District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals News: Missing out on Yoenis Cespedes is latest loss in a long winter

By Pablo Roa

Sep 28, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo addresses the media after the game between the Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo addresses the media after the game between the Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Today’s District Daily features stories on the Washington Nationals’ frustrating offseason and the growing possibility of the National League adding a designated hitter.

Good evening 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, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes an interesting column about how the Mets’ signing of Yoenis Cespedes is the latest loss of the Nationals’ frustrating offseason. The Nationals were in strong pursuit of Cespedes before he re-signed with NY — reportedly offering the free agent outfielder 5 years and $100+ million.

As Svrluga notes, missing out on Cespedes is the latest disappointment in an offseason that has been frustrating at times for the Nationals and their fans. The team also wanted to add Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and Justin Upton earlier this offseason, before all three decided to sign elsewhere.

More from District on Deck

While the Nationals missed out on some high profile free agents, they’ve also slowly satisfied every need they had going into the offseason. And with over a month remaining before Spring Training, the team could still make more additions to an already strong roster.

Also in today’s Daily, Jared Diamond of The Wall Street Journal writes about why the designated hitter coming to the National League might be ineligible.

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.

For Nationals, Yoenis Cespedes’s signing with Mets is latest loss in a long winter

(Barry Svrluga, Washington Post)

As the blizzard blew in Friday night, the Washington Nationals hunkered down. They had gone after Ben Zobrist and lost him to the Chicago Cubs. They had pursued Jason Heyward and lost him to that same team, perhaps now the best in the National League. They checked in on Justin Upton and thought about some starting pitchers. And here they were, with the city frozen, snow falling and Yoenis Cespedes deciding between them and none other than the New York Mets.

More than any other figure, Cespedes put the Nationals in their current predicament. His arrival in Queens at the trade deadline last summer completely altered the National League East race. Read full article here.

Why a National League Designated Hitter Is Inevitable

(Jared Diamond, The Wall Street Journal)

In a move bound to send baseball purists rushing to pray at Abner Doubleday’s grave, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred revealed this week that the National League could adopt the designated hitter by as soon as 2017.

Speaking at the quarterly owners meetings, Manfred told reporters that the sport’s newer owners “have demonstrated a willingness” to consider such a radical change. This comes not long after St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak indicated that there is “more momentum” among NL teams about the idea. Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this season, and the universal DH will surely emerge as a key issue in the negotiations. Read full article here.

Home/Nationals News