez.

Emilio Bonifacio: As part of Miami's fire sale this past offseason, the speedy utility man was sent by the Marlins with catcher John Buck, pitchers Mark Buehrle (L) and Josh Johnson (R), and shortstop Jose Reyes (together taking over $150 off of Miami's payroll) to Blue Jays forshortstop Yunel Escobar, catcher Jeff Mathis, RHPs Henderson Alvarez and Anthony DeSclafani, LHP Justin Nicolino, centerfielder Jake Marisnick, and utility infielder Adeiny Hechavarria. Bonifacio was originally acquired by the Nats from Arizona midseason in '08 for now-Marlin Jon Rauch, and the team then traded Emilio following that season to Miami with 2 minor leaguers for Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen.

Remain free agents

RHP Todd Coffey

OF Willie Harris

RHP Livan Hernandez

IF Adam Kennedy

RHP Chien-Ming Wang

RHP Kip Wells

Retired

Nick Johnson: When healthy, the first baseman was an offensive force; he averaged 18 home runs per 162 games over his career. He played his best ball over his 6 and a half years with the Expos/Nationals organization, but injuries limited him severely throughout his career. In his career, which lasted from 2000-12, he missed three full seasons, and managed to play over 100 games just 4 times.

My favorite memories of #24 were when he'd return from an injury by coming in to pinch-hit, which happened at least 2 or 3 times, and the jumbotron would show the TV series 24's intro and play the beeping that went along with it, and then would say "24: JUST IN TIME!" The fan favorite was missed once he left DC in '09, and we wish him the best of luck in the future.

Brian Schneider: Brian was another fan favorite during his time in DC. Originally drafted by the Expos in '05, Schneider served as Montreal's and then Washington's backstop from 2000-07 (sometimes as the starter, sometimes as the backup). While he didn't have the best offensive numbers, his defense was above average, and from all accounts was a great clubhouse presence. Nats fans' love for Brian hopefully was not hurt too much due to his spending the last 5 years with the Mets and Phillies.

Brad Lidge: Lidge is best known around baseball for his 2008 season, in which he was a perfect 41-for-41 in regular season saves and 7-for-7 in saves in the post season.

The following season, however, he took a fall from greatness, recording a 7.21 ERA, blowing 11 saves and earning an 0-8 record--Phillies fans were not too fond of him after that.

After he left the Phillies, he came to DC last season, but injuries kept him out after 7 games in April until June, and in 4 games in June, Lidge pitched 2.1 innings and allowed 6 runs. He was released on June 25.

Other news

Pudge Rodriguez was hired by the Rangers as special assistant to the GM. I wrote about Pudge on Friday.

Randy St. Claire, the former Nationals pitching coach, was hired as a minor league pitching coach for the Mets.

Pat Listach, Washington's former third base coach, was signed as the Dodgers' minor league infield coordinator.

Jim Riggleman, the former Nationals manager who quit in the midst of a huge winning streak in 2011 because he wasn't being given an extension, was hired as a Reds minor league coach.

The Dodgers named Josh Bard, a former catcher for the Nats, player personnel special assistant

Pat Corrales, the former bench coach for the Nationals and one-time acting manager (after Manny Acta was fired), was hired, also by the Dodgers, as special assistant to the GM.

~Close Call~

#Joel Hanrahan #Pittsburgh Pirates #A.J. Cole #Seattle Mariners #Oakland Athletics #Brad Peacock #Houston Astros #Boston Red Sox #Emilio Bonifacio #Miami Marlins #Toronto Blue Jays #Nick Johnson #Brian Schneider #Ivan Rodriguez #Pudge

Baseball quote of the day

"People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby

#Rogers Hornsby #Baseball Quote of the Day

A look at where free agent former Nats ended up this past offseason

11 Nationals from last season's organization joined different teams via free agency this offseason. Here's a look at each, along with the team they signed with and the deal they signed:

Edwin Jackson: Cubs, 4 years, $52 million

E-Jax was the highest-profile player to leave the Nationals this year, and he achieved the payday he's been waiting on for a number of years. Since 2008, Jackson has been on seven different ballclubs (although he never suited up for the Blue Jays; he was traded twice on the same day in 2011; both trades involving former Nats. He was traded with Mark Teahen to the Blue Jays, and then later that day, was traded along with Corey Patterson to the Cardinals). Jackson turned down at least one multiyear deal last offseason to ink a one-year contract with the Nationals, and gave up on his quest for a 5-year, $60 million deal before '12. The simple math shows that the wait paid off, as he earned $11 million with Washington this year.

