Nats' Offseason Tracker

[KingJ]

I was thinking and it may be better if we group all the Nats' offseason trades, signings, cuts, and minor league notes into one thread. This will help some Nats fans who haven't read up in awhile catchup on what the team is looking like and would keep the forum from getting cluttered. Every category is in chronological order:

Gains
Free Agency
Nov 18 Marlon Anderson (2B) two-year, $1.85 million
Dec 13 Robert Fick (1B) one-year, undisclosed amount
Dec 13 Joey Eischen (LHP) one-year, undisclosed amount
Dec 24 Mike Stanton (LHP) one-year, $1 million
Jan 5 Jamey Carroll (2B) one-year, $700,000


Waivers
Oct 27 Damian Jackson (2B) one-year, $750,000

Mi.L. Contracts
Oct 27 Bernie Castro (2B)
Nov 11 Billy Traber (LHP)
Nov 21 Chris Booker (RHP)
Dec 13 Wiki Gonzalez (C)
Dec 13 Mike DiFelice (C)
Dec 13 Alberto Castillo (C)
Dec 13 Brandon Harper (C)
Dec 20 Alex Escobar (OF)
Dec 20 T.J. Tucker (RHP)

Traded for
Nov 3 Brian Lawrence (RHP)
Dec 7 Alfonso Soriano (2B)

Mi.L. Call-ups
Oct 2 Kory Casto (3B)
Oct 2 Frank Diaz (CF)
Oct 3 Armando Galarraga (RHP)
Oct 27 Bernie Castro (2B)

Losses
Free Agency
Oct 3 C.J. Nitkowski (LHP) signed minor lg. with PIT
Oct 3 Matt White (LHP)
Oct 3 Matt Cepicky (LF) signed minor lg. with FLA
Oct 27 Preston Wilson (CF)
Oct 27 Deivi Cruz (SS) signed with STL, 1yr/$800,000
Oct 28 Carlos Baerga (1B)
Oct 28 Esteban Loaiza (RHP) signed with OAK, 3yr/$21.3 mil
Oct 28 Gary Bennett (C) signed with STL, 1yr/$800,000
Oct 28 Tony Armas Jr. (RHP)
Oct 31 Hector Carrasco (RHP) signed with LAA, 2yr/$6.1 mil
Dec 20 Junior Spivey (2B) signed with STL, 1yr/undisclosed amount


Waivers
Nov 9 Jeffrey Hammonds (RF) retired

Mi.L. Signings
Dec 8 Chris Booker (RHP)

Traded away
Nov 3 Vinny Castilla (3B) to San Diego for Lawrence and cash
Dec 7 Brad Wilkerson (LF) to Texas for Soriano
Dec 7 Termell Sledge (LF) to Texas for Soriano
Dec 20 Rick Short (2B) to Tohku Rakuten (JAP) for cash

Mi.L. Assignments
Oct 19 Josh Karp (RHP)

Releases
Oct 2 John Halama (LHP)
Oct 2 Keith Osik (C) retired
Oct 3 Antonio Osuna (RHP)
Nov 15 Kenny Kelly (CF)

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

We did not lose Hector Carrasco. He is exploring the FA market.
---------

Yup, I posted this message the 22nd of November.
Hector is lost and has signed with the Angels a 2 year 6.1 million dollar contract.

[KingJ]

Originally Posted by wilkerson_rulz

We did not lose Hector Carrasco.

Carrasco is lost unless we sign him to a contract in which case he is put under Free Agency for gains.

[Bob Hannah]

Thanks for contributing this. I'm making it a sticky so the thread won't have to be searched for when adding to it or replying.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Man! What ever happened to Jeffrey Hammonds? He was a good pinch-hiiter.

[Bob Hannah]

Originally Posted by wilkerson_rulz

Man! What ever happened to Jeffrey Hammonds? He was a good pinch-hiiter.

