The Washington Nationals came to terms on contracts with catcher Jesus Flores and infielder Alberto Gonzalez before the midnight deadline to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players.  Terms of those contracts were not released.

The interesting similarity between Flores and Gonzalez is that they are both represented by Scott Boras.

The Nationals also non-tendered catcher Wil Nieves and pitchers Joel Peralta and Chien-Ming Wang.

Wang is a possibility to be re-signed and continue his rehabilitation process for less than he would have been due in the arbitration process.  The organization could also bring back Nieves as organizational depth and work with the stable of pitchers at AAA Syracuse, as Wilson Ramos is expected to battle Flores, who appears to be healthy, to back up Ivan Rodriguez.

Peralta is a little bit of a head-scratcher, as he fashioned a line of 2.02 ER and 0.796 WHIP with 49 Ks in 49 IP.  As a veteran though, he probably would have earned a bigger raise that the Nats would hope to slot a "long man" in the bullpen.

The Nationals tendered contracts to their five other arbitration-eligible players: outfielders Josh Willingham and Michael Morse, starting pitcher John Lannan, and relievers Sean Burnett and Doug Slaten.

The Nationals and the players have until January 18 to either come to terms or exchange arbitration figures to an independent panel that will rule on their cases in before spring training.

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.

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?

"It'll be my baby."  Mike Rizzo, named Washington Nationals V.P. of Baseball Operations.

Mike Rizzo during spring training 2010. (C. Nichols/Nats News Network)

The Washington Nationals today announced that Mike Rizzo has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager and signed a new five-year contract. Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner made the announcement.

“Mike Rizzo is unquestionably one of the best baseball minds in the game,” said Lerner. “He has a unique ability to see player talent for what it is, what it can be, and how it fits into building a team. Mike has been one of the architects of the rebuilding of the entire Nationals player system, from scouting, to player development, to big league signings. We believe the talent foundation we are establishing on and off the field will make the Nationals one of baseball’s most exciting teams over the next several seasons.”

This is a clear indication that going forward, with the resignation of former team President Stan Kasten,  Mike Rizzo will be the bottom line voice of baseball operations in Washington for the foreseeable future.  It will be interesting to watch the dynamic between Rizzo, a no-nonsense old school baseball mind, and the Lerner family, still acclimating themselves to ownership of a sports franchise.

For his part, Rizzo was thankful to the Lerner family, but made it clear that the baseball decisions would be coming from him.

"I'd like to thank the Lerner family and the Washington Nationals organization for giving me this opportunity.  It's a huge opportunity and a huge responsibility and I'm going to embrace it.

"For a guy that loves baseball and grew up in it his whole life, this is a dream opportunity for me."

The biggest difference, Rizzo said, will be in communication with the ownership group.  Referencing Stan Kasten's resignation, he said, "That bridge to the ownership will be gone.  I'll be in charge fully of baseball operations.  I'll have direct communication with the ownership group and be responsible for all baseball operations decisions." 

"It'll be my baby.  My fingerprints will be all over the organization moreso than they are already."

Mike Rizzo enjoys firefighter tribute at Nats Park. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

There were plenty of rumors upon Kasten's departure that there were disagreements between Kasten and his ownership partners on how much money to spend and where to spend it most effectively with regards to payroll, and Rizzo's efforts in this area will go a long way to determine how this team will be constructed. 

It's no secret that Rizzo's primary strength is in scouting and development, areas the Nats have significantly bolstered in the past few years, bringing in Roy Clark (V.P. of Player Personnel) and Kris Kline (Scouting Director) among many others.  Rizzo has overseen the last two Amateur Drafts, and the Nats have been the biggest spenders at each, bringing into the fold Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper to record contracts, and 25 of their top 26 picks in the 2010 draft, including over-slot signings of A.J. Cole and Robbie Ray.

Rizzo's record in Major League scouting and acquisitions have had decidedly different results though.

His two biggest trades thus far (four player trade with Pittsburgh in 2009 and this year's deadline deal, sending All-Star closer Matt Capps for Wilson Ramos) are still open for debate, while 2009's free agent class brought disappointing results, with Capps being the only really solid contributor on the field.

Mike Rizzo fields questions at 2010 Nats Fan Fest.  (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Rizzo's first order of duty is deciding whether or not to bring Adam Dunn back next season.  The hulking first baseman hit 38 homers last season, but wants a four-year contract of more than $60 million, and it's to be seen if the Nats are willing to go that high. 

It's expected that Dunn will command that type of contract on the open market, especially from A.L. teams that would have Dunn DH on a regular basis, negating Dunn's deficiency in the field.  Dunn has long contended that he wants to play in the field, and has professed to love playing in D.C., but to date the two sides are still far apart in terms of length and money in a potential contract.

Rizzo has five days after the World Series to exclusively negotiate with Dunn, then the slugger will hit the open market.

Rizzo has also said obtaining a "No. 1-type" starter as a priority this off-season.  The only pitcher to fit that bill available as a free agent is Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers, and his performance in the post-season thus far has only served to make his price tag to go up. 

There may be staff leaders available in the trade market, such as Zach Greinke of the Kansas City Royals or Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays, but with the Nats just now enjoying the fruits of successful drafting, it remains to be seen if Rizzo could put together an attractive enough package to acquire a front-line starter via trade.

With his college age son sitting beside him on the top ledge of the Washington Nationals dugout, curly W's adorning the wall, Nats President Stan Kasten confirmed to the media that he would be resigning, effective at the end of this season.

He said at the beginning of his statements that he would talk today about his experiences with the team, and how and why his resignation came about, but preferred not to discuss his future plans, or go into any details about where he sees the team today or the progress in the organization, outside of very broad ideas.

He promised that he would talk about those things in more detail when the season was over, but for now, he wanted to confirm the news of his resignation and then "get back to baseball."