Sean Burnett: Angels, 2 years, $8 million

Sean originally came to DC in the 2009 Nyjer Morgan trade with Pittsburgh that sent Joel Hanrahan and Lastings Milledge to the Pirates. The lefty had three and a half fantastic years in DC out of the bullpen, posting a 2.81 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 245 innings in that time (compared to his previous career totals of 4.54 ERA and 1.506 WHIP in Pittsburgh).

Tom Gorzelanny: Brewers, 2 years, $6 million

Gorzelanny, a former starter (and, like Burnett, a former Pirate), was converted into a full-time long reliever by the Nationals in 2012, following the trade with the Cubs that brought him to DC for 3 prospects in the 2011 winter. After faltering in his 7 years as a starter, putting up a 4.57 ERA in that time, Gorzo enjoyed tremendous success as a lefty long reliever last year, attaining a 2.88 ERA in 45 appearances (one start, in the team's second-to-last regular season game, a start in which he went 4 innings and allowed 1 run on 4 hits) with a 1.319 WHIP.

Mike Gonzalez: Brewers, 1 year, $2.25 million

Gonzalez, the veteran journeyman, is the third lefty reliever who's also a former National and Pirate on this list. This year with the Nats, Gonzalez had his best year since 2009, posting a 3.03 ERA and 1.318 WHIP in 47 games--interestingly enough, he didn't earn a single decision in those 47 games, finishing with a 0-0 record. He'll join Gorzelanny in the Milwaukee bullpen.

Gonzalez was involved in the 2007 trade that brought Adam LaRoche, who the Nationals re-signed earlier this offseason, to the Pirates (a trade that sent Mike to the Braves).

John Lannan: Phillies, 1 year, $2.5 million

Lannan had 6 great years with the Nationals. An 11th round draft pick in 2005, he went on to be their opening day starter in 2009 and 2010. He was always reliable for 30-plus starts, and kept his ERA low. A victim of an overcrowded rotation, Lannan spent the majority of 2012 (a season in which he earned $5 million) with Triple-A Syracuse; he made just 6 big league starts last year, but, with the exception of a 3.2-inning, 6-run affair against the Dodgers in September, all of them were great starts. I know I'm going to miss seeing Lannan in a Nationals uniform, but with one of the strongest and deepest pitching rotations in baseball, the Nationals couldn't afford to keep him.

Mark DeRosa: Blue Jays, 1 year, $750,000

A friend to all in the clubhouse and a fan favorite, Mark has seen his numbers decline at age 38, but he remains a valuable clubhouse presence; few 38-year-olds would be able to get a big league deal following a season in which they hit .188 in 48 games, let alone with a team like Toronto, which is a favorite to win the AL East this year.

Jesus Flores: Dodgers, minor league deal

Flores was once the catcher of the future for the Nationals. He saw that career path derailed, however, after a stress fracture 29 games into the '09 season cost him the rest of 2009 and all of '10. Flores returned as a third-string catcher in 2011, behind Pudge Rodriguez and Wilson Ramos. Since then, he's seen limited playing time (113 games in the last two years), and despite the fans' and organization's fondness of him, there was just no more room left for him on the team.

Rick Ankiel: Astros, minor league deal

Ankiel was a fan favorite during his time in DC, despite only playing in 190 games over 2 years and having lackluster offensive numbers. Rick's story is one of the more interesting baseball stories ever. A top pitching prospect when he was called up by the Cardinals in late 1999, he had a fantastic 2000 campaign that almost won him the Rookie of the Year award. The next year, however, his ERA jumped from 3.50 to 7.13, and a combination of injuries led him never to be the same pitcher again. Many have speculated that the pressure "just got to him" and caused the break down. Regardless of the reason, Ankiel spent the following 5 years recovering from the mental and physical injuries (appearing in a total of just 5 games, all in '04), and returned to the Cardinals' major-league squad in '07, this time as an outfielder. In 47 games, he hit .285 and crushed 11 home runs, combined with the arm that made him such a highly regarded pitcher giving him a huge edge as an outfielder. His offensive output has dwindled over the years, but he makes up for it with his superior fielding. Some of my best memories of the '11 and '12 Nats are times when he gunned out runners at home from deep center field.

Xavier Nady: Royals, minor league deal

Nady, yet another former Pirate, has signed with his 10th team. He offers power off the bench, and had his best year in 2008, the year he was traded from Pittsburgh to the Yankees, when he hit .305 with 25 homers in 148 games. He joins a Royals team that has made some splashes in the trade market and free agency this offseason on the pitching front.

