District Daily: Does Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada make sense for the Nationals?
By Pablo Roa
Feb 24, 2014; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo watches some spring training action at space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! Start off your Sunday with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in today’s District Daily:
Does Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada make sense for the Washington Nationals?
(Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
In an article about the varying levels of the Washington Nationals‘ interest in some of the Cuban-born players available on the international market this winter, the Washington Post’s James Wagner reported on November 4, 2014 that, “… Nationals talent evaluators have scouted the three infield free agents who have experience at second base,” and, “… have been most interested in [Jose] Fernandez and [Yoan] Moncada.”
Fernandez, 26, and a left-handed hitting infielder, was described by Baseball America’s Ben Badler when the second baseman defected, as having, “… excellent bat control and plate discipline with occasional power,” which allowed him to put up, “… a .326/.482/.456 line in 314 plate appearances,” with Matanzas in the Serie Nacional in 2013-14. Read full article here.
Trading For Howie Kendrick Should Be Washington Nationals’ Top Offseason Priority
(Jacob Kornhauser, Rant Sports)
After leading the NL in wins last season, expectations are high for the Washington Nationals next season. That being said, they have to re-tool their team in a way that keeps them competitive in 2015 and makes sure they stay competitive in the future. There’s one clear way they can do that.
It seems unlikely at this point that the Nationals can re-sign star pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, so they may be better off flipping him for assets they can use in the future. Zimmermann’s contract expires after this upcoming season, and a player they could trade for is Howie Kendrick of the Los Angeles Angels, who is also a free agent after this season. This is because they have a much better chance of signing him to an extension than Zimmermann. Read full article here.