"When I came here...in 2006, I made a commitment to stay for five years, through the end of the 2010 season.  About a year ago or so, I went to the family and told them I would not be staying beyond that five year commitment.  So what I'm here to tell you today is that I'll be leaving the Nats at the end of the season."

"Let me assure you:  This is just about me.  This has nothing to do with anybody else, or anything else, this is just about me.  What's good for me, for my family, and my own personal expectations, goals, aspirations.  Purely that, and nothing else."

"Leaving here is going to be hard.  But the decision to leave was not hard. It was just the right thing to do now."

He stressed several times that any rumors or reports that there was a rift with ownership regarding financial support for the organization were absolutely inaccurate.

"I have a great relationship with the Lerners. We had really good talks, but at the end this was clearly what I wanted to do.  They have been great.  Yes, I think they would have been really happy for me to stay, but this is the right thing."

Kasten expressed a strong feeling that he really felt ingrained in the community, and cited several prominent D.C. officials as friends.

"There's going to so much that I'm going to miss.  First of all, I love DC.  I truly do.  I love living here, I love working here.  The people that I have met here along the way have been exceptional."

"The fans have been so great to me, I interact with them every night, I walk the concourses as you know for every game. and I want to thank them for their generosity in offering advice and help -- especially when you're a guy running a team that loses as much as we have."

Kasten spoke a couple times about the idea of commitment.  "I made a commitment here, and it was really important to fulfill that commitment.  Commitments are important.  To me, I expect others to honor their commitment and I expect it of myself."

But now that he's fulfilled that commitment, "I'm mostly just excited about stuff that's going to happen in the future," though he declined several times to discuss any plans he may have for that future.

He declined to discuss whether he was relinquishing his ownership stake, but did mention that if he were to take another job in Major League Baseball it would be something that would have to be dealt with. 

He also declined to answer -- for now -- if he saw himself getting back into baseball after his exit from the Nationals.

Kasten referred questions about a replacement or strategy to the Lerner family.

When asked if things were harder than he thought they would be when he took his role with the Nats, he replied, "It's not easy, ever, to build a championship team.  You're competing against 29 other groups of really hard-working, smart, talented individuals.  That makes it hard.  But we put ourselves on a track, we continue on a real positive path, and the future is exceptionally bright."

"I feel that we accomplished some things that were real important to accomplish."

Asked what he considered his greatest accomplishment in his five-year tenure, he said, "Until we win it all we don't have any crowning achievements."  He then went on to point out the emerging minor league system, the strong front office staff, and Nationals Park as significant achievements under his watch.

On whether he thought D.C. was a "baseball town", Kasten was emphatic.  "No question about it." 

"We had 1.8 million people come to watch a team that's losing 95-105 games a year.  That's extraordinary support for a team that hasen't earned it yet.  When we get our job done, we're going to have great support."

The team distributed a statement from Managing Principal Owner Ted Lerner: 

"Stan Kasten will always be an important part of the history of the Washington Nationals. He was vital to ownership winning its bid from Major League Baseball and his agreement to serve as the team’s chief executive for the last five years has been critical to building the Washington Nationals franchise.

Over his tenure he has positioned the Nationals to become one of the most exciting franchises in baseball and we thank him for all that he has accomplished.

We certainly respect his decision to pursue other interests at the end of the regular season, but will continue to call upon him for his vast knowledge of the game, the league and the franchise. He will remain a friend and valued partner of the team and ownership group."

BULLET-POINT STYLE!

• The Nationals still haven't heard the results of Nyjer Morgan's appeal of two seperate suspensions, depsite the hearing taking place Friday morning.  That means Morgan is once again pencilled into the lineup.  He's been in the lineup every night since the brawl, 10 straight games -- and counting.
  
  
• Roger Bernadina has been moved up into the 3rd spot in Manager Jim Riggleman's batting order tonight, shifting Zim and Dunn to 4th and 5th respectively.  Bernie is 6-for-39 with three walks (.154/.209/.154) and no extra-base hits in his last 11 games, including Sunday's 2-for-4 effort.
  
  
• The Toronto Blue Jays have lured Nationals' Director of Baseball Operations Jay Sartori away from the team and will become Toronto's assistant general manager, according to a Jays press release.  Sartori was in D.C. less than a year, and functioned as the "money man", serving as an expert in financial matters and details about contracts and the collective bargaining agreement.
  
  
• Saturday was blogger's day at Nats Park.  And while we weren't invited this year, lots of Nats blogs were and had a chance to talk with the manager, the general manager and a couple of the players.  There were even bloggers there covering the bloggers. The Nats continue to make progress and increase access to on-line media and bloggers of all genres, and everyone benefits when more voices are added to the discussion.
  
  
• I've got nothing to say about this.
  
  
• Finally, congratulation to the Redskins for winning the Super Bowl.  Too soon?

The Washington Nationals announced today that Davey Johnson has been hired as Senior Advisor to the General Manager.  Here's the press release: 

The Washington Nationals today named Davey Johnson Senior Advisor to the General Manager. Nationals Senior Vice President & General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

A former World Series winning player and manager, Johnson joins the Nationals after managing Team USA to a semi-finals berth in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Johnson has managed or coached five Team USA professional squads since 2005, including the 2008 Olympic team that claimed the bronze in Beijing. Johnson spent the summer of 2009 managing amateur players with the DeLand Suns of the Florida Collegiate Summer League.