Hammonds got old quick, he never seemed to fulfill potential he exhibited as a younger player. He best was behind him. The bat slowed and his fielding became suspect. Nationals are better of without him. It seems the team wanted to go with younger guys. The younger guys may be flawed themselves, but they are younger.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

I am trying to make my own newspaper, I will submit monthly articles on the Nats here is the first one ever! Enjoy!

wr

Earlier in November it seemed as the words ''Washington'' and ''Nationals'' would be seperated.

Still in an ownership crisis the Nationals haven't done much this offseason besides signing pinch hitting specialists
Damian Jackson and Marlon Anderson.
They have been mainly interested in starting pitching mainly A.J. Burnett and co.
The Nationals have yet to make an offer to Burnett who says the Nationals are somewhat near the top of the list of teams he's interested in playing for.

For the Nationals to be able to compete in 06 they must get out of this ownership tangle, and be more agressive in pursuing free agents.
Losing out on Loaiza and Carrasco could come back to
haunt the Nationals in 2006.

The Vinny Castilla for Brian Lawrence trade was a plus for the Nats, it resolves one of their problems(starting pitching)
and opens up a window of oppertunity for standout Virginia State graduate Ryan Zimmerman to shine.

More questions remain: one of which concerns their current outfield problem.

Now with Preston Wilson and his 12 million $ contract out of town who will take his place?

Brad Wilkerson and Termel Sledge have been subjects of trade rumours, Ryan Church and Marlon Byrd
need more developping so they can fully reach their potential. A year of seasoning in AAA won't hurt Byrd.
As for Church he has to be more consistent and learn the strike-zone and be able to play through pain
(the organization was dissapointed that Church couldn't play with a broken pinkie-toe in August.)

Jose Guillen is signed for one more year, after that Church should be more than ready.

Until next time...

wilkerson_rulz

[KingJ]

Originally Posted by wilkerson_rulz

Brad Wilkerson and Termel Sledge have been subjects of trade rumours, Ryan Church and Marlon Byrd
need more developping so they can fully reach their potential. A year of seasoning in AAA won't hurt Byrd.

I disagree.

Byrd was leadoff batter for the Phillies two years ago and has put his career back together. Ryan Church had one of the best hitting records at RFK among the Nationals and hasn't made a fielding error in 722 innings. They are developed and, if anything, Sledge should be in AAA.

Church could stop being a wimp with injuries, but even if he did play during that time he might not have been as effective since he needs to be able to run.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/...=.jsp&c_id=was

WASHINGTON -- This year's Winter Meetings in Dallas move from a weekend to a weekday schedule, beginning on Monday and ending Thursday. While there were very few fireworks at last year's event, there could be more wheeling and dealing this year, thanks to the relatively thin group of free agents.
Look for Nationals general manager Jim Bowden to try to acquire starting pitching, a backup catcher and a slugger in Dallas.

And be sure to check back at MLB.com and nationals.com regularly to find out the latest about the Nationals as we bring you the news as it happens from Dallas.

2005 finish: 81-81, fifth place, National League East

Deals so far: Signed INF Damian Jackson to a one-year contract; signed INF Bernie Castro to a one-year contract; traded 3B Vinny Castilla to the Padres for RHP Brian Lawrence and cash; signed INF Marlon Anderson to a two-year contract.

Players eligible for arbitration: RHPs Luis Ayala and T.J. Tucker; INF Jamey Carroll; 1B Nick Johnson; 2B Junior Spivey; C Brian Schneider; and OF Brad Wilkerson

Free agents: RHPs Tony Armas Jr., Hector Carrasco (signed with the Angels) and Antonio Osuna; LHPs Joey Eischen and John Halama; INF Carlos Baerga; C Gary Bennett; SS Deivi Cruz; and OFs Kenny Kelly and Preston Wilson

Needs: There are plenty. They need at least two starters after Esteban Loaiza signed a three-year deal with the Athletics. The Nationals have had discussions with free agent A.J. Burnett and have inquired about Diamondbacks right-hander Javier Vazquez, who wants to be traded closer to his Puerto Rico home.