Cesar Izturis: Reds, minor league deal

Cesar is now joining his 9th MLB team, one of which was--you guessed it--Pittsburgh. The Nationals selected the utility infielder off of waivers from the Brewers last season in early August, and he played in just 5 games, with only 4 plate appearances (he had a single and a double). Fun fact: in 2006, he was traded from the Dodgers to the Cubs for future Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux.

Mark Teahen: Diamondbacks, minor league deal

Teahan did not reach the big league team with the Nationals last year. If he makes the team in Arizona, Teahen will likely serve as a bench player with occasional power hitting, as he has in recent years. As mentioned above, he was part of a 2011 trade that also involved Edwin Jackson.

And here's a quick run-down of where other players formerly in the Nationals organization have ended up through free agency this winter:

Jonny Gomes: Red Sox, 2 years, $10 million

Joel Peralta: Rays, 2 years, $6 million

Jason Marquis: Padres, 1 year, $3 million

Jerome Williams: Angels, 1 year, $2 million

Chad Durbin: Phillies, 1 year, $1.1 million

Jon Rauch: Marlins, 1 year, $1 million

Wil Nieves: Diamondbacks, 1 year, $800,000

Collin Balester-Rangers, minor league deal

Miguel Batista: Rockies, minor league deal

Brian Bixler: Mets, minor league deal

Bill Bray: Nationals, minor league deal

Marlon Byrd: Mets, minor league deal

Matt Capps: Indians, minor league deal

Endy Chavez: Royals, minor league deal

Chad Cordero: Angels, minor league deal

Armando Galarraga: Reds, minor league deal

Chad Gaudin: Giants, minor league deal

Alberto Gonzalez Cubs minor league deal

Anderson Hernandez: Pirates, minor league deal

Austin Kearns: Marlins, minor league deal

Ryan Langerhans: Blue Jays, minor league deal

J.D. Martin: Rays, minor league deal

Garrett Mock: Diamondbacks, minor league deal

Pete Orr: Phillies, minor league deal

Corey Patterson: Mets, minor league deal

Shawn Hill: Tigers, minor league deal

Nyjer Morgan: Japan

~Close Call~

Baseball quote of the day

"There's no crying in baseball." -A League of Their Own

#A League of Their Own #Baseball Quote of the Day

Baseball quote of the day

"Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical."

-Yogi Berra

#Yogi Berra #Baseball Quote of the Day

Nationals Have Pitching Depth

The Nationals, who were the subject of rumors surrounding the top remaining free agent Kyle Lohse and the "retired" Javier Vazquez, now have the starting pitching depth they need. Early last month, the team signed Ross Ohlendorf, a righty, to a minor league deal. Ohlendorf enjoyed a breakout season in 2009, in which he started 29 games and had a 3.92 ERA for Pittsburgh. Those numbers, plus an 11-10 record, likely led him to win his arbitration case after 2010, despite having a 1-11 record (and a 4.07 ERA for a Pirates team that won just 57 games) in '10. Since then, however, he has struggled with injuries, and in the past two seasons he's played in a combined 22 games, 4 of them out of the 'pen. Ohlendorf has a very high ceiling when healthy, and given that he is entering the season healthy, he's a great low-risk, high-reward signing.

The team also signed Chris R. Young to a minor league deal last week (not to be confused with Chris B. Young, about whom the Nats were involved in trade talks related to Adam Dunn and the White Sox in 2010). Young, who, in 9 years, has only had a 5-plus ERA once (5.21 in 2009, a year in which he started just 14 games) has also struggled with injuries, and hasn't played a full season since '07. He did, however, start 20 games and post a 4.15 ERA last year, and with the right amount of playing time and the lack of injuries, is a very good 4th or 5th starter.

Ohlendorf and Young both have ties to former Nationals; Young and former Nats outfielder/pinch hitter Terrmel Sledge were both traded along with then-prospect Adrian Gonzalez from Texas to San Diego in January of 2006. And Ohlendorf was sent along with former Nationals utility infielder Alberto Gonzalez (not to be confused with this guy) by the Diamondbacks for Yankees pitcher, Big Unit, Randy Johnson.

These two experienced starters, along with (injured) prospect Christian Garcia, give Washington a surplus of pitching once again; never a bad problem to have. Last season, John Lannan shone in six spot starts here and there for various reasons,

Now that the team is complete, it seems the only thing they can do is provide backups to the backups. Davey Johnson is going to have some tough decisions to make come April 1.

