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.

The Washington Nationals selected OF Jamie Hoffman from the Dodgers organization in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft and will send him to the Yankees as the oplayer to be named later in the Brian Bruney deal.

Honestly, judging from the names that were selected in the draft, it's not surprising that the Nationals agreed to send the No. 1 pick to the Yankees for a servicable middle reliever.

The Nats also lost Zech Zinicola, selected by the Toronto Blue Jays, in the draft.  Former Nats minor league director Dana Brown now has similar duties in  Toronto, so they are well familiar with the player.

Teams must keep Rule 5 picks on their major league roster the entire season, or they have to return the player to their original team or make a trade to send the player down to the minor leagues.

In the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft held today in Las Vegas at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, the Nationals selected RHP Terrell Young from the Cincinnati Reds with the first overall pick.

Young, 24 (6'3", 175), went 2-5 with a 2.88 ERA this season in two stops in Class A (Sarasota of the Florida State League and Dayton of the Midwest League). His fastball is said to be mid-90s, with an occasional 98 mph.

He's never pitched above Single-A. In five seasons in Rookie League, Low-A and High-A, he's thrown 142.2 innings with a 3.60 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He's struck out 131 and walked 87. His record is 5-10 with 12 career saves.

Does anyone think that this sounds like a player that is seriously going to compete for a spot in the Nationals bullpen this season? Remember, a player selected in the Rule 5 Draft must remain on the drafting team's 25-man roster all season or be offered back to the original club.

The Washington Nationals announced today that they have added OF Leonard Davis, SS Ian Diamond and RHP Luis Atilano to their 40-man roster, thus protecting the three players from the Rule 5 draft of eligible minor league players. If selected, a player must remain on the selecting team's 25-man roster the entire next season or offer that player back to his original club. Jesus Flores was a Rule 5 pick of the Nats from the New York Mets.

Davis, 24, is the reigning Nationals Minor League Player of the Year. He hit .310 with 28 doubles, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, a .365 on-base percentage and a .567 slugging percentage in 122 games for the top three affiliates in the Nationals’ system in 2008.

Diamond, 23, with Harrisburg this season, hit .251 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 93 Eastern League contests. Desmond has tallied 74 extra-base hits (45 doubles, four triples, 25 home runs) the last two regular seasons.

Atilano, 22, began the season in the Single-A South Atlantic League and finished in Double-A with Harrisburg. At the three levels this season, Atilano went a combined 5-2 with a 2.50 ERA (26 ER/93.2 IP) in 24 games (15 starts). He posted a .248 batting average against and walked just 2.2 batters per 9.0 innings pitched.

BOTTOM(FEEDER) LINE: None of these three players figures to be a significant contributor to the Nats, but since they had the space on the 40-man roster they are worth protecting. Davis and Desmond are playing in the Arizona Fall League with decent results though, and could bear watching as the season progresses as low priced alternatives should injury or ineffectiveness rear its ugly head on the Nats 25-man roster as the season goes along.

The Washington Nationals announced today that they have added OF Leonard Davis, SS Ian Diamond and RHP Luis Atilano to their 40-man roster, thus protecting the three players from the Rule 5 draft of eligible minor league players. If selected, a player must remain on the selecting team's 25-man roster the entire next season or offer that player back to his original club. Jesus Flores was a Rule 5 pick of the Nats from the New York Mets.

Davis, 24, is the reigning Nationals Minor League Player of the Year. He hit .310 with 28 doubles, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, a .365 on-base percentage and a .567 slugging percentage in 122 games for the top three affiliates in the Nationals’ system in 2008.

Diamond, 23, with Harrisburg this season, hit .251 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 93 Eastern League contests. Desmond has tallied 74 extra-base hits (45 doubles, four triples, 25 home runs) the last two regular seasons.

Atilano, 22, began the season in the Single-A South Atlantic League and finished in Double-A with Harrisburg. At the three levels this season, Atilano went a combined 5-2 with a 2.50 ERA (26 ER/93.2 IP) in 24 games (15 starts). He posted a .248 batting average against and walked just 2.2 batters per 9.0 innings pitched.

BOTTOM(FEEDER) LINE: None of these three players figures to be a significant contributor to the Nats, but since they had the space on the 40-man roster they are worth protecting. Davis and Desmond are playing in the Arizona Fall League with decent results though, and could bear watching as the season progresses as low priced alternatives should injury or ineffectiveness rear its ugly head on the Nats 25-man roster as the season goes along.