Whether Washington can acquire those pitchers will depend on how much money it can spend. Bowden will not have a budget until the end of the week.

The Nationals also need a leadoff hitter, two sluggers and a backup catcher. The team would love to trade for Marlins center fielder Juan Pierre and have him be their leadoff man, but Washington has nothing in its Minor League system that Florida wants.

The Nationals thought they found at least one slugger in Wilson last summer, but he turned out to be a disappointment and will not be back with the team. Washington has its eye on Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano, who would play the outfield in the nation's capital.

Backup catchers are hard to find. The Nationals don't have anything in their farm system that could help them now, and there are only a handful of good ones on the free agent market -- Sandy Alomar Jr., Todd Pratt and John Flaherty are a few. Of those three, Washington reportedly has interest in Flaherty.

Dealing strengths: The Nationals have a plethora of infielders and outfielders, and Bowden indicated that he would like to trade some of them for pitching and hitting help.

Infielders Jamey Carroll and Junior Spivey are on the block, but whether the Nationals can get good players for them remains to be seen. Spivey is coming off one of his worst years, and Carroll, a valuable backup, has never been an everyday player.

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Note to KingJ: THis is an update for the first post in this thread. ADD: On the block.

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/...=.jsp&c_id=was






WASHINGTON -- Nationals general manager Jim Bowden is expected to get his player budget from team president Tony Tavares at the end of this week -- in time for the Winter Meetings, which start in Dallas on Monday.
Bowden will know at that point if he'll have the money to sign a pitcher like A.J. Burnett or make the trade for a slugger who can be a difference-maker.

"I'm trying to get this done for Jim for the Winter Meetings so he can know how many bullets he has in his gun," said Tavares.

Even without a budget, Bowden has found a way to make moves this offseason. He solved the third-base logjam by trading Vinny Castilla to the Padres for right-hander Brain Lawrence. That means Ryan Zimmerman will be the everyday third baseman, and Lawrence will be the fourth or fifth starter in the rotation.

Last week, Bowden improved the bench by signing infielder Marlon Anderson to a two-year contract.

Whether Bowden can do more remains to be seen. Free agent salaries are skyrocketing, and that has already caused the Nationals to lose right-hander Esteban Loaiza to the Athletics and taken them out of the running for relievers Scott Eyre and B.J. Ryan.

Washington also lost reliever Hector Carrasco, who had the best season of his career, posting a 2.04 ERA in 64 games. Carrasco made the Major League minimum of $315,000, but he got a significant raise and signed a two-year deal with the Angels on Friday.

"Certainly, every signing has an effect on the marketplace," said Bowden. "We have a very thin market and a lot of teams with money. History shows that those dollars will climb, and that's what we are seeing."

The Nationals may have no choice but to make trades. Tavares has already said that Washington would not be one of the desperate teams that would spend a lot of money.

"We always played conservatively," Tavares said. "We will intelligently get involved. If things get silly and stupid, there's no point getting involved in that level. The worst thing in the world is when you are paying for players at premium prices and they don't perform for you."

The top priority is starting pitching. The Nationals need at least two starters and have already had discussions with Burnett. According to Bowden, Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, conveyed that Washington will be somewhere near the top of Burnett's list.

Matt Morris is another pitcher on the Nationals' radar screen. He spent the past eight years with the Cardinals, winning 101 games with a 3.61 ERA.

Javier Vazquez, once the ace of the Expos' pitching staff, is also available, and the Nationals have had discussions with the Diamondbacks about his services.

"We still have some targets in the free agent market that we are still pursuing, and we are having trade discussions on a daily basis with several clubs," said Bowden. "We are going to try to improve the team any way we can."

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[KingJ]

Updated free agency losses.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

ADD IN: retired Keith Osik.

[KingJ]

Originally Posted by wilkerson_rulz

ADD IN: retired Keith Osik.

I hope you are still a Nats fan after our recent update.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I'll miss you WIlkerson, have a good career with Texas.
Yes I am still a Nats fan.