~Close Call

#Kyle Lohse #Javier Vazquez #Ross Ohlendorf #Pittsburgh Pirates #Chris R. Young #Chris B. Young #Adam Dunn #Chicago White Sox #Terrmel Sledge #Adrian Gonzalez #Texas Rangers #San Diego Padres #Alberto Gonzalez #Arizona Diamondbacks #New York Yankees #Randy Johnson #Christian Garcia #John Lannan #Davey Johnson

Pudge Hired by Rangers

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez has been hired by the Texas Rangers as special assistant to the general manager. The future Hall-of-Famer spent 13 years catching in Texas, and played the last two seasons of his career in a Nats uniform (although he signed a "retirement contract" with Texas last year so he could end his career as a Ranger). He was a 14-time All Star, 13-time Gold Glover, 7-time Silver Slugger winner, and won the AL MVP award in 1999--a season in which he hit .332 with 35 home runs and 199 hits in 144 games.

Still an above-average defender in 2011, his last season, Pudge was unfortunately forced into retirement in 2012 in the midst of his pursuit of 3,000 hits (he finished his career with 2,844). The Nationals no longer needed a starting catcher, and few teams were looking for a starter that would get enough plate appearances to rack up close to that number of hits. He also had an injury shortened 2011, when he played just 44 games.

Pudge was a huge fan favorite when he was in DC, and really anywhere. My personal favorite memory of Rodriguez is from 2003, the season he played for the Marlins (the year they won the World Series). In a playoff game against the Cubs, during the same NLCS as the infamous Steve Bartman game, Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa hit the deck to avoid getting beaned by a Josh Beckett pitch. As was Slammin' Sammy's tendency, he began a menacing, stare-down walk to the mound, intent on continuing the fight he felt Beckett had started with the pitch--an approach that could reduce many to a sobbing, shaking blob on the ground praying for mercy. With just a few words, Pudge was able to calm Sosa down, and explain to him that Beckett would be an idiot to want to give up a free base in such a high-stakes game.

That story, in my opinion, shows Pudge for what he was throughout his career: a cool-headed, calm, stable leader of not just his team, but everyone in the stadium--players, coaches, fans, even umpires. He rarely lost his cool, and in his brief stint with the Nationals, served as unofficial captain for a young team, and certainly helped to mentor and mold Wilson Ramos from a highly-touted prospect into a legitimate starter.

While Pudge's two years with the Nats were far from his best offensively (.255 batting average, 6 home runs in 155 games) he served as a fan favorite and a coach for the entire Nationals family. Best of luck back in Texas, Pudge.

~Close Call~

#Ivan Rodriguez #Texas Rangers #Sammy Sosa #Chicago Cubs #Florida Marlis #Josh Beckett #Wilson Ramos

Sources: Gio not linked to PEDs

According to a recent story by ESPN, the report that linked Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez to a Miami Biogenesis clinic does not tie him to any substances banned by MLB.

The story does, however, reveal some potentially troubling information: despite his insistence throughout this whole scandal that he has never visited the clinic, the sources quoted in the story show evidence that Gio did receive $1,000 worth of substances from the clinic, none of them banned by MLB. Previously, both Gio and his father Max had stated that Max was the only member of the Gonzalez family to receive treatment from the implicated Tony Bosch.

Despite the discovery of potentially false testimony by the lefty, the Nationals' Opening Day rotation still figures to feature Gio, likely as the #2 starter behind Stephen Strasburg. Gio was a huge part of the Nationals' success in 2012, finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting, and achieving team-bests in wins (21), ERA (2.89), WHIP (1.129), and innings pitched (199.1), along with several other stats. The Nats raided their farm system last offseason to acquire Gonzalez, sending four highly-regarded prospects to Oakland for the then-26-year-old, and then signed the starter to a 5-year, $42 million deal.

Had Gio been the only one linked to this clinic, we might be looking at a different situation here. However, the fact that Gio is the first of the original five players (which included former MVPs Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, both of whom have been linked to PEDs in the past) to be cleared, paired with the fact that ESPN listed six additional players linked to the clinic in their story (including the Padres' highly-regarded speedster shortstop Everth Cabrera), leads to the reasonable assumption that investigating Gonzalez's involvement in the situation will be relatively low on MLB's totem pole. The league will (and should) still conduct a full investigation, however Gonzalez is very unlikely to even be considered for the mandatory 50-game suspension for players found guilty of using PEDs if this story is true. On the other hand, the injured A-Rod, who may not even be healthy enough to play for the Yankees until at least midseason, finds his 19-year career in jeopardy. The 3-time MVP has an impressive resume, signing the two most lucrative contracts in baseball history, and hitting 647 home runs with a 162-game average of 42, but this is the third time he's been publicly linked to PEDs. Rodriguez is far from a fan favorite in New York, and the Yankees may look to void the rest of the 10-year, $275 million deal he signed that, if maintained, would keep him starting at third base in the Bronx through 2017--or make him the most expensive bench player in history.

