tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post6460772203677881811..comments2012-01-23T11:32:47.149-05:00Mark Zuckermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13525315258889435961noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-20887886225170530312012-01-23T11:32:47.149-05:002012-01-23T11:32:47.149-05:00This is going to sound less kind than I mean it, Wally, but ... you do have the option of not caring.Scooterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16212781754082333423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-54154044461013023732012-01-23T09:57:46.844-05:002012-01-23T09:57:46.844-05:00<i>natsfan1a said... This just in from the (Twitter) Reader Beware Department.<br /> (Man, will I be glad when Prince signs somewhere, ANYwhere so that all the breathless speculation will end. Geez.)<br /></i><br /><br />Amen, 1a. Prince Fielder signing anywhere is now higher on my personal priority list than Prince Fielder signing with the Nats. <br /><br />Please make it stop.Wallynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-85096213493811250752012-01-23T09:13:22.978-05:002012-01-23T09:13:22.978-05:00For the record, I don&#39;t doubt that Bowden bases some of his reports on sources he maintains from his FO days. However, when he retweets an item from a seemingly random source, then deletes it, evidently after checking with his own sources, I question his grasp of journalistic methods. I know it&#39;s the Interwebz and all, but what ever happened to verifying first, then running it?natsfan1anoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-80370147949636036272012-01-23T09:05:58.105-05:002012-01-23T09:05:58.105-05:00Clueless@8:47 said:<br /><br />Its very possible we will see Rendon will advance as far as AAA by THIS YEAR? <br />---------------<br />It&#39;s also POSSIBLE that his arm falls off. What&#39;s your hurry? Werth&#39;s as good a 2 year rental in CF as anyone you&#39;ll pick up at 2B. Upton has a good chance to be a really good player, but it&#39;s likely a better one will be available next winter.<br /><br />You certainly are one of the more entertaining lil&#39; one track minds on this forum...Unkydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427401050130317607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-80504864662167703142012-01-23T08:56:43.134-05:002012-01-23T08:56:43.134-05:00<i>Rendon this...Rendon that. Excuse me.....lets get him on the field first before we talk big leagues. From what I understand he went to instructional league and never played. Whats up with that. </i><br /><br />Reports are the shoulder was fine. The problem was he hadn&#39;t played in a while and given the potential he has the Nats decided to err on the side of caution. As they have done with other prospects since Rizzo took over. And so they did not send him to the AZ fall league as they did Purke. And look what happened to Purke because of his long lay off? But the Nats decided he needed to get the work in ... as he didn&#39;t get enough in the FIL. <br /><br />What team are you watching again? The Mets?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-70373130795743784432012-01-23T08:53:07.817-05:002012-01-23T08:53:07.817-05:00<i>This just in from the (Twitter) Reader Beware Department.<br /><br />(Man, will I be glad when Prince signs somewhere, ANYwhere so that all the breathless speculation will end. Geez.)</i><br /><br />AND this source isn&#39;t any better than one he is pooh-poohing? Bowden verifies that negotiations are ongoing ... albeit Fielder isn&#39;t signed yet. That makes 3 or 4 source verification by my count. Bowden was right about the package needed to trade for Gio before it happened. He does apparently still have connections within the Nats.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-38179303290887764632012-01-23T08:51:22.786-05:002012-01-23T08:51:22.786-05:00Rendon this...Rendon that. Excuse me.....lets get him on the field first before we talk big leagues. From what I understand he went to instructional league and never played. Whats up with that. NatsJack? Give him a full year at Potomac and see what happens. My gut feel is that his shoulder is not goodBig Catnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-50617604709194741222012-01-23T08:47:02.765-05:002012-01-23T08:47:02.765-05:00<i>Yeah yeah....talk is cheap Anon 8:14. Lets be frank about this...Upton is a cancer, we don&#39;t need him in our clubhouse.</i><br /><br />Yeah yeah and so is Hanley Ramirez and IMO so is Werth dude. Upton is Rizzo&#39;s first choice. Are you going to argue with an expert Mr. Liti-gatto-r?<br /><br />Some people have no clue about baseball. None.