Forever in my heart
wilkerson

[KingJ]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=was

Eischen we take care of our lefty problem in the pen although we could probably use another one. Fick can be the Nick Johnson insurance we lost with Wilkerson.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Originally Posted by KingJ

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=was

Eischen we take care of our lefty problem in the pen although we could probably use another one. Fick can be the Nick Johnson insurance we lost with Wilkerson.

Good signings, Fick can play 1B and catcher. Good Pinch-hitter.
Only one problem: Why is Jim Bowden signing all these utility players, because we didn't have good PH's besides Baerga?

Jim, sign a big-name bat and pitcher!

Here is the same link, with Fick's picture!
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/...=.jsp&c_id=was

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Since no one posted the story, I figured I would:


Acquired:
2B Alfonso Soriano

Lost:
OF Brad Wilkerson, OF Termel Sledge and a player to be named later(A. G).


http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/...=.jsp&c_id=was
_________________

DALLAS -- According to a high-ranking baseball official, the Nationals have acquired Rangers second baseman Alfonso Soriano in exchange for outfielders Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge and Minor League pitcher Armando Galarraga. The deal will be completed pending physicals.
Nationals general manager Jim Bowden would neither confirm nor deny the transaction.

Washington and Texas were in trade talks for two days, with the Rangers hoping that that the Nationals would add better Minor Leaguers to the deal. According to a source, the Rangers were hoping that right-hander Collin Balester, third baseman Kory Casto or left-hander Michael Hinckley would be added to the deal, but the Nationals wouldn't budge.

Soriano is the power hitter and speedster Washington has been craving, with the Nationals finishing last in the Major Leagues in offense in 2005. He will be added to a lineup that includes Jose Guillen, Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman. Soriano is expected to hit in the middle in the order.

In 2005, Soriano hit .268 with 36 home runs and 104 RBIs, and he recorded 30 stolen bases for Texas. During his seven-year career, Soriano has a .280 average with 162 home runs, 465 RBIs and 169 stolen bases. He is best known for playing with the Yankees, appearing in two World Series, in 2001 and 2003.

Soriano made $7 million in 2005 and is arbitration eligible. He is slated to make around $10 million in 2006. When ownership is in place, the Nationals are going to work on giving Soriano a long-term deal. He is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the '06 season.

In D.C., Soriano will play center or left field with Jose Vidro remaining at second base. However, a source said the Nats have not ruled out Soriano playing second base because Vidro is still recovering from a sore right knee and his quadriceps are still weak. Vidro missed most of the second half of 2005 with those injuries. Washington has not talked to Soriano about switching positions.

In 2001, Soriano was slated to be the Yankees' starting left fielder, but Chuck Knoblauch's throwing problems forced him to play second base.

Wilkerson, who is also arbitration eligible, can play all three outfield positions and first base. He had been Washington's primary leadoff hitter the last three years, but he had a down season in 2005, hitting .248 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs. Many feel his struggles were caused by injuries to his left shoulder and both forearms.

At the same time, some in the Washington organization grew tired of Wilkerson's strikeouts. His lack of production in '05 didn't justify the 147 strikeouts.

Wilkerson's best season was in 2004, when he hit .255 with 32 home runs and 67 RBIs and was named the Expos' Player of the Year.



Complete coverage >
Sledge, a Frank Robinson favorite, missed most of the 2005 season because of a torm right hamstring. He is currently playing winter ball in Puerto Rico. The Nationals have been trying to trade Sledge since the winter of 2004. In fact, Sledge and infielder Brendan Harris were almost traded to the Cubs for Sammy Sosa.

In 2004, Sledge had a solid rookie season for the Expos, hitting .269 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs.

Galarraga played for Class A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg last season. He went 3-4 with a 2.48 ERA for Potomac, while having the same record with a 5.19 ERA for Harrisburg.

Soriano wasn't the only player Washington was trying to get on Wednesday. According to two baseball sources, the Nationals and Diamondbacks tried to work out a deal that would have sent right-hander Javier Vazquez to Washington for outfielder Ryan Church, infielder Jamey Carroll and a Minor League pitcher. One source said Arizona wanted either Balester or Hinckley.

