A New Day in DC - A National's Dynasty Begins

[glenn]

2/27/2009

Nationals Clean House - Fire GM Jim Bowden

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place today, as the Washington Nationals announced they have fired General Manager Jim Bowden, and named his replacement. Nationals' Team President Stan Kasten announced the decision today, hoping to put the recent scandal regarding the "skimming" on signing bonuses for Latin American players to rest. Earlier this week, the Nationals fired both Jose Rijo, and Jose Baez, who were two of the leading officials of the Nationals' Dominican Republic operations. The team has also reduced their Dominican operations from two teams to one, released 14 players, relocated their Dominican Republic complex, and replaced all of their office staff and coaches.

Last week the Nationals announced that 19 year old prospect Esmailyn Gonzalez was actually 23 year old Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo. The Nationals also released starting pitcher Odalis Perez, who was holding out for money after signing a contract. The latest scandal forced the Nationals to act to replace Bowden.

Bowden was hired in November 2004 as the General Manager for the Washington Nationals, and in four seasons the team has yet to finish over .500. The Nationals minor league system was recently ranked the 29th best minor system in Major League Baseball, and the Nationals lost 102 games last year, worst in baseball.

The Nationals named a 34 year old, relatively unknown to take over General Manager duties on an interim basis. Kasten spoke with us about the change, "It was time to move on for the Nationals. We appreciate all the work Jim Bowden has done for the Nationals, but it is time to take the team in a new direction. 2008 was a disappointing year for us, and as a team we want to regain focus and march toward our goal, of bringing a championship to Washington, D.C. Our fans deserve to have our total commitment to building a winning team in D.C. We did hire a young GM today, and he does have the interim label, but we are excited about the change, and expect big things from him. We know and he knows what it will take to remove the interim label."

[glenn]

The first dynasty didn't end too well. I started too soon with CubbyFan's 2009 rosters, and got stuck in an endless cycle of crashes. I had just started to like some of the players I dealt for, getting used to the team, and getting the Nationals in a position I wanted them in. I was torn between moving on and restarting, but I was having a lot of fun with the Nationals, so why not. The problem with crashing is gone with the latest rosters, and the rosters were very well done.

Between sets there were some changes for the Nationals, the Adam Dunn signing, what turned out to be my favorite pitcher, Matt Chico is now on the DL, etc. I simmed to 2/27 and I'll use that as a starting point. I don't know what else the AI has done from 1/1 to 2/27, but it doesn't look like much. The one move I did make was releasing Odalis Perez, since that just happened.

The settings are the same as the last thread, trading is on hard, etc. I don't think I'll play out as many games in the beginning as I did last time, because I think I know the team better.

I guess it is back to trying to unload contracts. Dmitri Young - $5 million a year. Seriously, what were they thinking? Let's see if Matt Chico and Corey Patterson perform like the all-stars they were playing like or come back down to earth.

[glenn]

I arrived at Space Coast Stadium after an early morning flight, ready to embark on my new job as General Manager of the Washington Nationals. Actually, interim General Manager, but hopefully that'll change shortly. First on my agenda, get to know the team, our players, our needs, and a meeting with the brass where we'll review the budget, and talk about "The Plan". Maybe we need to start calling it "The Plan 2.0".

From the email I was sent, our current finances don't look too good:
Payroll: $62,293,500 (26th)
2008 Attendance: 2,400,759 (23rd)
Fan Interest: 12 of 100
Projected Final Balance: $12,794,816
Available Dollars for Free Agents: $1,706,000

I did some reading on the plane to get ready for my first day on the job, looking over the top 100 prospects on baseball. I'm not proud to say it, but either we have no prospects in the top 100, or someone sent me the top 100 non-Nationals prospects in baseball. That should prepare me for my meeting with Mike Rizzo, our VP of baseball operations. He came over from Arizona, where he rebuilt their farm system, in 2006 and reports directly to me. I'm going to put him to work right away getting ready for the upcoming draft, since the Nationals have the number one overall pick. I'm also going to refer to him as my Scouting Director, and he'll be responsible for keeping me updated on our players.

