Nationals Journal: January 30, 2011 - February 5, 2011

Nationals sign three to minor league deals, invite four to spring training

By this time next week, Nationals players will have started trickling into Viera, Fla. for spring training, and so the Nationals are starting to finalize their roster. Today, the Nationals signed right-handed starter J.D. Martin, catcher Carlos Maldonado and first...

By Adam Kilgore  | February 4, 2011; 3:54 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (31)
 
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Long toss: Who will be this year's spring training sleeper?

Pitchers and catchers report in a mere 11 days. As spring training draws near, which player do you think is most likely to play a bigger role than expected? poll by twiigs.com...

By Washington Post editors  | February 4, 2011; 12:17 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (28)
 
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Nats farmhand Nieto suspended for PEDs

Adrian Nieto, a catcher in the Nationals' farm system, was suspended for 50 games Thursday after testing positive for two banned substances, Major League Baseball announced in a news release. Nieto, who spent 2010 with low Class A Hagerstown, tested...

By Dave Sheinin  | February 3, 2011; 5:50 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (10)
 
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Nationals agree to terms with Laynce Nix

The Nationals have agreed to terms with outfielder Laynce Nix on a minor-league contract that includes a spring training invitation. From the news release: The left-handed hitting Nix earned his first post-season experience with Cincinnati in 2010, after batting .291...

By Washington Post editors  | February 3, 2011; 3:31 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (24)
 
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Long toss: Will Maxwell trade haunt the Nationals?

Yesterday the Nationals traded outfielder Justin Maxwell to the Yankees for right-handed pitcher Adam Olbrychowski. Commenter mjames0 thinks the Nationals shouldn't have given up on Maxwell so soon: I have always been a fan of Maxwell. Even with hsi abysmal...

By Washington Post editors  | February 3, 2011; 12:14 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (41)
 
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Nationals sign Cla Meredith, Alex Cora to minor league contracts

The Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Cla Meredith and infielder Alex Cora on minor-league contracts that include Spring Training invitations. From the team's news release: Meredith is 14-14 with 44 holds, one save and a 3.62 ERA...

By Washington Post editors  | February 2, 2011; 5:18 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (33)
 
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Nationals trade Justin Maxwell to Yankees

Updated 3:35 pm: The Nationals announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Adam Olbrychowski from the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Justin Maxwell. The Nationals also outrighted right-handed pitcher Shairon Martis to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League....

By Adam Kilgore  | February 2, 2011; 2:13 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (19)
 
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Long toss: How high are your expectations?

Spring training is less than two weeks away, and hopes are understandably sunny. While commenting on the Nationals' off-season signings, Handsome_John_Pruitt expressed so much optimism that he even mentioned the P-word. I think Mike Rizzo has done a good job...

By Washington Post editors  | February 2, 2011; 11:50 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (34)
 
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Stephen Strasburg, local Little Leaguer connect over Tommy John surgery

A few weeks ago, I wrote a story updating Stephen Strasburg's recuperation from Tommy John surgery. Strasburg talked a bit about the support he had received, including a letter from a boy in Mechanicsville, Va., who told him he had...

By Adam Kilgore  | February 1, 2011; 11:42 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (37)
 
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Long toss: What should we make of the off-season signings?

Our post on the Sun's report that the Nats' were a finalist for Justin Duchscherer prompted some interesting comments on the blog last night. Many focused on how we should judge the Nationals' signings this off-season, particularly when it comes...

By Washington Post Sports  | January 31, 2011; 11:45 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (54)
Tags:  Nationals free agent signings, Nationals free agents, Washington Nationals offseason  
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Report: Nationals a finalist for Justin Duchscherer

UPDATE, 10:48: Justin Duchscherer agreed to a one-year deal with the Orioles, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick's reports. It seemed like the Orioles were front-runners all along for Duchscherer's services, so this does not come as a surprise. The Nationals, along with...

By Adam Kilgore  | January 30, 2011; 6:32 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (37)
Categories:  Pitching rotation  
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