Johnson skippered four big league teams—the Mets, Reds, Orioles and Dodgers—for 14 seasons, compiling a 1148-888 (.564) record. In those 14 big league seasons, Johnson’s clubs finished first or second 11 times, including five division titles, one pennant and one World Championship earned with the Mets in 1986. In 1997, Johnson was named American League Manager of the Year after guiding the Orioles to a 98-64 (.605) record. He was recently named one of 10 managers to be placed on the new Veterans Committee ballot for potential induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

As a player, Johnson hit .261 with 136 home runs and 609 RBI in 13 big league seasons during a career that included a stint in Japan. Johnson was a four-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves, played in five post-seasons and earned a pair of World Series rings with the Orioles in 1966 and 1970. He is also the only player to have hit behind Hank Aaron and Japan’s all-time home run king, Sadaharu Oh.

While the last sentence is a bit fluffy, it still speaks to the wealth of baseball information Davey Johnson brings to the Nationals organization.  If he's going to be Mike Rizzo's trusted right-hand man, I'd have a hard time nominating anyone more qualified.

Rizzo has done an exceptional job this fall surrounding himself with top-notch assistants, and a conference call with many of those new lieutenants took place the other day with the regular media.  According to reports, each spoke to the quality of the man hiring them as one of the primary reasons they would leave jobs in other markets and come to a franchise that has lost 100-plus games two years in a row.

Hopefully, some top-notch personnel that actually play the game will feel the same way once the free agent signing period opens up.

The Washington Nationals announced today the hiring of Bryan Minniti and Jay Sartori to the front office.  Minniti was named Assistant General Manager and Sartori Director of Baseball Operations.

From the press release (emphasis by NNN): 

Minniti joins the Nationals after spending the previous nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the last two as their Director of Baseball Operations. With the Pirates, Minniti’s focuses included rules compliance, transactions, budgeting and contract negotiations. Minniti graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in Mathematics and Statistics.

Sartori worked for the Commissioner’s Office as Salary and Contract Administration Manager in Major League Baseball’s Labor Relations Department before accepting his position with the Nationals. His expertise included knowledge and interpretation of the Basic Agreement, contract language, salary arbitration and Rule 4 Draft bonus recommendations and analysis. Sartori graduated with a Finance and MIS degree from Boston College and is currently working on an MBA from the same institution.

So the Nats hired two men with upper degrees in math, statistics, finance and MIS for positions in the baseball operations departments.  Sounds like they felt like they needed serious upgrading in the number-crunching business.

Bringing on a couple of young numbers guys with good pedigrees in the department will allow Mike Rizzo to concentrate on what he knows best:  finding good baseball players.

Here's an article by The Bucco Blog about Minniti.  It sounds like he has a really bright future. 

The Washington Nationals today announced more front office hires:  Casey McKeon (son of Jack) as Director of Player Procurement and Jay Robertson as Special Assistant to the Genereal Manager.

Here's the nitty-gritty from the press release:

McKeon joins the Nationals after spending the previous seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies, where he was Assistant to the General Manager to Dan O’Dowd, the Rockies Executive Vice President and General Manager. The Rockies won the 2007 National League Championship in the first of two post-season appearances made during his tenure in Colorado. McKeon previously worked for Cincinnati, Cleveland and San Diego in various scouting capacities, including a stint as the Reds Scouting Director. McKeon served on Team USA’s Selection Committee in 2003. A graduate of San Diego State University, McKeon played two professional seasons as a catcher in the Tigers chain. He is the son of longtime baseball manager and executive Jack McKeon.

Robertson spent the previous eight seasons as Special Assistant to the General Manager with the Texas Rangers, where he worked under the leadership of John Hart (2002-05) and Jon Daniels (2006-09). Previously, Robertson spent 11 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, culminating with an appointment as Special Assistant to General Manager John Hart for the 2000-01 campaigns. His tenure in Cleveland included time as Scouting Director, during which Cleveland signed Richie Sexson, Sean Casey, Russell Branyan and Jaret Wright. Robertson pitched for five seasons in Toronto’s chain before enjoying both coaching and scouting stints with Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Both seem like solid baseball men with strong resumes.  Sounds like McKeon will assist Rizzo with the major league roster, and he can't get him in here quickly enough with the World Series getting started and the GM and Winter Meetings just around the corner.

-----------

Stephen Strasburg started for the Devil Dogs today in the Arizona Fall League, and was quite a bit better than the last time out.  He went 4.1 IP, allowing just one run (after he left the game) on one hit and two walks.  He struck out five and threw 42 of his 67 pitches for strikes.

Fellow Nat prospect Josh Wilkie relieved Strasburg after he gave up a double to the gap in the fifth, and Wilkie, who's had his trouble out in Arizona, gave up a two-out triple to let the run score.

But the good news is that Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in last spring's amateur draft, bounced back after his rough outing last week and really competed.  Accounsts say he had some trouble spotting the changeup, but that his slider was downright filthy and only one batter managed to pull the ball against him.

The Washington Nationals issued a press release today finally making official all the news reports of recent front office hirings.  One has to believe now that this wave of personnel have filled out their W-2s, general manager Mike Rizzo can turn full attention to interviewing candidates for field manager.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS ADD ROY CLARK, JOHNNY DiPUGLIA AND DOUG HARRIS TO FRONT OFFICE

KRIS KLINE NAMED DIRECTOR OF SCOUTING

The Washington Nationals today named Roy Clark Vice President of Player Personnel, Johnny DiPuglia Director of Latin American Operations and Doug Harris Director of Player Development. The Nationals also promoted Kris Kline to Director of Scouting. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Clark joins the Nationals after an impressive 11-year run as Director of Scouting with the Atlanta Braves. Clark joined the Braves as an area scout in 1989, and he later enjoyed successive stints as Atlanta’s southeast supervisor (1995) and national supervisor (1996-99). His efforts helped the Braves earn Baseball America’s prestigious Organization of the Year award three times (1991, 1996, 2005) and USA Today’s Organization of the Year citation in 1996. Clark sports a World Series ring from the Braves’ 1995 World Championship campaign.