Next on the agenda, a meeting with manager Manny Acta and his staff:

Bench Coach - Jim Riggleman
Hitting Coach - Rick Eckstein
Pitching Coach - Randy St. Claire
Team Trainer - Lee Kuntz

Acta is 40 years old, and entering his third year as manager, all with the Nationals. His 132-191 record isn't exactly awe inspiring, but he hasn't had a lot to work with either. He is signed through 2010. I'll give him a chance to impress me, but I'm not sold on him just yet.

After that, it is time to take a good look at our roster, and see our strengths and weaknesses, to see what we need to do. Then my first interview, with Nationals beat reporter Jim Davidson.

Then it is time to work the phones, and get to know my fellow GM's, and see if we can work out any deals. Hopefully Jim Bowden signs on with another team soon, and I can find somewhere to unload some of these players. It looks like we've got enough outfielders on our roster to field an entire team.

[glenn]

The National Report - A New Direction
By Jim Davidson

Yesterday I sat down with the new General Manager of the Washington Nationals to get his thoughts about the state of the team, his plans for the future, and how he expects to turn around a team that lost 102 games last year. Our interview is below.

Q - How does it feel to be General Manager of the Washington Nationals?

I'm really excited about the opportunity. The last time the city of Washington, D.C. had a team that won the World Series was 1924. Obviously losing 100 games a year and finishing in last place isn't acceptable. I don't expect to win a championship this year, but my goals is to build the team from within - draft well, develop players, and change the atmosphere and attitude of the team.

Q - Does that mean you aren't going to go out and spend big money on free agents?

Well, obviously Manny Ramirez is out this year. We aren't one or two players away. Will we spend money on free agents? Yes, but only when it makes sense. Until we reach the point where we are one or two players away, it will be important to build the team the old fashioned way, through the draft, developing our young players, and trades.

Q - Have you had any trade discussions since coming aboard? Do you expect any trades to happen soon?

I've only been on the job about a day, so no deals are imminent, but if the right opportunity comes up I won't hesitate to pull the trigger and move some players, bring in some younger guys and see what happens.

Q - Is there anyone on the current roster that should be worried?

Everybody should be focused on doing their job on the field, and that is to help the team win. You should know I'm not going to say we are going to move this player or that player. Nobody should have to worry about hearing their names in the papers every day as the subject of trade rumors. The players no it is a business, but they also have families. That being said, our goal is to build a winning organization, and sometimes that means moving veterans for prospects, shedding payroll, and building from the bottom up.

Q - Is there any pressure to win now? Any goals that you have to meet to remove the interim tag from your title?

There is always pressure to win, and to get better. I've had good conversations with the owner and team president, and sometimes you have to get worse to get better, and go into rebuilding mode. Lucky for us, you can't get much worse than losing 102 games. Our fans will need to be patient, and they may not like all of the moves we make, but they should know we will work to improve the team and build a winner in Washington. As for the second part of the question, there are conditions that have to be met, but I'm not going to get into specifics.

Q - Ok. Fair enough. How do you feel about the current state of the team?

To be honest, we've got a ways to go before we'll reach our goal. Look at our rotation:
Shawn Hill, 27: 1-5, 63 1/3 IP, 5.83 ERA
Scott Olsen, 25: 8-11, 201 2/3 IP, 4.20 ERA
John Lannan, 24: 9-15, 182 IP, 3.91 ERA
Josh Towers, 32: Did not play in 2008
Jorge Sosa, 31: 4-1, 21 2/3 IP, 7.06

Yes it's a young rotation, but we've only got two guys who can potentially give us 200 innings this year. The innings have to come from somewhere. We expected Odalis Perez to contribute, but obviously that won't happen now. Can someone like Jason Bergmann, Daniel Cabrera or Gustavo Chacin come back and pitch successfully? Are any of the younger kids like Jordan Zimmerman, Ross Detweiler, Shairon Martis, or Collin Balester ready? These are the tough decisions we will need to make.

Right before I was hired, the Nationals brought back closer Chad Cordero. There are some questions on whether he'll be completely healthy and ready to perform this year. Joel Hanrahan, Saul Rivera, and Mike Hinckley pitched well for us last year, and we need to get good years our of Jesus Colume, Yunior Novoa, and Wilfredo Ledezma.

