So there's news tonight from Denver that the Rockies have re-upped Jorge de la Rosa, left handed starting pitcher, to a three-year, $30-plus million contract.  The 30-year old hurler is just the latest free agent pitcher to remove himself from the market before getting into any meaningful negotiations with the Washington Nationals.

Not that I espoused signing de la Rosa.  Far from it.  But many in NatsTown are up in arms by the latest pitcher to spurn the Nationals.

GM Mike Rizzo famously went on record toward the end of last season saying a front of the rotation pitcher was his highest priority of the off-season.  He later recanted on a national radio show, saying that Cliff Lee was the only No. 1-type starter on the free agent market and he wouldn't delude himself that a pitcher who has pitched in the last two World Series -- for two different teams -- would pull on a new Curly W uniform.

But now, all the second tier starters seem to be removing themselves from the market before we even get to the Winter Meetings next week.  de la Rosa is only the most recent.

In addition, also gone are:  Javier Vazquez, Jake Westbrook, Hiroki Kuroda, Jon Garland.  None are All-Stars, but all are more reliable starting pitcher than anyone currently under contract with the Nationals.

Notice I did not say "better", only more reliable.

Sure, Brandon Webb is still out there.  And the former Cy Young winner hasn't thrown in a game in two years.  Chien-Mien Wang, anyone?

There's always the trade market, but with Kansas City wanting "two Zack Greinkes" to place Zack Greinke, we can well assume he won't end up leading the Nats staff this year -- primarily because the Nats don't have two Zack Greinkes to trade.

As has been pointed out now repeatedly, last year's bumper crop of free agents that the Nats were able to land were decidedly disappointing.  Jason Marquis, Brian Bruney and Matt Capps were supposed to stabilize the staff; only Capps pitched well.  Ivan Rodriguez was terrible at the plate and vastly overrated behind it.  Adam Kennedy was misled, unused, became discontented and ultimately discarded.

So far under the Mike Rizzo regime, the Nats have not been able to either land -- or more likely, legitimately pursue -- quality free agents, preferring to shop in the bargain and rehabilitation bin.  Though there was a slight uptick in the final record last season, that was more a function of the normalization of the bullpen than anything else.

And we all know that bullpen arms are highly volitle and extremely unpredictable, right?  Right?

I'm on the record saying the Nats shouldn't throw money around just because they have it, and that at some point they will have to sign players to contribute to a winning team, but that now isn't really that time.  But by missing out on what little quality is available this season, the Nats could lose whatever traction they made last season record-wise.

They still have to play the 2011 season.

Anyway, the genesis of this post was all the negativity and grumbling on message boards and Twitter with the news that de la Rosa was no longer available.  It's come to this: NatsTown mired in anger and despair over losing out on a 30-year old, career 4.22 ERA lefty.

What's the Nats new marketing slogan?  Expect it?  Is that right?  Ugh.

BULLET-POINT STYLE!

*  The Washington Nationals hired Bob Schaefer as Special Assistant to the GM today.  Schaefer, 66, is a 30-year MLB veteran.  He joins the Nationals after serving as Joe Torre’s bench coach with the Dodgers the last three seasons (2008-10).

Schaefer has spent much of the last twenty seasons in either a special assistant to the GM role (2006 Braves under John Schuerholz, 1999-2001 Orioles) or as a big league bench coach (2008-10 Dodgers; 2007 Athletics; 1991, 2002-05 Royals). He twice skippered Kansas City in an interim capacity (1991, 2005).

 

*  Players are starting to trickle off the list of available free agents, with Javier Vazquez going to the Florida Marlins and Jon Garland signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.  Honestly, I think the Nats are better off with Vazquez going elsewhere.  His velocity was down considerably last season, and it screams of potential injury.  The Marlins gave him just one year, so their risk is limited, but I still say via vaya con dios.

 

The list of free agent starters after Cliff Lee wasn't particularly impressive to begin with, and with Vazquez and Garland gone it's even less so.  The "top" remaining free agents after Lee are 30-year old lefty Jorge de la Rosa and 35-year old righty Carl Pavano.  Both are Type-A free agents who were offered arbitration, so both will cost two draft picks to sign.