Various reports already show Gio having a strong Spring Training, and all Nats fans can do at this point is hope that this offseason scandal does not distract him from winning 20 games again in 2013.

~Close Call~

#Gio Gonzalez #Stephen Strasburg #Oakland Athletics #Alex Rodriguez #Ryan Braun #San Diego Padres #Everth Cabrera #New York Yankees

Nationals, Zimmermann Avoid Arbitration

It appears as though the Nationals have completed their offseason activity, finally answering what was the final remaining question mark on the team by signing #3 starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann to a one-year, $5.35 million deal, tweets Bill Ladson. J-Zim had career bests in almost every category last season, his fourth MLB season, and second since receiving Tommy John surgery. He was 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 32 starts with a 1.170 WHIP. That ERA was seventh in the NL (10th in MLB), and the WHIP was 11th in the NL and 20th in all of baseball. For a third starter, those numbers sure aren't bad.

Zimmermann is among several key young players on the Nationals' roster whose time for a long-term extension is drawing closer. J-Zim, Stephen Strasburg and Ian Desmond lead a young core of Nationals that also includes Ross Detwiler, Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos, all of whom will be arbitration eligible in 2014. Without contracts, Detwiler, Desmond and Ramos will become free agents in 2016, and Strasburg and Espinosa will in '17. A little further down the road, Bryce Harper will be arb-eligible for the first tome in 2016, and could be a free agent in '19.

I predict that, by the end of the calendar year, Zimmermann and Desmond will have signed lucrative, multi-year extensions with the team (barring any injuries or other setbacks). Should the Nats lock these young players up long-term, they will have no problem in future offseasons only needing to pursue one to three big moves via trade or free agency, like this year;

~Close Call~

#Bill Ladson #Jordan Zimmermann #Ian Desmond #Stephen Strasburg #Ross Detwiler #Danny Espinosa #Wilson Ramos #Bryce Harper

Baer ranks Nats' rotation second-best

In the second installation of Bill Baer's team section rankings on ESPN.com's SweetSpot blog, he ranked the league's best pitching rotations. The Nationals beat out the Rays, World Champion Giants, and division rival Phillies to earn the second spot on that list, just narrowly missing first place to Justin Verlander and the Tigers.

Here's a stat for you: a man who finished seventh in the 2011 Cy Young Voting and got a 1-year, $13 million deal; a man who hasn't started less than 30 games since he became a full-time starter in '05 (and started 33-35 until last year when he started 30); a 3-time All-Star who owns a 3.66 ERA and 119 career wins--is projected to be the Nationals fifth starter this year. Yes, fifth. Dan Haren, who could make a reasonable case to be many teams' ace, is going to be rounding out a lineup that is anchored by a full season of still-only-24 Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez who, according to the MLB, was the 3rd-best pitcher in the National League last year (assuming he doesn't have to deal with a PED-related suspension), Jordan Zimmermann, who has gotten better and pitched faster each year since his Tommy john surgery, and Ross Detwiler, the team's fifth starter last year who still had an amazing 3.40 ERA. That 3.40 is the highest of the four Nats pitchers returning to the lineup after last year. Haren's was a little less than a run higher than that (4.33), but, aside from his first 2 years in the league, he's never had 2 consecutive seasons with ERAs of 4 or more. Not to mention, the team is even considering coaxing 2009's 4th-place NL Cy Younger Javier Vazquez out of retirement, just to provide pitching depth. Rumors have also linked the team to the guy that placed 7th in last year's voting, Kyle Lohse.

This is a staff made of 5 aces. Assuming the Nats lock up ZImmermann and Detwiler semi-long term, they could challenge the 90's Braves' Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine (who, in the 10 years they played together on the Braves combined for 5 Cy Young Awards 15 All-Star appearances) as the best long-term rotation in MLB history. And you don't have to go far to see that Haren's career numbers make him a marked improvement over the guy he's replacing, Edwin Jackson, who had some problems down the stretch and in the playoffs last year.

Most historical trends will show that superior pitching prevails in the playoffs; most World Series Champions have at least one, if not more, Cy Young candidates on their staff. That, combined with a balanced lineup, should be enough to propel the Nats at least back into the playoffs, and hopefully further.