Our line-up if we opened the season today would look something like this:
RF-Elijah Dukes
SS-Christian Guzman
1B-Nick Johnson
LF-Adam Dunn
3B-Ryan Zimmerman
C-Jesus Flores
CF-Lastings Milledge
2B-Willie Harris

We've got some guys coming off the bench like Corey Patterson, Austin Kearns, Dmitri Young, and Josh Willingham. If everyone plays like they are capable of, I think we'll surprise some people.

Q- We've got time for one last question. Is there anything you want to tell fans who are frustrated with the progress the Nationals have made over the past few years?

I'd love to tell them we are going to win a World Series this year, but they are too smart to believe that. I don't want to say 'be patient', because they have been patient. The Nationals have never won a World Series, finished in last place 3 of the last 4 years, and only managed to finish .500 once. Judge me by the progress we make going forward. I can't take credit or blame for the moves before I got here, but change is coming.

[glenn]

Nats Win Spring Opener - Trade Rumors Surface
By Jim Davidson

The Nationals won their spring training debut yesterday in an 8-6 win over the Florida Marlins yesterday. Starting pitcher Shawn Hill got the start and looked sharp in his spring debut. "It felt good to get back on the mound, and work out the kinks," Hill said, "I've worked hard in the offseason and I'm looking forward to having a good year."

According to an anonymous source, the Nationals are considering a deal that would ship first baseman Nick Johnson out of town. There has been interest from several teams, but it looks like the A's and the Dodgers are the leading contenders. My source tells me the Nationals are trying to trim payroll and get younger.

-------------------------------------------------
I've been on the job for two days, and we've already got someone leaking to the press when I discuss a trade. I've been reviewing our salary report, and it is giving me a headache:

2009 Salaries
Adam Dunn - $8 million - I can live with this one
Christian Guzman - $8 million - A little high for my liking, given his expected production
Austin Kearns - $8 million - Singed for $10 million in 2010. He is a backup outfielder on this team.
Nick Johnson - $5.5 million - My thoughts, great hitter when healthy, but injury prone. Tough to count on.
Dmitri Young - $5 million - Backup first baseman.
Scott Olsen - $2.8 million
Daniel Cabrera - $2.6 million - If I could turn back time…..
Willy Mo Pena - $2 million - Another backup outfielder. He isn't even guaranteed to make the team.
Ron Belliard - $1.9 million - Starting second baseman? He doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
Willie Harris - $1.5 million - Another head scratcher. Another outfielder, maybe second baseman.

Looking at these contracts just makes me sick to my stomach. Other than Dunn and Olsen, I think we could call up a rookie and get the same or better production than any of these guys. Maybe I'm selling Guzman short, but we've got a shortstop prospect, Ian Desmond, who is close to major league ready. Its going to be a long season.

[GrimmyDee]

Glad to see you are back in action. I had just started reading your first Nationals dynasty when it crashed on you. I'll be following your trials and tribulations.

Good Luck!

[glenn]

Originally Posted by GrimmyDee

Glad to see you are back in action. I had just started reading your first Nationals dynasty when it crashed on you. I'll be following your trials and tribulations.

Good Luck!

Thanks for following along! I was finally starting to like most of the players, and managed to unload most of the players I didn't like. Guess it's back to square one, and I haven't been able to move anyone this round, except for the next deal I'm about to post. After looking at my rotation, I'm going to need a lot of luck!

[glenn]

Nats Blockbuster Sends Johnson West
By Jim Davidson

The Nationals made their first major move since firing General Manager Jim Bowden, sending first baseman Nick Johnson and closer Chad Cordero to the Los Angeles Dodgers for first baseman James Loney, second baseman Blake Dewitt and starting pitcher Shawn Estes. Johnson, just 29 years old, spent the last four years with the Nationals. His best season with the Nationals was 2006, hitting .290 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI. Johnson was a fan favorite, who requested a trade after the Nationals signed free agent Adam Dunn. I spoke with Johnson in spring training, and he told me he feels better than he has felt in years, and wants to show everyone he can be a top line first baseman.

Chad Cordero has also been with the Nationals since they relocated to Washington, and saved 47 games in 2005 for the Nationals, and 37 in 2007. He missed most of 2008 with a torn labrum, but signed a one year deal with the Nationals after an impressive workout. Cordero reported to spring training on time, and expected to be back at full strength in time for opening day.

