District Daily: A closer look at the Nationals’ payroll
By Pablo Roa
Good morning DoD readers, start off your day with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:
Washington Nationals payroll: a closer look
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
When the Nationals signed Max Scherzer a few weeks ago, they took a qualitative and quantitative leap. Qualitatively, Washington added one of the game’s most highly performing right-handed pitching talents to an already well-equipped rotation and playoff-ready roster. Quantitatively, the Nationals added the biggest deal in team history to a payroll that already was set to be the franchise’s largest yet, and had never been bolstered quite so aggressively.
The all-clear came from the Ted Lerner, who saw an opportunity to improve the team’s chances at a World Series now — and perhaps again later — though it required some financial creativity to make such an addition after Mark Lerner said it left the team’s ownership “beyond topped out” payroll when they summed to $135 million prior to last season. Read full article here.
More from Nationals News
- Latest DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code in Maryland: Bet $5, Win $200 Guaranteed
- Nationals Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
Which prospects will make the Top 100 cut?
The annual preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects in baseball will be revealed Friday, with the Top 50 being unveiled during a one-hour special on MLB Network and MLB.com beginning at 9 p.m. ET, and the entire list on MLB.com. The show, hosted by Greg Amsinger, will feature analysis from MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, as well as MLB Network analyst Bill Ripken.
Mayo and Callis compiled the rankings with the help of the rest of the MLBPipeline team and input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players’ skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. The list, which is one of several prospect rankings on MLBPipeline.com’s Prospect Watch, only includes players with rookie status in 2015. Prospect Watch also follows the guidelines laid out by the Collective Bargaining Agreement: Players who are at least 23 years old and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.
Last year’s top prospect, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, remains eligible for this season’s edition. But four other players ranked in the top 10 last year have graduated to the Major Leagues. In all, 27 players from the 2014 Top 100 have exhausted their rookie status. Read full article here.