Nationals Trade Rumors

Larkin Hopes to Stay
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September 22
Washington Post
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"Nationals front-office assistant Barry Larkin, who has been with the organization since 2005, is in town this weekend to discuss his future with the club. With his contract due to expire at year's end, Larkin is hoping for some answers about what's next. Said Larkin, a shortstop for 19 years with Cincinnati: "My e-mail to [General Manager] Jim [Bowden] when I was coming here: I want to talk to you about the future and see what's on your mind, what's on the Lerners' minds. Kind of, 'What is the plan and what are we going to do forward? Or, am I part of We?' " Since joining Washington, Larkin has relished a loosely defined role heavy on freedom and variety. He's scouted, mentored players ..."
Flores, Young Likely Done For the Year
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September 16
Washington Post
 
"Though he stopped short of completely ruling out a return before season's end, Washington Nationals Manager Manny Acta conceded for the first time yesterday that Jesús Flores and Dmitri Young are likely done for the season. The news came after both Flores and Young underwent MRI exams yesterday. Until the exams, the Nationals had expected both to play before the conclusion of the season. Acta said Flores, who has been out since spraining his left ankle in a plate collision, still feels pain when he squats into his catching position. Continued swelling prompted the MRI. "He might be done," Acta said. Meanwhile, Young's MRI revealed a strained left hip, an injury that threatens his return. ..."
Taveras wants to stay
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August 31
Denver Post
 
"Center fielder Willy Taveras knew he had been claimed on waivers Friday after checking his phone messages. He speculated that the Yankees or Nationals might have claimed him. While the team is unknown, his preference is.

"I want to stay here. We are playing really well at the right time," Taveras said.

It's highly unlikely the Rockies would trade the center fielder. They can just pull him back off waivers, using the knowledge of the teams that claimed him to pursue a deal in the offseason."

Time Is Short For Top Picks To Sign Deals
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August 10
Washington Post
 
"Six days remain before baseball's deadline for draft-pick signing, tightening the pressure for Washington's front office to come to terms with any of the Nationals' four unsigned top five picks. Unlike last year, when the Nationals issued several signing bonuses to players exceeding Major League Baseball's slotting recommendations, the franchise this year -- under a directive from ownership -- is operating with a more conservative approach, according to numerous sources. That means a final, frantic week to secure players touted two months ago as key pieces for the future. Among those still unsigned? Selections Aaron Crow, a pitcher from the University of Missouri drafted ninth overall, ..."
Hill Is Hoping He'll Return In September
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August 3
Washington Post
 
"Before last night's game against the Cincinnati Reds, Shawn Hill walked through the Washington Nationals' clubhouse wearing a T-shirt and warmup pants and speaking to Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire. Hill might soon be walking through the clubhouse in a Nationals uniform and talking with St. Claire on the pitcher's mound. Hill, the Nationals' talented but injury-prone right-hander, has started his throwing program, a major move since landing on the disabled list June 26 because of a strained right forearm. "We are shooting to have him pitch here at the end of the year," Manager Manny Acta said. Hill said he hopes to return to the mound by Sept. 1 before acknowledging that he ..."
Rockies zero in on trade strategy
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July 31
Denver Post
 
"Through late Wednesday night, the Rockies were telling inquiring teams they were looking to acquire a fifth starter - see Cincinnati's Josh Fogg, Washington's Tim Redding and Cleveland's Paul Byrd - rather than trade their closer. With the 7-4 victory over the Pirates, the Rockies remained seven games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The win made Rockies' players believe that Brian Fuentes would be in uniform tonight when Colorado plays Florida. However, if a team offers up a young starting pitcher - St. Louis, Philadelphia and Boston are interested but don't feel like they would get a deal done - then Fuentes could be gone when the trading deadline hits at 2 p.m. MDT. "I ..."
Hurdle pushes to keep Fuentes
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July 30
Denver Post
 
"Brian Fuentes is no longer a closer. He's a modified hit by The Clash: "Should he Stay or Should he Go?" That question hangs over the Rockies with each outcome. Fuentes will not be available with a win tonight. But he's not completely unavailable either, leaving as many as seven suitors - among them St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia - with Colorado general manager Dan O'Dowd on speed dial. While admitting that anything could still happen before Thursday's 2 p.m. nonwaiver trading deadline - the team is showing interest in starters Jarrod Washburn, Tim Redding and Josh Fogg, according to major-league sources - manager Clint Hurdle strongly advocated keeping Fuentes. "We are still in ..."
Dukes Eager To Return to The Lineup
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July 29
Washington Post
 
"All along, Elijah Dukes ignored the timetable. His knee injury -- a torn meniscus and a partial tear of the patellar tendon -- prompted doctors to estimate a four- to six-week absence. Dukes wanted to shrink that estimate in half. Dukes has approached his recovery with such ambition -- he began a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday, less than three weeks after surgery -- that the Washington Nationals want Dukes to proceed with caution. Dukes, 24, hitting .263 with six home runs, is one of the team's most promising assets. "He obviously is a very quick healer," General Manager Jim Bowden said. "You have to always hold him back. I think the day after he was operated on he wanted to go ..."
Top Five Picks, Team at Odds Over Bonuses
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July 14
Washington Post
 
"To sign last year's draft picks, the Washington Nationals used a mix of creativity and money. In some cases -- most notably with sixth-round pick Jack McGeary -- the team awarded signing bonuses far exceeding those recommended by Major League Baseball, which uses a pick-by-pick scale to guide teams' payments. This year, with just more than a month until the Aug. 15 deadline for signing first-round picks, the Nationals have been unable to sign any of their top five draft choices. And that's partly because the team has yet to indicate a similar willingness to again award its draftees with money beyond the industry standard. Calling the bonus demands of several top-five picks "ridiculous," ..."
Lo Duca would welcome return trip
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July 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 columnist Mike Berardino
"Scan the diamond, and you'll find a team surprisingly set at every position except two: Center field and catcher...Another ex-Marlin, however, could be the solution. In fact, Paul Lo Duca was conveniently at Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday night along with the rest of the Washington Nationals. He is 36 and has lost his starting job to an impressive kid named Jesus Flores, but Lo Duca remains as feisty as ever. He showed as much Monday with a two-hit night that included a textbook hit-and-run single, not to mention several running catches in left field, a position he volunteered to play. "I still want to catch, definitely," Lo Duca said."
Balester Gets Called Up, Will Pitch Tuesday
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June 29
Washington Post
 
"Class AAA Columbus pitcher Collin Balester, one of the organization's most promising prospects, will have his chance to show why. Balester will take the place of injured starter Shawn Hill on Tuesday against the Florida Marlins, the team said yesterday. Balester, 22, will make his major league debut. His promotion had as much to do with his performance as his potential. With the Clippers, Balester is 9-3 with a 4.00 ERA. In his past five starts, he is 4-0, having never allowed more than two earned runs. Balester previously pitched June 24, and was scheduled to pitch today in the minors. He will skip that start."
Wrist Might Keep Johnson Out For Remainder of the Season
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June 24
Washington Post
 
"Blessed with ability to hit but cursed with inability to heal, Washington Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson might miss the rest of the season while recovering from -- or at least trying to recover from -- a wrist injury. Johnson today will undergo a diagnostic arthroscopy, the latest attempt to aid a comeback that, for now, has included only setbacks. Johnson received the news after a visit yesterday with Richard Berger, a hand and wrist specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Nationals team orthopedist Ben Shaffer also will fly in to be with Johnson today."
Orr's Eastern Promises?
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June 23
Washington Post
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"The way Pete Orr sees it, several weeks from now, he'll be either playing in the big leagues or playing in China...Hailing from Newmarket, Ontario, Orr is a member of Canada's national team, meaning he could represent his nation at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Team Canada determines its players' availability by mid-July, Orr said. Orr, who played in the 2004 Olympics, said he'd only go to China if he was in the minors. "Of course I'd rather be here for sure," he said. "That's my main goal; that's any baseball player's goal.""
Cuban baseball player defects
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June 8
Miami Herald
 
"Cuban baseball's brightest star, Dayán Viciedo, has escaped from Cuba and is now in Miami, following the footsteps of talented island colleagues who have found their way into the major leagues. Viciedo left Cuba on a boat bound for Mexico on May 20, accompanied by his family. Several days later he crossed the border from Mexico and traveled to Miami to reunite with friends and relatives. ''Dayán is going to spark a lot of talk in the majors,'' said his agent, Puerto Rican lawyer Jaime Torres."
Plate umpire takes offense to Dukes' act
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June 7
Washington Times
 