 

Of course, former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb is also high on the Nats' wish list.  But the 32-year old righty hasn't thrown comeptitively in two years fighting shoulder problems.

 

Webb won the National League Cy Young Award by going 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA in 2006 and finished second in 2007 and 2008, winning 40 games in that period.  When healthy, he has a devasting sinking fastball that not only generates ground balls, but strikeouts as well.

 

*  Adam Dunn has until Dec. 7 to accept the Nationals' arbitration offer, and it's very likely it takes that long for the slugger and his representitives to make their decision.  The Nats have been very coy about Dunn, and so far things seem to be working in their favor, with Victor Martinez signing to play DH in Detroit (for four years and $50 million), essentially eliminating one suitor.

 

In other developments, the Chicago White Sox offered arbitration to Type-A free agent 1B Paul Konerko, making him considerably less attractive on the market should the Sox not re-sign him.

 

I still think Dunn will end up with the White Sox regardless of what they do with Konerko, but the Nats are committed to waiting Dunn out to see if they can sign him to a two or three-year deal, instead of the four year deal his agent is shopping for.

The Washington Nationals today added 1B Chris Marrero and RHPs Adam Carr and Cole Kimball to their 40-man roster, protecting all three players from the Rule 5 draft next month. All three players are among the Nats top prospects.

The 40-man roster is now full, so if the Nats were to pick up any Major League players in the future, or make a Rule 5 selection themselves, they would have to clear space.

Also, the Nationals lost pitcher Juan Jaime to the Arizona Diamondbacks, as the N.L. West team claimed the rehabbing Jaime after the Nats placed him on waivers to open a spot on the 40-man yesterday.

Among the players who are now unprotected and eliglible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft are pitchers Brad Peacock and Brad Meyers, the Nats minor league pitcher of the year in 2009.

Can the Washington Nationals take a step back record-wise in 2011 and still progress as a team?  It's an interesting question to ponder.  Because as things stand right now, it looks more and more likely the team the Nats field next season will be filled with the same questions as last season.  Or worse.

It's clear now that first baseman Adam Dunn won't return to the Nationals.  This has been about the length of the contract all along, clear and simple.  Even the dollar figures aren't as important as the length of the contract. 

GM Mike Rizzo has remained streadfast in not going over three years for the hulking slugger.  Dunn's agent is insisting on a four year deal, and rumors floated yesterday that the Detroit Tigers were willing to even offer a club-option on a fifth year.  Dunn will get what he wants in this market.  But it won't be from the Nats and he'll have to surrender his glove to make it happen. 

This was never about the defense -- for either side.

Hypocrites, all. 

Word came out yesterday that Rizzo is satisfied with stringing left fielder Josh Willingham along on a series of one-year deals as well, that is if they don't trade him or refuse to offer him arbitration.

And Rizzo himself the other day said on the radio that he wasn't going to "delude myself to the fact that we have a great chance of landing Cliff Lee," and that it would be very difficult this off-season to entice any difference-making pitcher to join the Nationals.

So, where does that leave the 2011 Washington Nationals?

It's entirely possible the off-season goes by with the Nats failing to acquire any real significant major league talent.  Sure, they'll be able to claim they were in pursuit of Lee, de la Rosa, Crawford or Werth.  But in the end they will be outbid by contending teams, offering similar deals in terms of dollars but with the added enticement of potential playoff baseball.

They'll also be able to say that they kicked the tires on Zack Greinke, Matt Garza and the like via trade.  But again, the asking price will be just too steep, considering the Nats should be building their stable of prospects and close-to-the-majors talent, not trading it away.

All of the Nats real talent base is still younger than 26, led, of course, by Ryan Zimmerman.  Ian Desmond.  Danny Espinosa.  Wilson Ramos.  Bryce Harper.  Those position players represent the core of the Nats lineup, none of which are approaching their peak years.

The pitching staff is similarly situated.  Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Drew Storen all have yet to reach their 25th birthday.  It is here where the Nats still, after six years in the District, need to add to the stable.

Mike Rizzo knows this.  He knows that it will be 2-3 years before this core grows up and is ready to contend -- IF they all develop as he thinks they will.