Clark is best known for having procured talents such as catcher Brian McCann, right-handed pitcher Tommy Hanson, right-handed pitcher Adam Wainwright, shortstop Yunel Escobar, right-handed pitcher Joey Devine, right-handed pitcher Kevin Millwood, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and outfielder Jeff Francoeur for the Braves. Meanwhile, Braves minor-league outfielder Jason Heyward was recently cited as Baseball America’s 2009 Minor League Player of the Year and is regarded by many as baseball’s top prospect among position players.

DiPuglia joins his fourth big league organization with his Nationals appointment. DiPuglia spent the previous 10 seasons working in the Red Sox scouting department, the last four as Boston’s Latin American Scouting Coordinator. While in that position, he was responsible for coverage in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Panama, Mexico, Curacao, Nicaragua, Aruba, Columbia, as well as all of Central and South America. He earned World Series rings while with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.

DiPuglia, who also enjoyed stints with the Giants and Cardinals organizations, signed or had a hand in the signings of shortstop Hanley Ramirez, second baseman Placido Polanco, outfielder Rick Ankiel, right-handed pitcher Anibal Sanchez and right-handed pitcher Rene Arocha.

Harris carries 20 seasons of baseball experience as a player, amateur scout and professional scout into his new role with the Nationals. He spent last season as a Major League Scout/Advance Scout with Cleveland after a 12-year tenure with Texas in various scouting capacities. Harris played seven professional seasons in three organizations.

Kline earned the Director of Scouting promotion after spending his initial three seasons in Washington as Assistant Scouting Director/National Crosschecker (2009) and Western Crosschecker (2007-08). A scout for 20 seasons, Kline joined the Nationals in the fall of 2006 after spending the previous seven seasons with Arizona, the last three of which were spent as the Diamondbacks’ Western Supervisor. Kline earned a World Series ring in 2001 as the Diamondbacks topped the Yankees in seven games. Before joining the Diamondbacks, Kline worked 10 seasons scouting for the Angels after completing his four-year professional playing career.

According to multiple sources, the Washington Nationals have hired former Atlanta Braves scouting director Roy Clark as assistant general manager, with his duties to be varied and wide-ranging.  Clark worked for Atlanta for 20 years in their scouring and development department.

According to the AJC story, Clark will oversee the Nationals player development and all scouting functions, including international scouting, an area of particular weakness in the Nats organization.

This is the second time Clark has been linked to a job with DC, apparently turning down a role withe less responsibilities in 2006.  He obviously has long-time ties with Nationals president Stan Kasten.

This news comes on the heels of Dana Brown leaving the organization, as he took the assistant general manager position with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Brown has been with the Nationals since their days in Montreal, and had a stated desire to work his way "up the ladder", hopefully ascending to a general manager position.

With that job full in DC, Brown rejoins a man he once hired, Alexander Anthopolis, back north of the border.

Kris Kline, currently the assistant scouting director and highly thought of in the organization, could be elevated into Brown's former roll.

Buried in the excitement of all this turmoil was the news that Moose Stubing was releived of his duities as special assistant to the general manager.  How many Nats fans even knew Stubing was on the payroll? 

Regardless, Bob Boone still has his job...for now.

Of course, all this news has to be supported by published reports, as the Nationals have been completely mum on any topic of front office restructuring.  There have been no press releases to date, nor have they comments for any of the published reports.

According to the Patriot-News, buried at the bottom of this notebook is news that the Washington Nationals fired Bobby Williams, Player Development Director, last Friday after three years on the job.

Trying to confirm the news, but so far nothing official out of the organization. NFA said the article confirms what he had heard as well.

We'll publish confirmation when we hear it.

If it's true, this is the beginning of the purge coming for at least the internal structure of the organization. There are an awful lot of contracts for internal personnel that expire this off-season, and we can expect those contracts to not be renewed, as Jim Bowden-hired folks are transisitoned out and Mike Rizzo can name his own personnel.

"[Blogs] are clearly a presence on the Web, which is clearly a presence in our lives. They are out there doing things. I think we're all better served when they have as much good information as they can have." -- Stan Kasten, on the benefit of team access to bloggers, August 23, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals broke a five-game losing streak, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3, before 21,484 on a beautiful sunshiny Sunday at Nationals Park.

The Nats got early home runs from Cristian Guzman, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, and solid pitching from Craig Stammen (W, 4-6, 5.08) to notch their 44th victory -- against 80 losses -- this season.

Not included in the attendance totals were 16 members of the Natosphere, invited by the team to cover the Nats on the second "Blogger's Day" this season not from the stands, but from the press box.

As in the first Blogger's Day, the Nats Baseball Media Relations department had a scheduled itinerary for the event, then the Internet writers and bloggers were invited to cover the game from the press box. Team president Stan Kasten offered the use of his suite in the press box, now affectionately nicknamed the "Blogger's Suite", for the event, "the first of its kind," Kasten quipped.

The event kicked off in the main press conference room in the bowels of Nationals Park. Manager Jim Riggleman kept the stage after the official press conference finished up, and he took questions from the invited Internet writers and bloggers as he did minutes earlier from the press corps.

What Riggleman said (though his answers to a question regarding his handling of Kerry Wood when he was manager of the Cubs was particularly instructive) wasn't as important as how he said it. Rightfully so, he treated the meeting with the same professionalism as he did when addressing the assembled media. The questions were pointed -- but professional -- and at some points more pointed than what the regular press would pose, since they have closer access on a daily basis.

If this was going to be some of these folks' only shot at interviewing a major league manager, they weren't going to pull the punches for the opportunity.

When the skipper left to go back into the clubhouse (one place the bloggers and Internet writers were not invited), members of the Game Operations staff briefed the bloggers and took questions, centered -- not surprisingly -- on the Racing Presidents mascots. No, the race outcomes aren't scripted, per se, but simply "bullet-pointed", implied Tom Davis, manager of field entertainment.