~Close Call~

#Tampa Bay Rays #San Francisco Giants #Philadelphia Phillies #Justin Verlander #Detroit Tigers #Dan Haren #Stephen Strasburg #Gio Gonzalez #Jordan Zimmermann #Ross Detwiler #Greg Maddux #Tom Glavine #John Smoltz #Javier Vazquez #Kyle Lohse #Edwin Jackson

Nationals' Outfield Ranked 4th Best

Bill Baer, on Dave Schoenfield’s SweetSpot blog on ESPN.com, recently started ranking different parts of MLB teams based on their output last season and their offseason activity. The Nats, fresh off their NL East championship in 2012 and a heartbreaking Game 5, rank 4th in outfield prowess according to Baer going into this season. Ahead of Washington are 3 teams relevant to the Nats: in third place are the villains of Washington'd 2012 postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals. Led by veterans Matt Holliday and former Met Carlos Beltran, the Cards' offensive pop contributed a lot to their late-season success last year; Beltran and Holliday combined for 7.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR); meaning the average corner outfielders wouldn't have gotten St. Louis that 5th and last spot in the playoffs.

In second are the Nats' division rivals, and likely biggest competition in defending their NL East crown, Atlanta Braves. Bringing back freak-of-nature-huge Jason Heyward, and adding the Upton brothers, Atlanta's outfield figures to be terrifying this year; the three of them combined for 10.2 WAR last year, albeit on different teams. Justin and B.J. have been competing for the World's Greatest Upton title since Justin (3 years younger than B.J.) broke into the show in 2007, and it reached a pinnacle last season when they each hit their 100th home run--on the same day.

And in first place are the LA Angels and last year's super-rookie Mike Trout. Trout had an unbelievable season last year, in which he had a shocking WAR of 10.7. Yes, Trout alone gave the Angels more wins than Atlanta's 3 outfielders did for their teams combined. And despite losing the MVP award to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, Mike's rookie season was one of the best single seasons ever by a Major League player. Those 10.7 wins are tied for the 20th-best any player has ever done for their team, and every guy on that list ahead of Trout is either a Hall of Famer or baseball's current home run king. Oh, and the Angels also signed perennial MVP candidate Josh Hamilton. Any outfield whose second-best player averages 35 homers and .304 batting each season is, well, really freakin' good.

And now, we come to the Nats (who edged out Oakland for the 4th spot on Baer's list). The Nationals' outfield will feature new face Denard Span, flanked by 20-year-old Bryce Harper and a healthy Jayson Werth. Span figures to be one of two Nationals Opening Day starters who've been acquired from the Twins for pitching; in '10, catcher Wilson Ramos came over from Minnesota for closer Matt Capps. Denard, while lacking the power of his co-outfielders, brings the speed and defense that the Nationals have been seeking for years in a true center fielder and lead-off man--he gets on base, and he makes outs. And his lack of power shouldn't be any problem.

Harper, 2012's NL Rookie of the year, had such a great season that he and Trout have been called the next Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Bryce's first season at age 19 has drawn comparisons to other careers of players who started in their teens, including Ken Griffey, Jr. and Ted Williams. He had a WAR of 5.0, and each of his numbers reflect that. 22 home runs, 18 stolen bases, .817 OPS...Harper had a great year (which didn't start until almost a month into the season), and looks only to build on that.

Werth will be one of the most interesting Nationals to watch this season. Entering the third year of his 7 year, $126 million deal, and finally healthy after a broken wrist kept him out for half of the 2012 season, Werth has a lot to prove to the Nationals. The first year of his contract was, in a word, awful. He hit .232 with just 20 home runs and a WAR of only 1. And while 20 home runs are nice, and we did enjoy that 1 extra win, those are upsetting numbers for a guy who earned his big contract on the merit of he previous 2 seasons, in which he combined for 63 homers, 8.5 WAR, and a .282 batting average. He showed promise last year when he was healthy, however; he hit .312 in the 54 games after he returned for injury. With Span in center, look for Jayson this year to put an emphasis on regaining his power hitting and speed.

It should be an interesting year for the Nats' outfield. My prediction: 60-65 home runs, 55-60 stolen bases, 10-11 WAR.

~Close Call~

The Nationals' 2012 season and this offseason

The Nationals have just completed, far and away, their best season since their move to the Nation's Capital in '05. Led by Cy Young Finalist Gio Gonzalez, NL Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper, a stellar (if limited) Stephen Strasburg, and a seemingly endless well of young talent--combined with the veteran leadership of a healthy Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats took the stacked NL East and were within an inning--a single, devastatingly heartbreaking inning--of playing in the League Championship Series against the eventual World Champion San Francisco Giants.