But he also has to deal with an eroding and ever-frustrated fan base that is growing impatient for wins on the field NOW.

Last year's crop of free agents were brought in with the idea of stabilizing the Major League roster while letting younger players develop -- and avoiding 100 losses, which they were able to do barely.

Matt Capps.  Ivan Rodgriguez.  Jason Marquis.  Livan Hernandez.  Adam Kennedy.  Brian Bruney.

Stop-gaps all.  And mostly failed stop-gaps, at that.

I warn Nats fans to expect more of the same this off-season.  Expect a few fiscally conservative moves to attempt to bolster the pitching staff.  Expect a reclamation project (or two).  Maybe a couple role or bench players.  All in the pursuit of avoiding 100 losses.

Take a good look at last season's free agent class again.  Weren't we taking about these same problems at this time last year? 

I think that come spring training the names might be different, but the type of players -- and the problems -- will be about the same. 

Yes, eventually the Nationals are going to have to go out into the free agent market and sign players to contribute to a winning team. But they just aren't ready to do that.  The core of the talent on this team is still too young to justify signing older free agents whose contracts and Major League viability will be over by the time these guys are ready to contend.

And the thing is:  Mike Rizzo knows this.  It would really help if the Nationals organization were transparent about their plans, instead of leading their fans on with failed promises of the pursuit of free agent all-stars.

There are three ways to acquire talent in Major League Baseball:  drafting, trading and signing free agents.  But signing free agents is a way to supplement the talent you already have with older players, not a way to build a franchise.

This team is still building.

I hate this time of year on the baseball calendar.

The General Manager's meetings started in Orlando today, a precursor to baseball's Winter Meetings the first week in December.  This week lays the groundwork for future deals -- rarely is a big deal or signing completed during this introductory phase. 

I'm sure there are some GMs out there still just compiling their list of available free agents, let alone moving on to an evaluation or discussion phase.

Anyway, there's plenty of talk and speculation about where free agents are going to land, or who is available on the trade market.  It all bores me.

No one has any real idea where any of these players might end up.  Every big name has the Yankees and Red Sox attached, because their agents put that out in the press with the hope of driving up the price for their players.  Media, bloggers and fans might make guesses based on what they think are a team's needs, but only the GMs (and their owners) know what that organization's philosophy might be.

And GM's generally do not make thier plans known to the media.  They might talk a good game, but the last thing a savvy GM wants to do is let real knowledge slip into the media.

Which brings us, dear readers, to the Washington Nationals.

Dunn tosses helmet after another K. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

The big decision facing GM Mike Rizzo is what to do about first baseman Adam Dunn. 

Dunn's power remains prodigious, but warning signs are starting to slip into his performance if you care to look for them.  He's obviously a fan favorite, but he also has severe limitations.  He's maintained his preference for remaining in D.C., but his representitives know this his last chance at a big payday, long-term deal.  Dunn also wants to stay at first base, but will see more offers from A.L. teams that want him to put his glove away.

The Nats seem willing to play the waiting game with Dunn, because if they really wanted him here, they could have had a deal done much earlier than this point.  Rizzo appears firm that he will not give Dunn a four-year deal, something his agents appear adament about.  If Dunn doesn't see the contract offer he wants, either in length, amount, or from the right team, he could end back up with the Nats in a semi-bargain status.

Rizzo recently went on Sirius/XM Radio and MLB Network Radio and described how he plans to operate the Washington Nationals for the foreseeable future. 

"Our philosophy is pitching, defense, speed and athleticism.  Specifically in the National League and especially in the National League East, so that's a philosophy that we've been working towards with our draft picks and our major league roster and we're going to continue to follow that philosophy throughout."

Where does Adam Dunn fit into that philosophy?

Anyway, after Dunn, there's rampant speculation about the Nats being active in both the free agent and trade markets. I'll believe it when I see it.

Rizzo has stated, on numerous occasions, that his top priority is to acquire a "No. 1-type starter" this off-season. Good luck with that.

The only free agent that fits that bill is Cliff Lee, who has pitched in the World Series the last two years -- for two different teams. He's not coming to D.C. Former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke is not going to waive his no-trade clause to move from Kansas City to the N.L. version of the Royals. Brandon Webb hasn't pitched in two years. Jorge de la Rosa and Matt Garza are not No. 1-type starters on any team other than the Nats.

