Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MASN’s Chris Johnson discusses how the Nationals appear to have narrowed down their manager search to veteran managers Bud Black and Dusty Baker. As Johnson notes, a report from ESPN insider and former Nationals general manager Jim Bowden suggests that Black has emerged as the front-runner to land the job.
The Nationals have been looking for a new manager since they fired Matt Williams a day after they finished their disappointing 2015 campaign. The team has interviewed several candidates and was expected to interview both Black and Baker for a second time today.
Given that general manager Mike Rizzo and the Nationals are already in their second round of managerial interviews, there’s a good chance the team is getting close to making a decision. In any case, they can’t make a formal announcement until after the World Series, so we’ll likely have to wait until then to find out who will be manning the ship in 2016 and, hopefully, beyond.
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
Also in today’s Daily, Federal Baseball’s Patrick Reddington discusses whether or not the Nationals can replace relievers Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon this winter. As Reddington writes in his article, the Nationals are expected to undergo a complete overhaul of the ‘pen, starting with the seventh, eighth and ninth-inning roles.
Storen had an excellent first half as the Nationals’ closer in 2015, but the right-hander’s solid season collapsed when the team acquired Papelbon. The trade crushed Storen’s confidence and probably damaged an already testy relationship between the right-hander and the Nationals’ front office.
The trade, of course, backfired on the Nationals. Papelbon struggled in the closer’s role and was suspended at the end of the season for choking outfielder Bryce Harper in a dugout skirmish. Given the disastrous start to Papelbon’s Nationals career, it’s unlikely that the closer will be back with the team in 2016. The Nationals will look to trade him this offseason, and if that proves to be impossible, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team cut him all together.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Report: Bud Black emerges as frontrunner to become next Nats manager
Bud Black has emerged as the top candidate to land the Nationals‘ managerial job and could be offered a deal as early as today, according to ESPN’s Jim Bowden.
Bowden, Washington’s former general manager, reports Black is in D.C. for his second meeting with the Nationals. The Washington Post is also reporting that Dusty Baker will interview again with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo today.
After firing first-time manager Matt Williams after a disappointing second season, Rizzo cited the importance of the Nationals’ next skipper possessing previous major league managerial experience. Read full article here.
Washington Nationals Rumors: Can the Nats replace Jonathan Papelbon and Drew Storen?
(Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
In his weekly “Inside Baseball” column/roundup of major league rumors and news, CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman wrote this week that the Washington Nationals, “are expected to try to trade Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon,” this winter.
He wishes the Nats good luck with the latter while noting that when it comes to Storen, he, “… absolutely has to go after the team showed what they thought of him as a closer by bringing in Papelbon to replace him.”
The argument could, of course, be made that the Nationals were replacing their seventh and eighth inning options and Storen just paid the price for the lack of success of other members of the Nats’ bullpen, though more than one writer out there said that the goal at this past July’s deadline was to get a closer. Read full article here.