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District Daily: Stacked Nationals didn’t stand pat this offseason

By Pablo Roa

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October 7, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher

Tyler Clippard

addresses media in a press conference before game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game against the San Francisco Giants 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 today’s District Daily:

Stacked Nats didn’t stand pat this offseason

(Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com)

If there’s such a thing as consensus on anything in this game, many of us seemed to agree at the outset of this offseason that the Washington Nationals had one of the Majors’ more comfortably constructed rosters for 2015. That didn’t — and doesn’t — make them an obvious World Series candidate, of course, because we’ve seen October foil them before. But it does put them in a solid position to win their division, which is about the most you can ask of a club in this time of competitive parity.

Alas, the comfort was not without its own expiration date, and the list of pending free agents on this club (most prominently Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond, Denard Span and Tyler Clippard) ensured that the Nationals — even without a long list of glaring immediate needs — would be an intriguing team to track as they address both 2015 and beyond. What have arrived, in recent weeks, are the first signs of the organizational approach to those issues, and the Nats are again positioning themselves well. Read full article here.

More from District on Deck

Shocked by trade, leaving Nats ‘tough’ for Clippard

(Bill Ladson, MLB.com)

WASHINGTON — Right-hander Tyler Clippard said he was shocked after he heard the Nationals traded him to the Athletics for shortstop Yunel Escobar, even though Clippard heard rumors throughout the offseason that he could be dealt.

The reality is that he is now a member of the Athletics and could be their closer, something he would like to do for the rest of his career. The A’s have not told him what his role will be. On Thursday, Clippard thought a lot about the Nationals, having spent seven of his eight years in the Majors with the club. Clippard acknowledged that he was emotional when he spoke to Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty and some of his teammates like Drew Storenand Craig Stammen. Clippard and McCatty have worked together since 2008, when they were with Triple-A Columbus. Read full article here.

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