So, the options there are limited.

As for the recent rumor of Dan Uggla?  Forget about it.  The Nats have spent months talking about getting better on defense.  If they then turn around and bring in Uggla at second base -- or worse, move him to first -- you know it was all a bold-faced lie.

You're perfectly welcome to fill up your winter months tracking MLB Trade Rumors, hanging on every word Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman and Buster Olney tweets. 

Me?  I think I'll wait until there's something real to discuss.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols

Photos of the 2011 Nationals Uniforms and Fashion Show can be found here.

Tyler Clippard, Ian Desmond, Drew Storen and Jordan Zimmermann are signing autographs at the Nationals Park Team Store today, Thursday, November 11. Autograph session will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and doors open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

o Ian Desmond 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
o Tyler Clippard 12:10 p.m. to 12:40 p.m.
o Drew Storen 12:50 p.m. to 1:20 p.m.
o Jordan Zimmermann 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m

Find out how to get the new jerseys here.

New Nationals Primary Logo

Posted by Cheryl:

While fans wait on word about Adam Dunn, the Washington Nationals made a couple of decisions this week. 

Right handed reliever Tyler Walker has been unconditionally released.  Tyler went on the DL in June and then had season-ending surgery on his shoulder.  Walker went 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA in 35.1 innings with eight walks and 30 Ks.

The Nationals declined a club option for 2011 on 2B Adam Kennedy.  Kennedy had 342 at bats with a .275 AVG, 85 hits, 3 home runs, 31 RBIs, 37 walks and 44 strikeouts. 

The Nationals today secured outright waivers on LHP Scott Olsen and he elected to become a free agent.

The Nationals also secured outright waivers on LHP Jesse English. English was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse, although he became a minor-league free agent at 5 pm today.

Photos 2010 © Cheryl Nichols Photography/

Nats News Network. All Rights Reserved.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT DUNN?

I wrote yesterday about how the Nats are on the fence with free agent first baseman Adam Dunn and how he can start entertaining offers from any club after midnight Saturday night. 

Let me say this:  I think the Nats have no intention of signing Adam Dunn, unless he fails to garner a four-year offer elsewhere and he lands in their laps much as he did two years ago, hat in hand.  If they did, he'd already be under contract and NatsTown could be worried about something else right now.  But let me add:  If Dunn really wanted to stay in D.C. as he has proclaimed all along, he could be signed already as well.

This was inevitable.  Dunn's camp knows this is his last chance to lock up a big money, mulit-year contract.  There was no way they weren't going to free agency once they learned (very early on this year) that the Nats would not go to four years under any scenario. 

And once Stephen Strasburg got hurt, the Nats' need to invest heavily in players that could be part of a contending team in 2011 went right down the drain.  Without Strasburg, the Nationals simply need too many players to compete, especially at starting pitcher.

If Strasburg had finished last season healthy, the team could have probably convinced themselves that they just needed to plug in a bona fide Major League starter in right field (coughJaysonWerthcough) and find a platoon partner for Nyjer Morgan in center (hell-o Cody Ross) and they could field a .500 team in 2011 and really compete in 2012.

Now?  They'll be patching together a pitching staff all season long, just like every year since they arrived in 2005.  It would be financially foolish to throw money at a select one or two free agents knowing that your team isn't going to compete anyway.  They'd be better off looking for younger, cheaper talent that can grow with the the rest of the core players in the franchise.

Because with the state of the team right now, the Nats would have to re-sign Dunn, AND sign Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth just to have that shot at being a .500 team in 2011.  Then, next off-season they'll have to pay or replace Josh Willingham and Nyjer Morgan and probably bring in another pitcher to truly be a contending team.

So watch this off-season as the Nats bring in another innings-eating starting pitcher and Carlos Pena (or Aubrey Huff) to play first base.  Maybe they'll upgrade a couple spots on the bench.  But if they don't spend the money it would take to re-sign Dunn in the first place and pocket it instead, don't say I didn't warn you.