The offseason so far has featured pretty much only additions. Washington finally acquired its true center fielder/leadoff man in former Twin Denard Span. Span finished sixth in the 2008 Rookie of the Year voting, and even though he hasn't made an All Star squad, he's put up very good numbers in that time: He's hit for a .284 career average, .357 on base percentage, and a .746 OPS. He stole 90 bases in 118 attempts in that time. He hasn't played a full season the last two years, and his numbers from the two full seasons he has played ('09-'10) suggest that he'll improve with more playing time; his numbers were just slightly below his career averages last year. The 20th overall selection in 2002 cost the Nationals their 2011 first rounder (23rd overall), righty starter Alex Meyer, who put up impressive numbers last season at Single-A Hagerstown and Single-A+ Potomac, but is at least a couple of years away from making a major league roster, and may not quite fit in an organization whose starting rotation hopes to feature a powerful 1-4 of Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Ross Detwiler for a number of years to come (more talk of the rotation to come below).

Washington also, after some uncertainty, was able to re-sign first baseman Adam LaRoche, the Gold Glover, Silver Slugger-er who finished 6th in the MVP voting (after an AdaMVP campaign by the Nats' social media team) but somehow did not make the All-Star team. LaRoche was nothing short of amazing this past season, the second of a two-year deal the Nats inked him to prior to '11 after he'd been with 4 teams in the previous 3 years. His injury-shortened 2011 was disappointing, to say the least; in the 43 games he did play in, he his an abysmal .172 with just 3 home runs. But he bounced back last year and smacked a career-high 33 homers and hit .271, all the while playing stellar defense. The only hangup in re-signing him was that he wanted 3 years, while the Nats (and every other team) were only willing to offer the 33-year-old 2. However, with the addition of Span and the re-signing of LaRoche came a hard-to-cope-with loss.

No longer will Nationals fans be greeted in the 4-spot with A-ha's Take On Me or the enthusiastic announcement of "MICHAAAAEEEEELLLLLL MORSE!" The team's OF/1B Michael Morse became expendable, as LaRoche was pegged to man first base and the Nats completed their outfield with Span joining Harper and Jayson Werth, with Tyler Moore and Steve Lombardozzi coming off fantastic rookie seasons as 6th outfielders and 5th infielders. The energetic fan favorite will likely be remembered in Washington for one of two moments last season, both occurring towards the end of the season: on September 29th, Morse hit what was first ruled a single, but, after an instant replay review, was changed to a grand slam home run. Morse rounded the bases backwards, pantomimed a home run, and rounded the bases again. You can see a video and GIFs of the amazing moment here. The other was on October 1, the day the Nationals clinched the NL East Championship at home (despite losing that game), when, during the post-game celebration, he ran around the outfield with a bottle of champagne in each hands, spraying it at the fans who remained in the stands long after the game had ended.

Morse was originally acquired in the middle of the '09 season for the lackluster Ryan Langerhans from Seattle, where he now returns to try and fill the fan-revving void left by I-still-can't-believe-he's-a-Yankee Ichiro. The Nationals acquired 3 prospects in the 3-team deal (which sent highly-regarded catcher John Jaso from the Mariners to Oakland), including the re-acquisition of pitcher A.J. Cole, who was originally sent to the A's in the Gio Gonzalez deal. While the Washington faithful are going to miss Beast Mode, Morse no longer had a place on the team, and he had downside that none of the other starters he'd have replaced do. Morse never really thrived in partial playing time, which is why it took so long for him to become a starter. Furthermore, it always takes him a couple of months at the beginning of the season to hit his stride; last year, an injury kept him out until June, and as late as June 25th he was batting .217 with just 1 home run. In '11 (when he played the whole season), after a phenomenal spring training, it took him until April 17th for his batting average to reach .200, and another month for it to break .250. While he finished that year hitting .303, it wasn't until the last day of May that he passed the .300 mark in his average. And his defense is nothing to write home about either. So, we'll miss him, but it was time for Michael to find a new team where he can see more regular outfield playing time.

The only other season-long starter the Nationals lost was 29-year old starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, who inked a big deal with the Cubs. E-Jax, an innings-eater, saw his ERA (which had hovered between 3.50 and 3.75 all year) climb to 4.03 in the last month of the season (topping out at 4.13 after a game in which he allowed 9 runs in 2 innings), which raised concerns in my mind about his reliability down the stretch. He also went 0-1 in 2 playoff games, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings in his first outing and giving up a run in one inning of relief in Game 5. Replacing Jackson in the rotation is 10-year MLB veteran Dan Haren. At 32, Haren--another innings-eater--has amassed a 119-97 record and a 3.66 ERA, which, as anyone can tell you, is nothing but spectacular for your 4th or 5th starting pitcher. He's a 3-time All-Star and has finished in the Cy Young voting twice, most recently in 2011. Aside from his first two seasons when he split time between the major and minor leagues, he's never started fewer than 30 games, and has never won fewer than 12 (while a pitcher's win-loss record is, in my opinion, one of the least reliable stats in baseball, it's certainly helpful to have; in 2011, John Lannan was the only Nationals pitcher with double-digit wins, and he had a 10-13 record, compared to 2012 which saw all five members of the starting rotations with 10 or more wins). Haren's career ERA is .74 runs lower than Jackson's, and he's allowed .257 walks + hits per inning pitched (WHIP) less than Edwin has in his career. Haren averages 33 starts per season to Jackson's 32, and 22 more innings each season. Haren's stats are clearly an upgrade over Jackson's.