At that point, outfielder Josh Willingham and pitchers Garrett Mock and Collin Balester, himself a blogger, came into the press room to take questions. All three were earnest and frank. While some of the questions they fielded were more appropriate for management, they all provided some genuine insight into what makes a major league player.

Next on the agenda was one of the team's Principal Owners, and director of the Nationals' Dream Foundation, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, who discussed the Foundation's goals, and the impact of the economy on the charity works. The Foundation supports three fundamental goals: the Nationals' youth baseball academy, the pediatric diabetes center at Children's Hospital, and their "Neighborhood Initiatives", supporting the community local to the ballpark.

While grateful that donations to the Foundation were consistent through the rough economy, requests for assistance were up, putting a strain on the amount of projects they could take. Also, the completion of the baseball academy and the diabetes center were -- predictably and unfortunately -- caught up in government red tape, but moving forward.

Assistant Director of Player Development, Mark Scialabba, followed. In what was perhaps the most spirited discussion of the day, Scialabba was peppered with questions about players on all levels of the minor league system. Some of the names discussed were Steven Strasburg (naturally), Drew Storen, Chris Marrerro, Derek Morris, and the quintet of Dominican players recently signed.

Nats Farm Authority also tried to get Scialabba to spill the beans about which players are going to be sent to the Arizona Fall League and the Florida Instructional League. While the names were not revealed, promises that they were "coming soon" and that it would be the "most exciting group" the Nats have sent to the AFL got the group pumped up.

Everyone then headed up to the media center, where we set up shop in the "Blogger's Suite" and grabbed lunch in the press dining area.

At 1:00 pm, Kasten and newly-appointed Senior Vice-President and General Manger Mike Rizzo gave quick remarks, then took questions for about a half hour. No subject was off limits: player news, injury updates, planning for next season, free agency possibilities, the minor league system and many other topics were discussed thoroughly.

The juciest piece of info we got was the repeated message that the team would indeed be pursuing a veteran starting pitcher to help solidify the Nats young rotation. Kasten remarked that it would not be a "Sabathia-type", but a veteran that could help stabilize a rotation full of youngsters still learning how to pitch at the major league level.

Both Kasten and Rizzo espoused the "grow arms, buy bats" theory that Andy MacPhail, G.M. of the Baltimore Orioles, so eloquently phrased.

After the game started, Kasten returned to the box and "hung out" for an inning. He was engaging, personable and relaxed -- maybe for the first time in a while -- considering the events of the last several weeks. It was an interesting conversation with long-time executive who has literally done it all in professional sports.

To cap it off, the Nats pounded Manny Parra and the Brewers!

THE TAKEAWAY: Representatives from Nats News Network, DC Sports Box, Federal Baseball, FJB, Just a Nats Fan, Nationals Review, Nats Fanboy Looser, Nats Farm Authority, Nationals Pride, Nats 320 and Nationals Inquisition were in attendance. It was a good cross-section of the diverse and widely varied blogs and websites dedicated to covering the Washington Nationals.

Mike Gazda, Director of Baseball Media Relations, was our host, along with John Dever, Senior Director of the department, and Bill Gluvna, Coordinator.

"I don't know if we've gone too far or we haven't gone far enough," Kasten said. "All of us in sports are learning, feeling our way through these developments. A year ago we didn't do things like this. A year from now we'll probably have a better fix on what's appropriate or what's not appropriate. We're trying to figure it out."

Kasten's remarks are not only pertinent to the Nationals, but all of baseball. MLB is notoriously protective of their intellectual property. With advances in technology and new media, baseball in general, and the Nats now in particular, are being forced to develop protocol for providing access to on-line journalists in some form or another.

Not all blogs or Internet writers need to have clubhouse access -- though some, including yours truly -- feel that our work can be much more complete and thorough if we had the same access that traditional media does.

The model works. The Washington Capitals credential more than a dozen independent online outlets -- again, including yours truly -- with press box, locker room and press conference access. The online coverage of the team is excellent, with several award-winning blogs counted in the contingent.

Several MLB teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, credential Internet writers as well.

But for most of the assembled blogs and Internet writers Sunday, "Blogger's Day" at the park, or events in similar structure, give them an opportunity to face the players, coaches, and management in person to get a better perspective of the team they passionately cover, and to get the information directly from the sources.

As important, the organization gets to meet and understand the people for whom that passion becomes displayed on the Internet, for all to see, read, digest and comment on.

An old TV ad used to say, "An educated consumer is our best customer." By providing bloggers and Internet writers access to the teams they cover, even on a semi-regular basis, the organization is helping to educate their most loyal and passionate customers.

Who, in turn, educate, enlighten and entertain the rest of the Nationals' fan base. It's only logical that the team would want to provide the necessary information for Internet writers to produce educated, informative and accurate content. As we saw last week, even the pros can get it wrong when they don't have personal access to the organization.

NOTES: Roger Bernadina, the speedy center fielder currently rehabbing a broken ankle, will miss the rest of the season, according to Rizzo. His ankle is not responding to running as the team had hoped, and he will not return to the playing field this season.

NEXT GAME: The Nats finish a four-game series with Milwaukee Monday afternoon at 4:35 pm. Collin Balester (1-3, 6.75) faces Yovanni Gallardo (11-10, 3.56).

All photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Screenshot courtesy MLB.com and Comcast Sportsnet.

From the Press Release:

The Washington Nationals today announced the promotion of Michael A. Rizzo to the position of Senior Vice President & General Manager.

