Washington Nationals News: Nats’ new Spring Training facility being built ‘in record time’
Today’s District Daily features stories on the Washington Nationals’ new Spring Training facility and the future of Bryce Harper.
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.
In today’s Daily, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post provides an update on the status of the Nationals’ new Spring Training facility, which is currently under construction in West Palm Beach, Florida.
As Janes notes, the construction of the new stadium is going well and everything appears to be on track for the facility to open next year. The Nationals and the Astros, who will also use the new facility, are expected to begin to use it next spring.
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Also in today’s Daily, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan discusses the future of Nationals’ outfielder Bryce Harper. As Passan writes in his article, Harper is set to hit free agency after the 2018 season and several teams — including the New York Yankees — might be saving money now to nab Harper when he hits the Market.
As Passan notes, the Yankees have spent little to no money this offseason and have plenty of payroll coming off the books in the next few years. While many teams will compete with the Nationals for Harper when the time comes, there’s no doubt that the Yankees will be among his most interested suitors.
Thankfully for the Nationals, Harper is still under team control for three more seasons. But 2019 will come quicker than you think, and the Nationals will have to make a decision that could change the franchise’s trajectory for years to come.
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.
Astros, Nationals spring training facility being built ‘in record time’
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
This time next year, the Nationals and Astros will head elsewhere, not to Viera or Kissimmee, but to West Palm Beach and the new joint facility currently known as the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. According to Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner, reached by email this week for an update on his team’s new home, everything is still on schedule for an on-time opening. Challenges remain to keep it that way.
Plot twists and plan tweaks forced the Astros and Nationals to hurry. New spring training facilities do not usually emerge in a year, and the new West Palm Beach roommates couldn’t begin building theirs until early this fall, when environmental impact reports, land swaps and other logistics were approved by local governments. Read full article here.
Suddenly frugal Yankees playing long game with eye on Bryce Harper
Here is the list of major league free agents signed this offseason by the New York Yankees:
This is not a terribly overwhelming list. It is very pale. On the bright side, it has cost the Yankees exactly $0. No other team in Major League Baseball this offseason has spent the winter not even spending a plug nickel. If somebody truly believes the apocalypse is nigh, perhaps it’s because the team worth $4 billion sat out an entire free agent period while the rest of the baseball industry lavished $2.5 billion on players.
And yet for the chuckles of executives who see the freest-spending franchise in the world suddenly finding austerity like it was born again, there is a plan here, one that speaks to baseball’s tectonic plates shifting and the Yankees readying themselves for a future that looks different from today. Read full article here.