"We thought we had a deal, but when we walked into the room, the deal completely changed," the source said. "The talks broke off and they are done now."

Earlier, there was a rumor circulating around the Wyndham Anatole hotel that had the Nationals involved in a three-way deal with the Reds and Blue Jays. The deal would've sent Wilkerson to Toronto, Shea Hillenbrand and another player to Cincinnati and Wily Mo Pena to Washington. Bowden told MLB.com that rumor was false.

"I have not had any dealings with [Blue Jays general manager] J.P. Ricciardi since the Winter Meetings started, other than to say congratulations on his three-year extension," said Bowden.

Two additional baseball sources familiar with the Nationals said that no such deal was talked about.

Agent Scott Boras said Washington made competitive offers to three of his clients -- Kevin Millwood, Jarrod Washburn and Kenny Rogers. Boras also said his clients are not afraid to play for a team that doesn't have an ownership group in place.

"We understand the commitment the ownership has to make to buy the franchise," said Boras. "Whom ever gets involved, we feel they will be committed to winning. The revenue is going to be great. My clients have not had any [hesitation] in terms of considering Washington."

[KingJ]

Check out all those catchers Bowden signed to minor league deals.

[KingJ]

Originally Posted by wilkerson_rulz

Jim, sign a big-name bat and pitcher!

There is no such thing as a big-name bat to sign.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Originally Posted by KingJ

Check out all those catchers Bowden signed to minor league deals.

Man! We need them for what?
Nothing.
Exactly.

"In other news, the Nationals signed catchers Wiki Gonzalez, Mike DiFelice, Alberto Castillo and Brandon Harper to 2006 Minor League contracts."

And how much is Jim paying these freaks?

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Originally Posted by KingJ

There is no such thing as a big-name bat to sign.

How about Jeromy Burnitz?

[KingJ]

Originally Posted by wilkerson_rulz

And how much is Jim paying these freaks?

Since it is a minor league contract, they will spend most if not all of the season in New Orleans or Harrisburg with a callup when we need a catcher due to injury. Average pay for such a deal is $75,000 a year per player which will be paid for by the owner of whatever minor league team we send them to.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

What would you guys think of Burnitz as a Nat?
Good bat, average defense

[KingJ]

Updated to make note of a couple of things I skipped over earlier, mainly Billy Traber (LHP)'s minor league signing and spring training invitation. He had a brief stint as a starter for the Indians in 2003 where he went 6-9 with an ERA of 5.24 over 111.2 innings before getting injured, sent down to recover, and forgotten about.

Although an ERA of 5.24 does sound pretty bad, he is a young (26) left-handed pitcher (needed) with an ERA of 3.89 at Jacobs Field (shorter fences than RFK) and a major league complete game 1-hitter against the Yankees (wow). Great 6th starter when needed.

[KingJ]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Frank Robinson will return for a fifth season as manager of the Washington Nationals.

Robinson, who turned 70 in August, was re-signed after two months of offseason limbo while the team's sale and stadium deals continued to be negotiated. With the team still unsold and spring training two months away, general manager Jim Bowden began talks last week to bring back Robinson for another season.

Robinson was hired by Major League Baseball to manage the Montreal Expos after the franchise was bought by the other 29 teams in 2002. Robinson initially expected to hold the job for one year while the team was eliminated, but instead the franchise was moved to Washington at the end of last year.

Robinson is 314-334 with the Expos/Nationals, including 81-81 this year.

The Nationals also announced that bench coach Eddie Rodriguez and pitching coach Randy St. Claire will be retained for 2006. Hitting coach Tom McCraw, first-base coach Don Buford, bullpen coach Bob Natal and third-base coach Dave Huppert will not return.

[eddiejc1]

You might want to put a hyphen in the title of the post. For most people "resigned" is the opposite of "re-signed."

Eddie Cunningham