Rizzo, a 26-year veteran of professional baseball, joined the Nationals in 2006. Since March of this year, he has served as the team’s acting General Manager. During that time, the Nationals promoted Jim Riggleman to Manager and successfully signed first round draft picks Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen. As Assistant General Manager and Vice President Baseball Operations, the Nationals entire scouting operation fell under his domain, including Major Leagues, professional scouting and international talent.

“Since Mike is one of my favorite people, this is one of the easiest and happiest announcements I’ve ever had to make,” said Stan Kasten, President of the Washington Nationals. “Mike was one of the architects of our plan to be competitive long-term and the last few months have only proven that there’s no one more capable than Mike of continuing our vision for the franchise. This move gives the team organizational continuity and demonstrates to Major League Baseball and our fans in DC that we’re committed to the strategy for building a perennial winner.”

“Without question, Mike Rizzo has proven his capabilities as a talented and effective baseball executive,” said Nationals Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner. “In every possible respect, he has earned this promotion. Mike’s professionalism during recent negotiations, his steady demeanor day-in and day-out, his intelligent, thoughtful decision making process and consistently positive attitude, make him the obvious and appropriate choice for GM. Mike Rizzo reflects and exemplifies the integrity of our franchise. This is a good day for the Washington Nationals.”

During his remarks at the press conference, Rizzo listed as priorities for the major league club acquiring a veteran starting pitcher, stabilizing an improving bullpen, and acquiring more speed and defense.

Rizzo also stated the team was not in a hurry to name a permanent field manager, saying "We'll address the manager decision after the season." He did complement interim manager Jim Riggleman, but told reporters that he wants to find the "permanent man for the job." Riggleman will be considered for the permanent position.

Team president Stan Kasten remarked that he's known for the "last couple of weeks," that Rizzo was the man for the job, and that the Strasburg signing had no impact on the decision, or the timing. Kasten joked, "Mike bailed me out on Monday," in reference to the timing of the decision.

Both men praised the Lerner family and the organization for providing the tools and resources necessary to build the Nationals into a title contending club.

The Washington Nationals will hold a press conference at 4:00 pm today, introducing Mike Rizzo as General Manager and Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations.

The announcement ends month of speculation, most heatedly in the last several days, about the status of the chief of baseball operations for the club.

The job has been open since March, when former G.M. Jim Bowden resigned amid scandal revolving around charges of money skimming from foreign-born players, and revelations that the team's top foreign-born prospect, Esmailyn Gonzalez, was actually Daniel Lugo, four years older than he purported to be.

Since that time, Rizzo has been "acting" as G.M. in every capacity during what appears to have been an exhaustive interview process involving several high-profile candidates.

Several media outlets yesterday reported that Jerry Dipoto, Arizona's V.P. of Player Development, was going to be awarded the position, but those reports proved to be inaccurate.

Rizzo's performance as "acting" G.M. this summer have been generally lauded and considered an apt try-out, if you will, for the full-time gig. According to reports, Rizzo was the primary point person for the successful Stephen Strasburg negotiations with agent Scott Boras.

Rizzo, as well, obtained Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett from the Pittsburgh Pirates for enigmatic Lastings Milledge and disappointing Joel Hanranan. He has reconstructed a bullpen, largely ignored in the off-season, from an unmitigated disaster to a functioning unit, and has overseen the removal of the field manager and pitching coach mid-season.

He also drafted and signed two top-ten picks from this season's amateur draft, Strasburg and Drew Storen, who is shooting through the Nats minor league system this summer.

Rizzo inherits a major league club with plenty of talent, and several holes to fill. He'll have to address the defensive shortcomings of this squad, most notably in the middle infield, where Cristian Guzman's range shrinks by the day, and the second base position is devoid of any real answers.

The team could still use some relief help, and perhaps a veteran starter to take some pressure off the youngsters and to fill in for Jordan Zimmermann, who will be rehabbing his elbow from Tommy John surgery next season.

But all those are projects for another day. Today is Rizzo's day, a day he's been waiting for and working for his entire professional career. Congratulations to the Nats new baseball chief.

Mike Rizzo, "acting" General Manager of the Washington Nationals, taking in the Nats' 5-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

THE RESULT: For the second night in a row, the Washington Nationals entered the ninth inning trailing the Colorado Rockies by two runs. For the second night in a row, the Nats got a quick run to cut the lead to one.

And for the second night in a row, that's where the comeback ended.

Josh Bard dialed deep to bring the Nats within one run, but when Cristian Guzman grounded out against Colorado closer Huston Street, the Nats had fallen for the second night in a row, and fifth time this season, to the Rockies 5-4.

The bigger news of this night, however, was reported by Bill Ladson of MLB.com, that Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager, would be promoted to permanent G.M. of the Nationals at a news conference on Thursday at Nationals Park, according to a baseball source with knowledge of the decision.

After all the confusion of the day about whether Rizzo, who has been "acting" G.M. since Jim Bowden resigned in March or Jerry Dipoto, Arizona's V.P. of Player Personnel would be named permanent G.M. of the Nationals, it now seems that Rizzo finally won the job he's been auditioning for all season.

Several news outlets issued conflicting reports throughout the day, but Ladson's report, along with Chico Harlan's Nats Journal post from earlier in the evening, give us the best information on the status of the position to date.

As for Wednesday's game, it was a rough night for Collin Balester. He lasted just one and one-third innings, allowing five walks and three hits, totalling three earned runs. He also committed an error, throwing a ball away on a pick-off move to second base.

Balester threw just 24 of his 51 pitches for strikes.

Nyjer Morgan, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Josh Bard all had two hits apiece. Bard homered in the ninth inning, and Zimmerman drove in two runs with a double and a triple.

THE TAKEAWAY: If the news about Rizzo is the final decision, then congratulations are in order. With everything in this saga the last two days, you'll forgive me if I'll wait until I get the press release to celebrate, but the reports on MLB.com and Nats Journal seem pretty definitive.

