by Andrew Lang
by Andrew Lang
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
That, combined with the fact that it is challenging to come up with ideas for a post that people can have fun with and discuss, means we have another question that folks can try to guess the answer to.
I (DonH) already know the answer. As does Steve. At some point when the question(s) have been mostly answered I will post the table with all the relevant players.
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
Editors Note: Rich from TheNatsReport had the idea to write this article and asked me if I wanted to collaborate on writing it. Hopefully, there will be some updates as additional interviews were requested to add to this. We also edited this from the original version that TheNatsReport published.
One of the lingering effects of the baseball lock-out, that few are talking about, is what is going to be happening with the stadium workers and local businesses near stadiums that will be directly affected by the baseball shutdown. It is devastating in Spring Training cities, but what about in the big cities where MLB stadiums are locked up? The seasonally employed stadium workers who make the game-day experience enjoyable for the fans are once again unintended victims of another season to start without games. These workers are an integral part of that game-day experience, however, they do not make nearly as much as players do — not even close. Continue reading
"Opening Day should be a National holiday"
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