Coming back to the Nationals, 24 year old James Loney, who hit .289 last year with 13 home runs and 90 RBI. He is expected to be the Nationals starting first baseman.

The Nationals also received second baseman Blake Dewitt, a 23 year old who hit .264 with 9 homers and 52 RBI. Dewitt became expendable after the Dodgers signed free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson in February. Also coming to the Nationals is 36 year old pitcher Shawn Estes. For his career, Estes is 101-93 with a 4.71 ERA, but has made just 9 starts in the majors over the past three years.

After the deal was completed, the Dodgers announced they signed Nick Johnson to a 2 year contract extension.

The Nationals had an off day yesterday in Grapefruit League action, but are even at 4-4 during Spring Training.

[glenn]

Its never fun being called into the bosses office. I was on cloud nine after pulling off the Nick Johnson deal, and happy with not only getting James Loney back, but Blake DeWitt as well. That is the potential to fill half of our infield for years to come. Johnson is a good player when healthy, but he is never healthy. Of course, the higher ups aren't too happy because our fan interest dropped 3% to 9% after the deal.

I'm not sure exactly how they measure "fan interest", but I can of view that as my approval rating. I know it is directly related to how many seats we fill, so the higher the number for both, the longer I have a job. So despite me being happy with the deal, our fans were not happy about the deal.

Our team president wanted to remind me to keep "fan interest" when we make trades or roster moves. I'm usually a pretty patient person, but I explained that you hired me to do a job, let me do it. It is my job to put a winning team on the field, and if we do that, the fans will come out to the ballpark and watch. I should have kept my mouth shut after that, but I couldn't resist complaining about our new slogan, "NatsTown - Get Your Red On".


I'm no marketing wiz, but who comes up with this stuff. I guess the same team that pays Dmitri Young $5 million a year to sit on the bench. Surprisingly, I've still got my job, although they may be regretting their new GM already.

I know it is spring training still, but our starting pitchers continue to get lit up. What is 6.62, 5.06, 8.59, 22.50, and 4.73? If you guessed the ERA's of our projected rotation, you'd be correct. Spring training or not, that is a bad sign.

Trying to move some of our overpriced contracts has been virtually impossible. Pretty much teams our telling us we don't want your overpriced veterans unless you take our overpriced veterans back. I could move all of our overpriced contracts in one deal if I wanted to take back Barry Zito. Thanks, but no thanks. The positive is that we have team options for both Dmitri Young and Austin Kearns for 2010, and I can guarantee they won't be exercised.

My bigger concern is how do we fit all these contract on the roster, without blocking younger players who should be getting the shot to play. We've got 11 outfielders on our 40 man roster. Yes, 11! 12 if you count Willie Harris.

LF - Adam Dunn
LF - Roger Bernadina
LF - Josh Willingham
CF - Lastings Milledge
CF - Corey Patterson
CF - Mike Daniel
CF - Ryan Langerhans
CF - Justin Maxwell
RF-Wily Mo Pena
RF - Elijah Dukes
RF - Austin Kearns
2B/OF - Willie Harris

By opening day, that list needs to be paired to 5. Bernadina, Daniel, and Maxwell get sent down to AAA because they are young. Not fair, but I didn't put together this roster. Langerhans and Patterson are both on minor league contracts so they will be easier to send down.

That leaves Dunn, Milledge, and Dukes to start, and Willingham, Kearns, Pena, and Harris to fight it out for the last 2 spots. That is called earning a roster spot because of a big salary, and that is not how I want to run the organization.

[glenn]

The Nationals Report
By Jim Davidson

With about three weeks to go before opening day, the Nationals continue to move through spring with an even 500 record. The pitching has struggled, the hitting has been flat at times, but the Nats are getting ready for the regular season. I spoke with the new GM today to talk about the team performance and to talk about the rumors the Nationals are going to sign reliever Will Ohman. "The goal of spring training is to get the team ready for opening day and the season ahead. Getting a chance to watch some of the young guys up close, and seeing what they can do.", the new GM said. When pressed on whether the Nats signing of Ohman is imminent, the GM replied, "Nothing is imminent. We have interest in improving our team, and we are looking at ways to do so."