Rizzo certainly passed his audition with flying colors though. After assuming the reigns as "acting" G.M. in March, he's overseen the transfer of the Dominican academy, remade the bullpen (twice), traded for a true leadoff hitter and center fielder, fired a pitching coach and eventually, field manager Manny Acta, conducted a draft, and signed the number one overall pick to a record-setting, but not bank-breaking, four-year contract.

Yeah, I'd say he's passed the test.

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. He went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, and two RBIs.

THE BAD: Josh Willingham. 0-for-4 with three left on base.

THE UGLY: Collin Balester. He was terrible. One of those nights where not only did he lack command, but lacked any semblance of control whatsoever.

NEXT GAME: Thursday, the finale of the three-game set and conclusion of the season series. It's the last chance this season for the Nats to get a win over Colorado. Garrett Mock (2-4, 5.27) takes on Jason Hammel (7-7, 4.73) at 7:05 pm.

Mike Rizzo, at spring training days after becoming "acting" general manager.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

According to this Yahoo Sports story, "acting" GM Mike Rizzo may soon be looking for work. Gordon Edes cites multiple sources that the Washington Nationals may be very close to announcing a permanent general manager, speculating that person is Jerry DiPoto, Arizona Diamondbacks V.P. of Baseball Operations.

CBS Sports's Danny Knobler already has DiPoto telling friends he plans to accept the job.

I am not surprised about this in the slightest; not the idea of it or the way it’s going down.

Rizzo has done a good job with the responsibilities thrust upon him since March, when Jim Bowden fell on his sword in his last self-serving act to baseball. The then-assistant general manager oversaw the closing of Jose Rijo's training center and move of the Dominican baseball operations to a new facility.

Since, he's overhauled the bullpen (twice), obtained a true center fielder, trimmed fat from the roster, conducted a draft, participated in the firing of a well-respected manager, and was part of the signing of the savior.

Fans want to know, what more could Mike Rizzo do to prove he's worthy of the full-time gig.

Regardless of how it was presented in the media, Rizzo probably had very little to do with the Strasburg signing. The Strasburg negotiations were always between the ownership group and Scott Boras. Rizzo's involvement was as conduit. But it helped that Rizzo has a nice relationship with Boras.

What would be a shame is if the Nats were using Rizzo for his relationship with Boras to grease the skids, then send him packing.

There is an organizational house-cleaning coming. Hiring a permanent GM is the first step. Maybe it will be easier to clean house with someone fresh coming in.

Since moving to D.C., this organization has never had a chance to work properly. No one in a position of authority has been able to hire the people that work for them. Kasten was stuck with Bowden. Bowden was stuck with Rizzo. Everyone was stuck with scouting director Dana Brown.

Even the managers weren’t able to hire their own coaches.

I suspect that the new GM will come in and clean house and hire his “own people”. For once. The way it’s supposed to be done.

It sounds more and more like Mike Rizzo won't be that guy though. It's too bad.

I will admit that I was a skeptic. A pessimist. It's in my nature. My wife doesn't call me "Eeyore" for nothing.

I did not think the Washington Nationals were going to sign Stephen Strasburg.

I was wrong.

We all heard the stories of how Strasburg's agent, Scott Boras, wanted to use the Matsuzaka and Contreras international free agent contracts as models for Strasburg, upwards of a $50 million contract! Preposterous. At least that's how it turned out.

The two sides agreed upon a four-year, roughly $15 million contract at 11:58 pm and change last night.

"We didn't even need that last minute," team president Stan Kasten joked. At least they can joke about it.

So congratulations go out to everyone involved. First, to Strasburg himself. He'll never have to work a real job for the rest of his life. Next, to the Lerners. This is a huge show of good faith to the fans -- and to the rest of baseball -- that they really are open for business and dedicated to producing a winner, not just revenue.

Congrats also to Stan Kasten. He got a responsible deal done, one that will allow Bud Selig to say that the Nats paid a record deal to an amateur, but did not "blow up" the entry draft. And to Mike Rizzo. It might not be enough to land him the permanent title of general manager with this team, but it will be enough somewhere else.

And a hearty congratulations to all the hard-core fans of the Washington Nationals. This day was for you. You would have had every right to jump from this ship had today arrived full of excuses, just like it had always been. I even have a draft of the column I would have written had the signing not happened. It is not pretty.

But now, it's not necessary. The Nationals and Scott Boras really surprised me. Very pleasantly, I might add.

But I want to take this opportunity to caution Nationals fans, again, because it's my nature.

This is just the first step, albeit a very important one, in building a competitive, title contending team. This team as it is constructed is still dead last in the majors in team ERA, and just lost its No. 2 pitcher (Jordan Zimmermann) to Tommy John surgery until 2011 at the earliest.

One can envision going into the 2011 season with Strasburg, Lannan and Zimmermann at the front of the rotation, but three starters only get you so far. They still have to find two more arms to be able to really compete.

Sure, there are plenty of candidates, but every team has a handful of pitching prospects. Finding out which ones are big leaguers is tough, and I'd say we know little more about Martis, Mock, Detwiler or Balester than we did at the beginning of the season.

Stammen and Martin have been pleasant surprises for their successes at Syracuse this year, but both lack the ability to "miss bats," as they say, and have to be at the very top of their game every time out in the bigs to have any success, a very high margin for error.

Further, the bullpen is a patchwork ensemble, thrown together during the season in emergency-like fashion, after the previous GM completely ignored it last off-season. It's been turned over three complete times this season, and while the latest collection has been fairly solid, the pen still needs attention over the winter.

Which bring us to the position players. There's enough offense on this team to be competitive with some quality pitching behind it. Morgan, Zimmerman, Dunn, Willingham, Dukes, Flores...that's a solid core to start with.

