District Daily: Are Bryce Harper and the Nationals headed for a grievance hearing?
By Pablo Roa
Oct 7, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder
Bryce Harperhits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the 7th inning during game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! Start off your day with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:
Are Bryce Harper and the Nationals headed for a grievance hearing this month?
(Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
Are the Washington Nationals and 2010 no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper headed for a grievance hearing at some point this month or can they work out a dispute which dates back to August of 2010?
As the deadline to sign that year’s Draft picks approached in August of 2010, the Washington Nationals announced deals with 2nd Round pick Sammy Solis, 4th Round pick A.J. Cole and 12th Round pick Robbie Ray, then finally, moments after midnight, Bryce Harper, the no.1 overall pick that year.
“Nationals and Bryce Harper have agreed to terms,” former Nats’ GM Jim Bowden wrote on Twitter that night, “waiting on final numbers and details.” Read full article here.
Rafael Soriano could be a late inning bullpen upgrade for Tigers
Not all buy-low candidates are coming off injuries or horrible seasons. Rafael Soriano lost his closer job with the Washington Nationals last season, but still finished the season with some solid numbers. However, his late season struggles were costly, as the Nats declined his $14 million option for the 2015 season. Now a free agent, Soriano may not even see that amount of money on a multi-year contract. Does this make him a fit for the Tigers?
Who is he?
Soriano will be 35 on Opening Day in 2015, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the better relievers in baseball over the past few seasons. He has a 2.84 ERA and 3.36 FIP since 2012 with 117 saves in 134 opportunities. One could consider him a late bloomer, as he didn’t really make a name for himself until a dominant year with the Atlanta Bravesin 2009, his age 29 season. He followed that up with the best season of his career while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, allowing a 1.73 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. After a two year stop in New York, Soriano spent the last two years with the Nationals, where he allowed a 3.15 ERA and 3.38 FIP in 128 2/3 innings. Read full article here.