"The Nationals are expected to promote a pair of right-handers from Class AAA Columbus to start the final two games of this series. Garrett Mock is slated to make his big league debut Sunday, filling the spot held by veteran Odalis Perez (who has shoulder tendinitis). Tyler Clippard would start Monday in place of John Lannan, who pitched in Thursday's doubleheader and would have to come back on short rest to make his scheduled start."
Coolness at the Hot Corner
June 1
Washington Post
 
"It not only is Zimmerman's approaching arbitration date that has cooled the momentum, which appeared to be building last year and into the offseason -- it's also his on-field performance. His OPS (on-base plus slugging) has declined in each of his seasons, from .822 in 2006 to .788 last year to .718 so far this year. While the Zimmerman camp has viewed David Wright's contract with the Mets as its benchmark -- Wright, who shares Zimmerman's position (third base), home base (the Hampton Roads area of Virginia) and division (National League East), signed a six-year, $55 million deal in 2006 -- it is safe to say the Nationals certainly no longer do. In fact, the Nationals could make a ..."
There's plenty of company on the hot seat
May 11
The Journal News
 
"As the season approaches the quarter pole, more moves will be made. There's too much money to be made in baseball for owners to sit idly by as their teams fall further behind in the standings...Teams are also more willing to dump expensive players in the interest of moving forward with prospects. It happened with Pittsburgh starter Matt Morris. So who's on the hot seat now? Here's a look:"
Potential rewarded with big contracts
April 26
Washington Times
 
"Zimmerman's agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, declined to discuss his client's contract situation specifically but said that contracts like Longoria's can often make great sense for the team, but not necessarily the player."
Reliever King sent to AAA, could retire
April 25
Washington Times
 
"Saying their bullpen is in greater need of a long reliever than a situational left-hander, the Washington Nationals optioned pitcher Ray King to Class AAA Columbus yesterday and called up Mike O'Connor."
Giants looking for help at first
April 6
San Francisco Chronicle
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"General manager Brian Sabean acknowledged on his weekly radio show that he is looking for a first baseman, preferably a left-handed hitter. The Giants have had internal discussions about Washington's Nick Johnson, but he might be off the market after winning the everyday first-base job and starting the season strongly. A source said the Giants scouted 26-year-old Braves first baseman Scott Thorman, who hit 11 home runs in 287 at-bats last season. In spring training, the A's tried in vain to get the Giants to bite on Dan Johnson."
Farewell to the Chief?
April 2
Washington Examiner
 
"But the race that might interest them the most is in the A.L. Central. Or, at least, that’s the one that Chad Cordero might need to monitor. The word is, Detroit is tracking the Nats reliever in case their bullpen falters them in the first half of the season."
Nats' Acta Puts López, Young on The Bench
March 30
Washington Post
 
"Friday night, after the Washington Nationals held their first workout at their new park, Manager Manny Acta invited Felipe López and Dmitri Young, one after the other, into his still unfurnished office. The news to be delivered to each was the same: Acta believes in their abilities, but after a spring in which they were involved in battles for playing time, they will begin the season on the bench. Instantly, they were transformed into $9.9 million worth of switch-hitting reserves... Neither López, who will earn $4.9 million in this final season before he becomes a free agent, nor Young said he would demand a trade."
Reserves accept newfound roles
March 30
Washington Times
 
"At a combined $10.9 million, both Young and Lopez are an expensive luxury. They appear to be staying put for now, though trade rumors have persisted all spring about Lopez and neither is quite sure how to adapt to a bench spot."
GM Bowden Is Actively Trying To Trade López
March 24
Washington Post
 
"The Nationals are trying to trade López, though scouts and executives from other teams appear more interested in Belliard, who is cheaper -- $3.5 million for the next two years as opposed to Lopez's $4.9 million for 2008 -- and performing better. Belliard is hitting .383 this spring, López .231."
No deal imminent to move infielder
March 24
Washington Times
 
"Second baseman Felipe Lopez said last week he would not accept a role on the bench, and the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs are among the teams who have expressed interest in acquiring the 2005 All-Star. Assuming the Nationals don't make a trade before they open the season Sunday, however, Lopez likely will sit while Ronnie Belliard starts at second base and Cristian Guzman starts at shortstop."
López Could Go From the Bench To Cubs' Infield