But the key this off-season is going to be finding players in the middle infield that can catch the ball and not be liabilities with the bat. And if you can find one that really contribute both ways (cough, Orlando Hudson, cough), so much the better.

Team defense overall needs to be improved, and it starts with finding a shortstop and second baseman this team can count on, on a daily basis, to catch and throw.

And while the organization likes to boast of their improving minor league system, there really isn't much by the way of middle infield prospects. Ian Desmond projects as a backup at best, and Danny Espinosa is still a long ways off.

Cristian Guzman is not a major league quality defensive shortstop anymore. He simply can no longer make the play to his left (up the middle) and can only go to his right when his bunions aren't acting up.

I'll admit, when he's on one of his streaks, he's very fun to watch at the plate. But for all his hot streaks, his empty batting average only masks the fact that he's a below-average offensive player in today's game as well, with a .329 OBP and 96 OPS+ this season.

Alberto Gonzalez has proven this season that while he had enough talent to play defense in the majors, his lack of concentration -- in the field and at the plate -- have shown that he probably does not have the mental makeup to really succeed at this level. He's a backup at best.

All this is a digression from today's main point: Rejoice! Rejoice that the Nats finally, ultimately got one right! This signing means as much off the field as it eventually will on the field.

But Nats fans, please temper your expectations. One player does not a championship team make. One need to look no further than Strasburg's hometown team, the San Diego Padres, to prove that point.

Last year they had one of the games very best pitchers in Jake Peavy, and one of the games best young hitters in Adrian Gonzalez, and still finished with 99 losses.

There's plenty of work left to be done. The Nats won't compete for the playoffs next season. But they have two off-seasons to find a suitable double-play combo, some reliable bullpen help, maybe a veteran starting pitcher, and get Jordan Zimmermann healthy.

Oh, and by that point, re-signing first baseman Adam Dunn.

Too much to ask for? Well, I didn't think they would sign Strasburg, so what the hell do I know?

The Washington Nationals have signed number one overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg, according to a press release issued by the team moments ago.

According to multiple sources, the record-setting contract is a four-year deal worth $15.67 million.

Should the contract number be accurate, it eclipses the previous record amateur contract of Mark Prior by $5.17 million.

This represents the best evidence of the ownership group providing the baseball personnel the talent they need to change the culture of losing that has dominated this franchise for the last several years, after the surprise near-.500 finish in 2005.

Strasburg, a dominant right-handed starting pitcher from San Diego State University, was heralded as the "best prospect in the history of the draft" but many scouts and talent evaluators. He has a fastball that has touched triple digits, and routinely sits 94-97 MPH.

He has an exceptional slider, and a change-up that one talent evaluator described as "too good to use on college hitters," indicating that the lower lever hitters were so late on his fastball that they would connect with the change.

His "makeup" and control have been praised as much as natural ability, from scouts to his college coach, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

It's a huge step toward respectability for this organization, which has had a year of seemingly endless embarrassment.

Much more tomorrow, including the press conference and further detail about the contract.

NOTES: The Nats also announced the signing of 12th round pick Nathan Karns, a RHP from Texas Tech.

As the non-waiver trade deadline approaches on Friday, there are still rumors of deals floating around for Joe Beimel, but dance partners for the others seem to be dwindling. Shocking, but the market for slugging, defenseless corner outfielders or high-OBP, low-power first basemen seems to be drying up.

The Red Sox traded for Adam LaRoche, an inferior player to Nick Johnson in every way but the ability to hit home runs. The Giants traded for Ryan Garko, a player inferior to Nick Johnson in every way but good looks. The Cardinals traded for Matt Holliday, an overall superior player to anything the Nats have to offer.

For all the talk last week about Willingham to the Phillies, it's a move that makes no sense, as the Phillies have three, ahem, all-star outfielders.

I could sit here and make something up about who might be the most likely trading partners for the Nationals for any of these players, but the truth is, it would be a waste of time. No one can predict what the Nats may or may not do.

Rumors were swirling today that the Nats are leaning toward Jerry DiPoto, Arizona director of scouting and player personnel, as the next GM. Whether this is true or not is immaterial. It effects the way Mike Rizzo does business regardless of the veracity.

If you held a gun to my head, I would guess that the Nats probably find a taker for Beimel (probably the Cubs), but not for any of the others. That would be bad.

What this team simply cannot do is come into spring training with Johnson at first base, Willingham in right, Dunn in left and Guzman at short. The recipe for this season's defensive disaster will be nothing but one year older, with less range and less overall effectiveness.

If the Nats want to resign Johnson for a year, and hope that Chris Marrero is ready in 2011, then they will have to move either Dunn or Willingham over the off-season. The team can't come into the season with defensive liabilities in both corners. One would be acceptable. But not both.

Trading Johnson earlier this season, when he was at his most effective, would have been preferable. At this point, the Nats have convinced themselves Johnson is more valuable to them that to others. They're right, of course, since they have no logical replacement.

Should he be traded, either Dunn or Willingham will be moved to first, and we'll see Dukes or Maxwell called up for the corner slot. And believe me, it's a roll of the dice as to which we would see.

The Nats are reportedly asking for a king's ransom for any of the three players, but are being offered a pauper's penance, at least in their minds.

As for Guzman, he is untradeable, on the hook for another $8 million next year. Not to mention, at .299/.314/.403 with 13 errors, .962 fielding percentage and -6.2 UZR/150 (third worst in the majors among qualifiers), performance-wise he's one of the least valuable players in the majors.

And let's not forget the pressure from ownership to avoid a sub-50 win season.

So with an "acting" GM -- with rumors of his replacement swirling -- peddling faulty players and asking for someones first and second born sons, it's hard to envision anything significant happening in the next three days.

But again, guessing what this team will do is just a waste of time.