Injury Report
SP-Matt Chico continues to recuperate from his surgery to repair a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament, and is progressing well. He says he is on track for a return around the All-Star break.

CF-Lastings Milledge sprained an ankle on a stolen base attempt, and is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks. The Nationals are hoping to have him back by opening day, and haven't placed him on the DL at this time.

RP-Saul Rivera was shut down for the next week, as he is dealing with a tender elbow. Team officials indicated that all tests were negative, but will give him some extra time off as a precaution.

C-Javier Valentin is also out for the next week with a strained groin muscle. Valentin is expected to platoon with Jesus Flores to start the year.

Transactions
The Nats continued to pare down their roster to get ready for the regular season. 24 year old CF Mike Daniel, 27 year old infielder Kory Casto, 25 year old first baseman Matt Whitney, and 26 year old middle reliever Mike Hinckley were sent down to AAA Syracuse.

In a surprise move the Nationals also sent down 30 year old left fielder Josh Willingham. Willingham came over from the Marlins in an offseason trade that also brought Scott Olsen to the Nationals. Willingham hit .254 with 15 HR and 51 RBI last year for the Marlins. "Obviously I'm disappointed with the decision, I'm a major leaguer, and have proven I can play. If they don't want to play me, they need to trade me," an upset Willingham told me.

29 year old centerfielder Corey Patterson was placed on waivers and designated for assignment. According to my source, the Nats are looking to clear a roster spot. Maybe the Ohman signing is more imminent than the new General Manager indicated.

Around the League
In a couple surprise moves, the Boston Red Sox pulled off two major trades yesterday, sending Jason Bay and a minor league prospect to the Arizona Diamondbacks for SP Dan Haren. In a separate deal, the Sox sent 1B Kevin Youkilis and $1.3 million in cash to the Cleveland Indians for catcher Victor Martinez.

[glenn]

Nats Bolster Bullpen
By Jim Davidson

With a win yesterday, the Nationals improved to 11-9 for the spring. The big news wasn't on the field, but off the field, as the Nationals signed two free agents and made one minor trade.

The Nats signed 31 year old lefty Will Ohman to a 1 year, $400,000 contract. 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 58 2/3 innings for Braves, and signed 33 year old right Aquilino Lopez to a 1 year, $400,000 contract. 4-1 with 3.55 ERA in 78 2/3 innings for Tigers.

"One of my biggest areas of concern is the pitching, and we've been talking to Will and Aquilino about joining the Nationals, and I'm very pleased that it worked out. They'll give us two quality veteran arms out of the pen, and they should help solidify our bullpen, and make our team better", said the rookie GM.

The Nationals also shipped off 27 year old outfielder Wily Mo Pena, C Javi Herrera and $1.8 million in cash to the Atlanta Braves for 24 year old reliever Kevin Gunderson, 23 year old first baseman Kala Ka'aihue, 23 year old starting pitcher James Parr, and two minor league relievers.

"We've got a logjam of outfielders, and I don't generally like trading within our division, but we were able to match up well with the Braves, and get back a couple of prospects if we were willing to cover most of Wily Mo Pena's salary. It wasn't something we wanted to do, but rather than have to release one of our outfielders and pay their salary, we were able to get something back."

My take, the Nats trade a bat to a division rival, and offer to pay for his salary for a couple of guys who probably won't help them this year at all, and probably never.

According to my sources, I've learned that Scouting Director Mike Rizzo will be given control over all minor league player development and minor league player promotions and demotions.

Injury Report
SP-Matt Chico - surgery to repair a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament - out until All-Star break (60 day DL)

CF-Lastings Milledge -sprained ankle - out 2-3 weeks (Not on DL)

RP-Saul Rivera - tender elbow - day to day

C-Javier Valentin - strained groin muscle - day to day

Around the League
The Houston Astros traded centerfielder Hunter Pence to the New York Mets for Fernando Tatis, a minor leaguer, and cash.

Mets ace Johan Santana will miss the year with bone chips in his elbow.

