UPDATE 12/24/09 - 11:46 AM PST
The team continues to make upgrades, this time to their pitching staff after signing starter Jason Marquis to a two-year, $15M deal and agreeing on a one-year, $3.5M deal with reliever Matt Capps. Is it enough to be taken seriously in the NL East? Probably not, but adding the 31 year-old Marquis, who has averaged 13 wins and 196 IP over the last six seasons, can't hurt. And if the 26 year-old Capps can rebound from a disappointing season and pitch more like the guy who was 15-11 with a 3.04 ERA and 40 saves from 2006-08, the Nationals bullpen should be greatly improved from a disaster season in 2009.
UPDATE 12/8/09 - 7:56 PM PST
With catcher Jesus Flores a question mark to start the season, the Nats brought in some insurance in 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove winner Ivan Rodriguez. The 38 year-old, entering his 19th major league season, posted his lowest OPS (.663) since 1992 last season but he should be a great mentor for Flores and the young Nationals pitching staff. The deal is worth $6M over two seasons and is pending a physical. The team currently has 40 players on their 40-man roster so they'll have to clear a spot.
UPDATE 11/28/09 - 6:13 PM PST
LINEUP - The Nats added two important pieces prior to the season in 1B Adam Dunn (38 HR, 105 RBI, 116 BB) and LF Josh Willingham (24 HR, 61 RBI) and a third, CF Nyjer Morgan (.351 BA, 24 SB in 49 games), at the end of June in a trade with the Pirates. The offense will revolve around those three players and All-Star 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who still only 25 years old and coming off of his best pro season (.292 BA, 33 HR, 106 RBI). The defensively challenged Cristian Guzman (.284 BA, 6 HR, 52 RBI) is being asked to move from SS to 2B, which means the team will either hand the SS job to rookie Ian Desmond (.330 BA, 7 HR, 21 SB in 97 AAA games) or they can look for an alternative this winter. Catcher Jesus Flores is questionable for the start of the season following labrum surgery and backup Wil Nieves likely won't be given the starting job if Flores misses extended time. The team could wait until closer to spring training before deciding if they will need a short-term or long-term replacement. Elijah Dukes, who has yet to fulfill his massive potential, is penciled in as the right fielder although youngsters Roger Bernandina and Justin Maxwell could push him in spring training. And don't forget about super-utilityman Willie Harris, who will get his AB's somewhere.
ROTATION - The hopes are high for the starting rotation but unfortunately, they are probably still one year away. Stephen Strasburg has yet to throw a pitch in the minors and the #1 prospect from 2009, Jordan Zimmerman, is out for most of the season following Tommy John surgery. Left-hander John Lannan is not overpowering but he posted a 3.88 ERA in 33 starts. Twenty-three year-old lefty Ross Detwiler struggled after an early-season promotion to the rotation but finished the season strong, posting a 2.12 ERA over his last four starts. Scott Olsen made just 11 starts (2-4, 6.03 ERA) in '09 before going down for the season with a shoulder injury. He should return healthy for spring training. Craig Stammen (4-7, 5.11 ERA in 19 starts) and J.D. Martin (5-4, 4.44 ERA in 15 starts) are both strike-throwers that will try and hold down the fort until Strasburg is ready. Lefty Matt Chico and right-handers Luis Atilano, Colin Balester, Marco Estrada, and Shairon Martis will all be in the mix for a rotation spot but the spotlight will be on Strasburg all spring as the team will have to decide if he is ready to make the jump directly from college to the pros.
BULLPEN - It was two mid-season acquisitions, closer Mike MacDougal (4.31 ERA, 20 Sv in 21 chances) and setup man Sean Burnett (3.20 ERA, 5 holds in 33 relief appearances), who helped to solidify a bullpen that was atrocious for much of the season. Tyler Clippard put up the best numbers of the group, posting a 2.69 ERA and holding opponents to a .172 BA. If MacDougal, who could be non-tendered if the team doesn't want to pay a few million bucks for his services in 2010, doesn't return, Clippard could be in line to take his place. The team will also likely pursue a closer, such as lefty Mike Gonzalez, in free agency. Jason Bergmann finished the season strong (3.38 ERA, 9 holds after All-Star break) and will be in the mix to set up games for whoever ends up closing. The wildcard is the team's other 1st Rd pick, Drew Storen, who posted a 1.95 ERA with 11 saves and 49 K's in 37 IP between LoA, HiA, and AA after signing last June. Many think he could break camp as the team's setup man but he could also benefit from some experience in AAA before joining the team.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment