Washington Nationals: News and Links 2/15
By Pablo Roa
May 13, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher
Josh Roenicke(20) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
General manager Mike Rizzo and the Washington Nationals were busy again on Friday, signing right-handed reliever Josh Roenicke to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training. Roenicke, who happens to be Ian Desmond‘s brother in law, will likely compete with a handful of players for a spot on the Nationals’ bullpen. According to reports, Roenicke’s deal includes an opt-out on June 15, at which point the reliever could return to free agency.
Source: Josh Roenicke's minor league deal with #Nationals includes a 6/15 opt-out date.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 15, 2014
It’s only been two days since pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, and the Nationals have already made two acquisitions that they hope can help them on their quest for a World Series championship in 2014.
Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to have their first team workout today, and the remaining position players are scheduled to report Jan. 18. Stay tuned to District on Deck for all the Washington Nationals spring training coverage you need!
Here are some links from our fellow Washington Nationals writers/bloggers:
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says Tyler Clippard is relieved to have avoided arbitration with the one year, $5.875 million deal he signed with the team earlier this week. Read Kilgore’s article here.
- Kilgore also writes on reliever Christian Garcia‘s hopes to make the team out of spring training and to stay healthy during the 2014 season, no small task for a pitcher who has already had multiple arm injuries and two Tommy John surgeries. Read Kilgore’s article here.
- Garrett Hooe from Federal Baseball ranked the top center fielders in the National League East. Read his post here.
- Andrew Bailey from Red Porch Report shared his thoughts on the Jose Lobaton/Nate Karns trade. Read his post here.
- Justin Howard from Half Street Heart Attack broke down the Jose Lobaton/Nate Karns trade and explains why it happened in the first place. Read his post here.
Yesterday we continued our National League player ranking series with second baseman Anthony Rendon. Stay tuned for our next installment of the series featuring first baseman Adam LaRoche!