Braves catcher Brian McCann will miss the year with a ruptured disc in his back

[glenn]

A couple of notes -

Once again I'm being reminded on how much of a mess the Nationals roster really is, and how difficult it is to try and trade some of these guys with terrible contracts, or try and improve the team. I've spent too much time trying to move some of these guys, and it just isn't happening. I also tried to acquire some of my favorite players that I acquired in attempt #1, and that just wasn't happening. I'd have loved to acquire Kila Ka'aihue again, but there was just no way I was sending Ryan Zimmerman, James Loney, Jordan Zimmerman and cash to do it. I couldn't even work out a deal for another of my favorites, Mike Moustakas with that and more. Same settings this time, but after the Nick Johnson deal, it has been real tough to move guys. That is probably the way it should be though, but I'm still trying to forget how everyone performed round one, and give everyone a fresh start starting.

I was able to complete a deal for Kala Ka'aihue, Kila's brother. I didn't even realize Kila had a brother who played baseball. I'll always remember that magical first half of the season Kila had for the Nationals though.

I decided to change the format a little bit, and introduce a beat writer who will offer his weekly takes on the Nationals, and sprinkle in some posts from the GM point of view. If spring training stats and how I feel about my pitching is any indication, this could be a bad year for the Nationals, but hopefully things will end better than expected.

[majormet]

Great thread thus far, I am a Mets fan and happy to see Willingham in the minors. Santana out for the year?!?! damn, at least we got Pence for Tatis that is a steal.

I have a feeling the Ohman and Lopez signings will pay off.

[glenn]

Originally Posted by majormet

Great thread thus far, I am a Mets fan and happy to see Willingham in the minors. Santana out for the year?!?! damn, at least we got Pence for Tatis that is a steal.

I have a feeling the Ohman and Lopez signings will pay off.

Thanks!

Well, I think the Willingham to the minors will be short lived, if I can find some way to dump a couple outfielders. Hopefully real life doesn't follow suit and Santana's real life injury isn't nearly as bad. I was pretty surprised at the Pence deal. Of course, I'd prefer if the deals go the other way since the Mets are in my division!

I was really surprised to get both Ohman and Lopez for the minimum. Their demands were quite higher, multi-year, multi-million range, but I figured why not try. With my starters, I can never have too many quality bullpen arms.

[glenn]

The Nationals Report
By Jim Davidson

The Nationals currently stand at 13-11 for the spring.

With just one week until the regular season begins, the Nationals paired down their roster to 27 players over the weekend. With 13 hitters and 14 pitchers still in camp, I expect the Nationals will leave spring training with 12 pitchers, barring any further moves. It looks like it will be a battle between these pitchers for the final two spots:

Jason Bergmann - considered a long shot to make the team, he has yet to give up a run this spring
Wilfredo Ledezma - was expected to be one of two lefty relievers in the pen, but with the addition of Ohman, he could be sent down
Yunior Novoa - another lefty in the pen. Expect either Novoa or Ledezma to start the season in Washington, and the other in Syracuse
Ryan Wagner - has looked strong this spring, with a 1.74 in 10 innings pitched.
Garrett Mock - the young pitching prospect has been pitching in relief this spring, and after struggling early has settled into a groove. A candidate for the spot starter/long reliever role
Joe Hanrahan - last year pitched 84 1/3 innings for the Nationals with a 3.95 ERA. His chances of making the team are hurt by the success of Bergmann and Wagner.

Next week we'll have our 2009 Nationals season preview.

Who's Hot
1B-James Loney - .382 BA, 1.183 OPS, 3 HR, 8 RBI

2B-Ron Belliard - .314 BA, 14 RBI, 11 R

1B-Dmitri Young - .400 BA, 1.123 OPS, 1 HR

Who's Not
SP-Shawn Hill - 6.62 ERA in 5 starts this spring

SP-John Lannan - 6.00 ERA in 5 starts this spring

RP-Jesus Colume - 7.64 ERA in 17 2/3 innings this spring

Transactions
Sent down 29 year old reliever Steve Schmoll to Triple A Syracuse

Sent relief pitcher Jesus Colume to Triple A Syracuse

Sent 23 year old shortstop prospect Ian Desmond to Triple A Syracuse

Sent 25 year old centerfielder Justin Maxwell to Triple A Syracuse

Sent 24 year old left fielder Roger Bernadina to Triple A Syracuse

Injury Report
SP-Matt Chico - surgery to repair a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament - out until All-Star break (60 day DL)

CF-Lastings Milledge -sprained ankle - out 1-2 weeks (Not on DL)

Around the League
The New York Yankees signed starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to a 2 year, $10 million extension

The Boston Red Sox signed CF Rocco Baldelli to a 3 year, $10 million extension

[Klew1986]

Hey, i really like this so far. Just wondering if you have AIM or MSN. I would like to chat and talk about ootp and mlb.

