Keeping the right balance between starting pitchers and the bullpen for the #Nats

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

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Who the heck is that guy? New faces and NRIs at #Nats spring training 2022!

Posted on March 16, 2022 by SaoMagnifico

WEST PALM BEACH, FL; Josh Bell batting in March 2021; Photo by Tom Sileo for TalkNats

The lockout is over, the time has come: It’s spring training at West Palm Beach.

The Washington Nationals are welcoming back some old friends, getting to know some new additions, and, as usual, trialing more than a handful of non-roster invitees who have variable chances to make the team. The situation should be familiar to fans: Most roster spots are spoken for, but the rotation isn’t quite settled, very little about the bullpen is, and it’s still unclear who will be manning left field, third base, and shortstop for the Nats on an everyday basis.

Spring is a time of endless possibilities, so while many of these players are long shots to make the team, expect to see more of more of them than you expect.

Continue reading →

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Nelson Cruz is a luxury item; Nats make their biggest move of the winter!

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images

Yes, technically it is still winter in atmospherical terms for another five days. While the Boys of Summer are in Spring Training, the lock-out has made the month of March a frenzy to make final pre-Opening Day roster moves. The Washington Nationals have made a whole bunch of moves, not all official yet, but nonetheless they should all happen as reported. The biggest move so far, for the Nats this year, was the deal for Nelson Cruz.  Continue reading →

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Updated: A visitor’s guide to Spring Training in West Palm Beach (for Nationals fans)

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Stan4Nats

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Spring Training camps are officially open!

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Stephen Strasburg in the middle; Photo by Laura Peebles for TalkNats

For players living in the U.S., three days notice to get to Spring Training camps is much easier than those needing international flights from the Dominican Republic and especially from Venezuela. Continue reading →

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Pick Two Free Agents for the Nats!

Posted on March 12, 2022 by DonH

Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats

UPDTED: Assuming that there will be an agreed upon CBA,  Now that we have a new CBA, if you are general manager Mike Rizzo and want the Nationals to be competitive in 2022, pick two free agent players you would want to sign or get real creative and suggest a trade!

We’ve offered some opinions here. Feel free to criticize or make your own suggestions. The only rule is that you need not concern yourself with whether the two players are likely to sign with the Nationals. Just name two players and say why they could make the Nationals competitive in 2022. Continue reading →

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The Maryland Terps baseball team is ranked while bashing HRs and sporting a trio of aces. Georgetown games this weekend!

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Andrew Lang

COLLEGE PARK, MD; (L-R) LHP Ryan Ramsey, RHP Jason Savacool, RHP Nick Dean; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats/TalkTerrapins

With no MLB baseball games in Spring Training coming for another week, D.C. area baseball fans will be treated to some exciting weekend baseball with a game at 4pm today and again on Sunday between the nationally ranked Maryland Terrapins and the Georgetown Hoyas. More on that below. Continue reading →

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Baseball is officially back! The New CBA – What Do You Like/Dislike

Posted on March 10, 2022 by DonH

Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. and Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark speak during a press conference before Game 3 of the Championship Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/WBCI/MLB via Getty Images)

Just like that, baseball is back with a new CBA. The threat of cancelling games turned into postponements only. Baseball is planning to play all 162 games in 2022 with Opening Day on April 7. With all of the changes in this collective bargaining agreement, what do you like or dislike beside the time it took to get ratified. Continue reading →

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Minor League signings aplenty for the Nats

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Alex Hill

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The sun rose today above the fields at The Ballpark at the Palm Beaches where the Washington Nationals minor league Spring Training camp is in full swing. It is crickets on what would normally be the big league side of camp because on December 2nd, 2021, Major League Baseball’s owners voted unanimously to lockout the players while they would negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

For the front office of every organization, this lockout meant that all MLB transactions were put on-hold. No trades, contracts, or communication with players on the 40-man roster. However, teams were permitted to sign free agents to minor league contracts, and the Washington Nationals have been fairly active. Continue reading →

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Here Comes Spring, and With It, Change and the Promise of the Unknown

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Forensicane

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

Hope Springs

Here Comes Spring, and With It, Change and the Promise of the Unknown

I think it’s obvious that the Nationals made enormous changes to their organization, more transformative than I have ever seen in over fifty years of following the Expos and then, the Nats. Whether these additions translate into on field success will not be known for some time. But one thing is for sure; the Nationals have extended their tree well beyond Arizona cronies. There are now several top former executives from multiple organizations, longtime baseball people who remain vibrant and bring their track record with them. Continue reading →

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