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-68599883314280442072012-01-23T08:44:02.421-05:002012-01-23T08:44:02.421-05:00<i>And I&#39;m sorry, but I still think you&#39;re making a bigger hole in the MI than we already have in CF... </i><br /><br />Its very possible we will see Rendon will advance as far as AAA by THIS YEAR? He is already considered a more mature hitter than Harper. What do you do when Rendon is ready? You DO NOT trade that guy ... not with his ceiling so he either plays second base or third base with Zim moving to second base. Espinosa at shortstop.<br /><br />And so Lombo becomes trade bait as he seems too good to languish on the bench. The Nats can pick up a second baseman (its too bad they lost Antonelli) for a year or two as they did with Kennedy. Might as well replenish the pitching prospect pool while acquiring the CF ... while you can before another team jumps in there. Right now most of the big market teams are either rebuilding or are in disarray. Now is the time to act.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-43503295506948234342012-01-23T08:35:16.368-05:002012-01-23T08:35:16.368-05:00Wit&#39;cha, Gato....Unkydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427401050130317607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-2189746397824547082012-01-23T08:34:07.551-05:002012-01-23T08:34:07.551-05:00The Nats almost have to sign Fielder in order to get that young, controllable, high ceiling CF everyone is so hot and bothered about. Rizzo seems determined not to use the fallback plan of Jayson Werth unless he absolutely has to. <br /><br />It is my contention, considering the myriad of possibilities, Rizzo had to get the left-handed power pitcher starter first, then the power impact bat from the left-side. He would then have a lineup that would work to gently ween Bryce Harper into the majors. In other words, Harper would be pressed into becoming the key to getting to the playoffs. Nor would Zim, Werth, etc. <br /><br />Then and only then would he be able to have the pieces to acquire a CF that he thinks fits in with his and the FO&#39;s blueprint for the team. And certainly the Lerner&#39;s would sign on for the trade and extension of that player.<br /><br />If Rendon gets moved to second base they would still need a lead-off hitter. I suspect that would end up being either the switch hitting Espinosa, Harper, or the CF ... Upton certainly has what it takes to do that job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-9259293121640920622012-01-23T08:30:10.413-05:002012-01-23T08:30:10.413-05:00Ok, 8:14-8:16... The Fielder part makes more sense now. The way you wrote it before sounded like you wer conceding the whiff on CF, and then trading Morse for baby pitchers:<br />---------------<br />The problem is Fielder who appears to have decided to nix the Nats even if Boras wants him w/ the Nats. In other words: Morse becomes part of the bargain. And they need to replenish pitching lost to the A&#39;s via A mult-player trade with the Rays.<br />----------------<br /><br />And I&#39;m sorry, but I still think you&#39;re making a bigger hole in the MI than we already have in CF....Unkydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427401050130317607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-74500463347140912462012-01-23T08:25:43.701-05:002012-01-23T08:25:43.701-05:00Yeah yeah....talk is cheap Anon 8:14. Lets be frank about this...Upton is a cancer, we don&#39;t need him in our clubhouse. I to am a Milone fan, but to start saying he is better than Lannan when he doesn&#39;t have half a year in the bigs under his belt is crazy. And lets just wait and see on Desi at short. He&#39;s a freak athletically. You just don&#39;t give up on that kind of raw talent. My hunch is that he is gonna be a .270 15-20hr guy down the road.Big Catnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-77895144605789112402012-01-23T08:22:40.941-05:002012-01-23T08:22:40.941-05:00This just in from the <a href="http://www.bloguin.com/theoutsidecorner/2012-articles/january/breaking-prince-fielder-is-not-a-member-of-the-washington-nationals.html" rel="nofollow">(Twitter) Reader Beware Department.</a><br /><br />(Man, will I be glad when Prince signs somewhere, ANYwhere so that all the breathless speculation will end. Geez.)natsfan1anoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-52061512978795839942012-01-23T08:21:46.511-05:002012-01-23T08:21:46.511-05:00Does anyone know how to protect this blog from spamments? Another one I follow (not baseball) has become almost unreadable due to the autobots and I would hate to see it happen here. There is already one thread that has been contaminated (http://www.natsinsider.com/2010/02/detwiler-out-10-weeks-after-hip-surgery.html) but we are lucky that it hasn&#39;t struck current postings.<br /><br />Any advice for Mark?