[glenn]

Originally Posted by Klew1986

Hey, i really like this so far. Just wondering if you have AIM or MSN. I would like to chat and talk about ootp and mlb.

Thanks for following along. I went ahead and added AIM to my account.

[glenn]

Tomorrow is Opening Day, my first with the Nationals, and I'm nervous about the season. Our starting pitching is the most troubling, as we have some big holes to fill. Our line-up is solid, though not spectacular. I've made the final changes to our roster, notified the final group of players that they won't be back, and met with the owner and team president about his expectations for the season.

Luckily he didn't say we need to win it all. At least I'm lucky they have realistic expectations. Their goal is to be close to even. Close is kind of a vague word, but I think we could realistically win 78-80 games, which would be a big improvement over last year. Anything more and we'd need a lot of luck, and any more than that I'll need to start looking for another job I think.

The last two cuts are the toughest, and I planned to send down Wilfredo Ledezma until the last minute, but decided to send down Yunior Novoa for more seasoning. I also sent down Joel Hanrahan to begin the season in AAA. I planned to send down Jason Bergmann, because I don't think he has better stuff than Hanrahan, plus Hanrahan didn't pitch bad this spring. I don't know how you can send down a guy that didn't allow a run and only two base runners all spring. He did everything we asked him to do, and that just doesn't seem fair to him. Performance needs to take count for something, even if his talent isn't is high.

Despite his sprained ankle, I've decided to leave Lastings Milledge on the roster for now, and not place him on the DL. He should be back in action this week, but I will revisit in a few days and make a final decision. We've only got 24 players who will suit up for the Marlins series.

We get to stay in Florida though, as we open against the Marlins. The pitching match-ups for the opening series are:
Shawn Hill vs Jason Johnson
Scott Olsen vs Ricky Nolasco
John Lannan vs Chris Volstad

I've had some trade discussions with the Tigers and Red Sox this week. The Tigers are desperate to unload either Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis, but I don't want to take on another bad contract, even if we could only a couple of ours. The Red Sox also tried to gauge our interest in Tim Wakefield. He is probably better than one of our starters, but our catchers have enough problems without trying to catch a knuckleball.

Baseball America published their final ranking of minor league systems, and the Nationals made a big jump to #17. They were critical of our depth, but with the addition of Blake Dewitt, along with Jordan Zimmerman and Catcher Derek Norris in the top 100 prospects, that allowed us to make the big jump.

[glenn]

Tomorrow is Opening Day, my first with the Nationals, and I'm nervous about the season. Our starting pitching is the most troubling, as we have some big holes to fill. Our line-up is solid, though not spectacular. I've made the final changes to our roster, notified the final group of players that they won't be back, and met with the owner and team president about his expectations for the season.

Luckily he didn't say we need to win it all. At least I'm lucky they have realistic expectations. Their goal is to be close to even. Close is kind of a vague word, but I think we could realistically win 78-80 games, which would be a big improvement over last year. Anything more and we'd need a lot of luck, and any more than that I'll need to start looking for another job I think.

The last two cuts are the toughest, and I planned to send down Wilfredo Ledezma until the last minute, but decided to send down Yunior Novoa for more seasoning. I also sent down Joel Hanrahan to begin the season in AAA. I planned to send down Jason Bergmann, because I don't think he has better stuff than Hanrahan, plus Hanrahan didn't pitch bad this spring. I don't know how you can send down a guy that didn't allow a run and only two base runners all spring. He did everything we asked him to do, and that just doesn't seem fair to him. Performance needs to take count for something, even if his talent isn't is high.

Despite his sprained ankle, I've decided to leave Lastings Milledge on the roster for now, and not place him on the DL. He should be back in action this week, but I will revisit in a few days and make a final decision. We've only got 24 players who will suit up for the Marlins series.