NEW THIRD BASE COACH HIRED

The Nats brought in Bo Porter, fromerly Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach, as their new third base coach, replacing Pat Listach at the position.  Listach left the Nats to take the bench coach job with the Chicago Cubs.

Porter was a candidate for at least one managerial position this off-season.  He has extensive experience as a third base coach, having manned the position with the Florida Marlins and the D-backs before graduating to the bench last season after their mangerial shake-up.

Porter also will coach the outfielders and base runners, and has worked with Josh Willingham when both were with the Marlins.

"Bo was at the top of the list of the people that I had in mind," Riggleman told The Washington Post's Nationals Insider. "Definitely, I think it's a great hire."

BUILDING A WINNER?

We saw with the recently concluded World Series how the San Francisco Giants caught lightning in a bottle and won on the strength of three really terrific arms (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner), a young phenom  (Buster Posey) and a few veterans contributing at the right time.  Don't think all of baseball didn't see it and want to emulate their "formula", especially the Nationals.

Bottom line though is the Giants were extremely fortunate that the cast of postion players they surrounded their young and extremely talented pitching staff with came through when needed, because other than Posey, there probably isn't a single hitter on the Giants you'd take over their counterpart on the Nationals.  And that's pretty damning.

Congratulations to them, of course.  They have the hardware and no one can take their names off this year's trophy.  But I'll be shocked if the Giants are much better than .500 next season, even with that great pitching.

SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE SET

The Washington Nationals released their 2011 spring training schedule yesterday, some four weeks earlier than last year. Awesome, gives more time to plan for our annual trek for Florida for springtime baseball. Looking at the list of opponents though, it's hard to not to lament the Dodgers and Orioles exodus from Florida's east coast, with L.A. moving to Arizona and the O's off to Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast.

The Nats have 30 spring training games scheduled this season, against just seven teams. Worse, three of the seven are division opponents (New York Mets (seven games), Atlanta Braves (four games) and Florida (soon to be Miami) Marlins (four games)). As if it isn't bad enough we nave to sit though 19 Marlins games a year?

Adam Dunn hitting his 300th career home run at Nats Park in 2009.
 (Cheryl Nichols/Nats News Network)

With the conclusion of the World Series, several Nationals filed for free agency late last night according to accounts.  They naturally include Adam Dunn, the powerful but defensively challenged first baseman, along with utilityman Willie Harris, outfielder Kevin Mench and relief pitcher Miguel Batista.  Adam Kennedy can file once the Nats decline his $2 million option for 2011.

Dunn obviously is the big name there, and his fortunes are tied up in his prodigious bat.  The Nats have five days to negotiate with him exclusively before he can start fielding offers from around baseball.  His case is going to be very interesting to watch, as the Nats were really the only team that gave him a credible offer the last time he was a free agent. 

His camp fully expects to receive four-year offers to counter the two- or three-year deals the Nats might have discussed with him.  There are several teams rumored to be in the mix, including the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox, where the Nats almost traded him last summer.  But it remains to be seen if another National League team will be willing to go that long on a contract considering Dunn's defensive deficiencies.

Dunn hit .260/.356/.536 in 2010 with 38 home runs and 103 RBIs.  It was his seventh consecutive season with at least 38 home runs.  However, 2010 also marked his lowest OBP season in any season he's qualified for the batting title and he drastically wore down as the season went along, hitting .228/.342/.545 in August and .227/.333/.432 in Sept./Oct. with just five home runs the last five weeks of the season.

GM Mike Rizzo must decide how much -- and for how long -- Dunn might be worth to the Nationals.  Should Dunn depart, it would leave a gaping hole in the batting order without any serious in-house candidates for replacement.  Looking at available free agents in the market, there really aren't any players of Dunn's offensive caliber either.

But is locking up $15 million per year for three or four years on one player a luxury the Nationals can afford?  With so many places to upgrade on the roster, and with the core of this team's talent still under the age of 26, should the Nats be tying up long-term money on a player that might not be around by the time their core reaches their peak? 

If Rizzo thinks Dunn can produce at or near his historic levels, and maintain those levels into his mid-late 30's, he should wrap him up and pencil in their cleanup hitter.  But it's a big call to have to make, especially with a player that provides negative value on defense.