However, Haren adds another level of improvement to the Nats' pitching staff: he is a seasoned veteran who can mentor an otherwise very young rotation; Gio is the oldest member of the rotation at 27, followed by J-Zim and Detwiler who are 26, and Strasburg--24. And while the Nationals have definitely had veteran pitchers before, most notably Livan Hernandez, Haren is still at the peak of his career; Livan's best year was in 2005, during his first (of many) tour of duty with the team, when he was 29 (the same as Jackson). Haren has huge upside, and on a one-year deal, pitching behind 4 fantastic pitchers, not a lot of downside. I predict he'll start 30 games, have an ERA of about 4.15, and pitch over 200 innings. The team also lost Lannan, who spent most of '12 in the minors due to an overcrowding of talented pitching, in free agency to Philadelphia.

The Nats' bullpen lost the most key factors of any part of the team, allowing 3 lefties to depart via free agency, leaving Zach Duke and minor leaguer Matt Purke as the only lefty bullpen arms remaining on the 40-man roster. Sean Burnett signed a big-for-a-reliever deal with the Angels, and Tom Gorzelanny and Michael Gonzalez both went to Milwaukee. However, the Nationals added a third closer to the 'pen in Rafael Soriano--between him, Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen, they have 123 saves in the past two seasons, and 217 career saves.

Clippard, originally acquired in a 2007 trade with the Yankees, became one of the league's premier setup men before stepping in for the injured Storen as closer last year; in his All-Star '11 season, he had a 1.82 ERA and 48 holds, and the year before that he compiled an 11-3 record despite not starting a game, and had 69 holds. Storen, selected 9 spots after Strasburg by the Nats in the 2009 draft, had an incredibly disappointing end to the 2012 season in which he took the loss in Game 5 against the Cardinals, giving up a big lead in the ninth inning. However, he's been great in his 3 years, especially in 2011 when he had 43 saves and a 2.75 ERA. Soriano's had 42+ saves in 2 of the past 3 years--and the one in which he didn't was a year that he was setting up for the great Mariano Rivera. At age 33, he can also provide guidance to a young bullpen, and will hopefully continue to play at the incredibly high level that got him all of those saves and plenty of MVP votes both last year and in '10. Additionally, if all 3 continue to play at such a high level, one can become trade bait mid-season should injury or other circumstances present a need for the Nationals (Storen, who's been the subject of trade rumors for much of his major league career, is most likely to be traded).

At catcher, the Nationals are looking forward to the return of starter Wilson Ramos, who's had an up-and down 16 months-in November of 2011, he was kidnapped near his home in Venezuela and was rescued just 2 days later. Then, after a great defensive start and decent offensive start to the season, Ramos was lost for the rest of 2012 when he tore his ACL on May 12. However, Ramos is healthy and ready to go for Spring Training, with veteran Kurt Suzuki backing him up. Suzuki was aquired by the Nats in a waiver trade with Oakland in early August and started much of the rest of the season for the team. His stellar defense is combined with clutch offense, and will be a very good backup and mentor to Ramos.

Many Nationals fans were sad to hear about Jesus Flores' signing with the Dodgers. Anyone who rooted for the Nats from '07-'09 will have fond memories of Flores, who quickly became our catcher of the future, combining great defense with above-average offense. However, a stress fracture in his shoulder caused him to miss most of 2009 and all of 2010 (during which time the Nats acquired Ramos from the Twins) and he never quite returned to form. While a lot of us will miss him, most of what we'll miss is from his pre-injury days. Best of luck in LA, Jesus.

The starting and backup infield for the Nats will be pretty much exactly the same this year; with LaRoche at first, Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond at second and short, and Ryan Zimmerman manning third, as well as Moore and Lombardozzi as the primary backups. Desmond was an All-Star last year, and he finished 16th in the MVP voting. He also won the Silver Slugger award.

So there you have it: what the Nationals have to look forward to in the coming season. We should be prepared to build on an incredible 2012, and will likely be a serious World Series contender come October.

It's great to be back!

~Close Call~

Close Call is back again!

After another hiatus, Close Call is returning on the same day that pitchers and catchers report for the 2013 season! Prepare for an amazing year of Nationals baseball!

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