We get to stay in Florida though, as we open against the Marlins. The pitching match-ups for the opening series are:
Shawn Hill vs Jason Johnson
Scott Olsen vs Ricky Nolasco
John Lannan vs Chris Volstad

I've had some trade discussions with the Tigers and Red Sox this week. The Tigers are desperate to unload either Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis, but I don't want to take on another bad contract, even if we could only a couple of ours. The Red Sox also tried to gauge our interest in Tim Wakefield. He is probably better than one of our starters, but our catchers have enough problems without trying to catch a knuckleball.

Baseball America published their final ranking of minor league systems, and the Nationals made a big jump to #17. They were critical of our depth, but with the addition of Blake Dewitt, along with Jordan Zimmerman and Catcher Derek Norris in the top 100 prospects, that allowed us to make the big jump.

[glenn]

Opening Day Preview
By Jim Davidson

The Nationals finished last in the NL East in three of their four seasons in Washington, D.C., and last year was by far their worst. Despite moving into a new stadium, the Nationals managed a worst in baseball 59 wins and finished 32-1/2 games behind the division-leading Phillies.

QUESTIONS

1. Will the new offensive additions be enough? Adam Dunn, Jason Loney, Blake DeWitt, and Josh Willingham have been added to the offense during the offseason. Can they help the Nationals score more runs than they give up? How will the Nationals get at bats for all of the outfielder/first baseman types?

2. Who is going to be in the rotation? Can Shawn Hill stay healthy? Can Scott Olsen stay healthy and keep his temper under control? Can they find another pitcher capable of starting 25-30 games?

The Nationals seem to be taking the throw everything against the wall and see what sticks approach of building a rotation. Josh Towers, Jorge Sosa, John Lannan, Daniel Cabrera, Tyler Clippard, Gustavo Chacin, Shawn Estes, James Parr, Jason Bergmann, Collin Balester, and Preston Larrison have all been mentioned as rotation possibilities in a who's who list of answers to the Jeopardy question Why can't all prospects be successful in the majors. The next batch of prospects is on the way, and maybe just a little bit better than the last batch. Jordan Zimmerman, Garrett Mock, Shairon Martis, and Ross Detwiler are all "on the way", but haven't made it high enough in the minors to count on just yet. Look for Manny Acta to lose 20 pounds this season with all the trips I expect him to make to the mound.

3. Can the Nationals put their offseason woes behind them and restore glory to a franchise that has never won a World Series, and has never finished higher than fourth place since their move to Washington? The Nationals moved to Washington with a depleted farm system thanks to the outgoing Expos ownership, and haven't had much success in the nation's capital. A trouble filled offseason with questionable scouting practices, rapidly aging prospects, and the firing of GM Jim Bowden during spring training. Its time for the Nationals to start proving they are capable of rebuilding and don't turn into Major League Baseball's version of the Detroit Lions.

PROJECTED LINEUP
CF Lastings Milledge
SS Christian Guzman
LF/RF Elijah Dukes
LF/1B Adam Dunn
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B/RF James Loney/Austin Kearns
C Jesus Flores
2B Blake DeWitt/Ron Belliard

PROJECTED ROTATION
1. RHP Shawn Hill
2. LHP Scott Olsen
3. LHP John Lannan
4. RHP Josh Towers
5. RHP Jorge Sosa

PROJECTED CLOSER
RHP Saul Rivera

GRADES
Offense: C. The Nationals were 28th in runs scored in 2008. The only way to go is up. Before receiving a higher grade, they need to prove they are capable of scoring runs, and a lot of them if they are going to win many games.
Pitching: D-. See question number 2 above. The grade would be even lower, except for some key free agent bullpen signings that should help bring stability to the pen.
Bench: F. Big names and little production equals a bad grade.
Manager: C. Manny Acta can’t afford another season in the 60-win range, and needs to show he is legit major league manager.
Overall: D- I'mfeeling generous today, so I'll give the Nationals the benefit of the doubt, but the team needs help, and a lot of it.
Prediction: The Nationals should be capable of improving their 59-win season, but anything higher than a last-place finish would be a surprise in the strongest division in the NL. I'll even go out on a limb and say the Nationals won't have the worst record in baseball.