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-52566255745857807382012-01-23T08:21:45.225-05:002012-01-23T08:21:45.225-05:00I for one am not worried about paying Jayson Werth $21 million in 2016. If the Nats win playoffs/WS in 2013, 2014 (and 2012!!!), the money will be there, and he will have done his job. Just think of it as a pension and let it go.NatsLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-4548666436951232222012-01-23T08:16:31.542-05:002012-01-23T08:16:31.542-05:00As for who you get to play second base if they trade two MI? Rendon eventually ... or Zimmerman. For now you look for a 2 year rental.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-65252016909164841412012-01-23T08:14:42.579-05:002012-01-23T08:14:42.579-05:00So if the Fielder thing goes down, all Riz has done this off season is pick up an all star left handed power pitcher in his prime and a slugging all star first baseman in his prime. Granted we had to get rid of some nice prospects.....but hey.....you gotta break eggs to make an omelet. Good goin Riz!Big Catnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-41672152936549727062012-01-23T08:14:12.480-05:002012-01-23T08:14:12.480-05:00Again Unkyd, there is NO ROOM for Michael Morse in the outfield if BJ Upton is in CF and Jayson Werth is in RF. Unless management consciously decides to hold Harper in the minors for another 2 years. I can&#39;t see that happening. If the kid works hard they are going to reward him. <br /><br />There is NO ROOM for Michael Morse at first base if Prince Fielder ends up there ... with Adam LaRoche backing him up (Doubtless they will likely try to trade LaRoche to a team like the Orioles.) .<br /><br />That said I really like Morse ... and always have. I do wish they had not signed Jayson Werth and had instead really gave Morse and Bernadina a solid whirl. Instead of Werth and even Ankiel. But supposedly &quot;cheap&quot; ownership of the Nats decided to sign Werth to a long-term no-trade contract at age 32. They did it in an attempt to attract other players such as Cliff Lee and Zach Grienke. It really didn&#39;t help as much as Boras told them it would. Instead just building up from the farm has served this team better. But, its too late now.<br /><br />Again I strongly prefer keeping Espinosa (and preferably at shortstop). But you have to figure that would be TB&#39;s price. However, I think if you offered Lombardozzi and Desmond along with Morse to Tampa Bay (perhaps even Lannan although he is way too expensive for what he delivers) and some pitching they could get Upton and Rays pitching prospect[s]. IMO Tampa is the best source to replenish what was lost in the A&#39;s deal. <br /><br />And I will just say this: Tommy Milone is a waaaaaay better pitcher than Lannan. Losing that guy is where the Nats FO and Nats fans will feel the most pain from the Gio trade.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-60517985593705869392012-01-23T08:06:50.453-05:002012-01-23T08:06:50.453-05:00Oh.. saw the MLB Special last night.. Top 10 now at each position. Love me some Dan Plesac... Even though Clipp/Storen didn&#39;t make the top 10 (Have no idea why.. some of the guys on the lower end of that list were no better than Clipp/Store).. Dan went on and on about the Nats pitching staff.<br /><br />It&#39;s good to have a cheerleader at MLB Network!MicheleSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-54585576443234919352012-01-23T08:04:42.150-05:002012-01-23T08:04:42.150-05:00I just hope we can resolve the PF Flyer situation soon.. All this speculating is driving me nuts!MicheleSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-9989417926025196842012-01-23T08:02:11.186-05:002012-01-23T08:02:11.186-05:00P-P-Playoffs? We talkin playoffs!!??<br /><br />is the torch passing from Philly to DC?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-45938532355651776442012-01-23T06:42:37.848-05:002012-01-23T06:42:37.848-05:00Fielder&#39;s signing to be announced Tuesday for 7 years and 161 million w. the Nationals according to The Source I was told...UNTERPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-38669280637149292552012-01-23T06:32:59.584-05:002012-01-23T06:32:59.584-05:00With the counter under 30 now, something has got to give soon. I don&#39;t remember any other off-season so dominated by speculation about 1 player.gonatsgonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-49295775654137970802012-01-23T06:21:43.452-05:002012-01-23T06:21:43.452-05:00I&#39;m waking up to positive Fielder news. Jim Bowden tweeted last night that Fielder and the Nats are working on a deal. Other rumors on Twitter have it all done except for a physical.<br /><br />More teasing? Is there a big announcement in store today?<br /><br />Or is this just more of the same old same old?Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07243007019646325480noreply@blogger.com