Nationals

Amanda Comak of the Washington Times reports via Twitter that the Nationals have signed center fielder Rick Ankiel to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. He figures to be in the mix for time in center along with Roger Bernadina and fellow free agent signing Mike Cameron (also on a minor league deal). Ankiel spent last season with the Nationals, hitting .239 in 122 games, spending time in right and center field. Though Ankiel is somewhat of a liability on offense, he is known for having one of the best outfield arms in the game. Last [...]

Today the Nationals bolstered their starting rotation for the second time this season, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with free agent righty Edwin Jackson. Dollar values of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the deal is rumored to be worth somewhere in the ballpark of $8-$12 million*. According to reports, Mike Rizzo and company first started talking to Scott Boras (Jackson’s agent) about this deal about a week and a half ago, and after roughly 11 days of negotiating; Jackson will be pitching in DC for the 2012 season. Jackson spent time with the White Sox [...]

Jon Heyman (via Twitter) has reported that the Nationals will sign Edwin Jackson to a 1-year deal. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, however, Heyman projects the deal to be in the $8-12 million range. The Nationals did announce the contract agreement this morning, so we know the report is for real. Jackson will join a staff that figures to include Gio Gonzalez, Steven Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and John Lannan, though according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, the Nats are aggressively shopping Lannan. The deal is pending a physical.

Michael Morse has taken a long, unconventional path to success, and has overcome a myriad of obstacles to reach where he is now. Drafted out of high school by the White Sox in 2000, Morse was eventually traded to the Mariners and did not reach the majors until five years later. For his first five seasons in the major leagues with the Mariners and Nats, he languished as a part time player, never playing more than 72 games and struggling with injuries. In 2010, Morse started the year in the majors with the Nationals in a bench role after impressing [...]

Word came out yesterday afternoon that the Washington Nationals have signed veteran reliever Chad Durbin to a minor league contract. The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training, though the financial details are unknown at this point. Durbin held out for a Major League contract last Spring and didn’t end up signing until the first week of March. With Cleveland in 2011, he went 2-2 with a 5.53 ERA in 68.1 innings, adding 3.8 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9. Those numbers aren’t far off those from his 12 year career, spent mostly in the American League. Durbin did pitch in the [...]

According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Washington Nationals and John Lannan had their arbitration hearing earlier this afternoon. During these hearings it is typical for each side to receive an hour to present their case for what the player should be paid this upcoming season. A group of three independent arbitrators will then decide between the two figures. Washington submitted a figure of $5 Million while Lannan is seeking $5.7 Million. A decision is expected no later than tomorrow. Historically, the Nationals have gone to hearings with seven players since 2005, winning 5 of those decisions.

Each year teams report to Spring Training with high hopes and expectations for the upcoming season. We hear about countless players showing up in the “best shape of their lives”. But ultimately there are always question marks. Questions facing each and every team. Questions facing each and every player. With Spring Training just over two weeks away, let’s take a look at some of the questions facing the members of the Washington Nationals as they arrive in Viera, Florida. To start, let’s look at the pitchers on the current 40-man roster (in alphabetical order for no particular reason). Sean Burnett, [...]

One of the best — and sometimes worst — things about baseball is its unpredictability. Every season, teams and players defy experts’ predictions. Take 2011, for example. Who foresaw a Arizona Diamondbacks division title? A back-from-certain-death St. Louis Cardinals World Series victory? The unforgettable September comebacks and collapses? For the Washington Nationals, few expected an 80-win season and third place finish in the National League East. No one thought Davey Johnson would become the manager. After his abysmal start, few fans thought Michael Morse would become of the NL’s top sluggers. While his 2010 rookie year foretold great promise, almost [...]

Just as we’re going to share some of the Nationals-related links from time to time that were written by our colleagues here at the FanSided Network, we’ll also start occasionally bringing you some of the more read-worthy links from other Nationals bloggers out there. There are no plans at the moment for this to be a regular feature here at DoD, but it’s safe to say that anytime we see something worth sharing we’ll pass it along. Leading off, William Yoder at The Nats Blog brings out attention to just how different Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are, at least [...]

The connections between MLB and the NFL seem few and far between in recent years. The biggest re-occurrence of course, is the perpetual debate about whether football has really replaced baseball as “America’s National Pastime”. While that debate is one best saved for another day, there was an interesting story written last Friday by Jeff Bradley at NJ.com that not only ties MLB and the NFL together, but could have potentially had an impact on the Washington Nationals themselves depending on how things worked out. According to Bradley, it would seem that there was once an impressive catching prospect growing [...]