VIDEO: Clippard on his offseason

Mark had a chance to talk with Tyler Clippard last weekend about his offseason and what he expects from 2013. In the beginning of the clip he discusses hearing about the Rafael Soriano signing and what it means for him.

Christian Garcia: Starter or reliever?

Photo by USA Today Sports Images

During a press conference at Nationals Park last September, manager Davey Johnson revealed the team’s plans to convert 27-year-old relief pitcher Christian Garcia into a starter. The decision was predicated on Garcia’s repertoire of three strong pitches and a looming shift in the organization's pitching depth.

Months later at NatsFest, reporters had the chance to talk to Garcia about the switch, but according to him he hasn’t heard what his role will be on the 2013 Nationals.

“I have no idea. Wherever they want to put me to play I am okay with it. Whatever I can help the team, any spot they need help with I would love to help in any way I can. So if it is starting, relieving, whatever it is.”

Garcia said that neither path really changes his offseason workout, that his training program will continue as is until he hears otherwise. He is currently training in Tampa, FL at the Performance Compound with Tyler Clippard and former Nats lefty John Lannan. 

As far as 2013 goes, Garcia is flexible to start or come out of the bullpen and has no real preference either way.

“I love relieving, I love it. Definitely late inning relieving, I love it. I like the pressure, I like that kind of stress, it’s just the kind of person I am.”

“Starter, it’s definitely different,” he said. “I got nine guys to worry about and remember all nine. There is a lot more thought that goes into starting than there is relieving, but I am up for the challenge either way.”

VIDEO: Zimmermann ready to go

CSN caught up with Jordan Zimmermann on Saturday at NatsFest and talked about, among other things, his excitement for the season. Jordan says the way the 2012 season ended gives the team even more motivation heading into Spring Training.

Also, check out this story from CSNwashington.com:

**MLB to meet with Gio, other players involved in PED report

Harper ready for third MLB Spring Training

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What was a whirlwind of a rookie year for Bryce Harper seemed to carry over into his offseason as the 20-year-old has been quite busy this winter. Harper has been active tweeting pictures of his travels, campaigning for the cover of a video game, and even appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. With just weeks to go until Spring Training, Harper is now just looking forward to entering his first big league camp with a set role in the starting lineup.

“When I go into Spring Training I’m going to work my tail off, work out in the weight room, and get things done. I’m going to try and get ready for the season,” he said.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun to get back going and try to get back to where we were last year.”

Harper said he didn’t watch any of the baseball playoffs after the Nationals were bounced in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. He didn’t even watch the World Series.

Months after the ending of last season had settled, Harper was invited to compete in the World Baseball Classic, but declined. He wants to take the next few weeks to relax before starting the long 162-game schedule.

“I think it’s just too serious of at-bats for me right now,” he said. “Coming off the year that we had, I just want to get back into the swing of things in Spring Training. It’s the first Spring Training I can really be up with the big league club and I think hopefully in four years I can do the WBC then.”

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VIDEO: Span one-on-one with Mark

Saturday at NatsFest was an interesting day for Denard Span as he interacted with Nationals fans and met many of his new teammates for the first time. Here is Mark's one-on-one conversation with the new center fielder who is excited to bat leadoff in such a deep lineup.

You can also check out these links from CSNwashington.com:

**Four Nats in top prospects list
**Bo Porter hopes Nats success follows him to Houston

Nats glad to see Prado go

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When the Braves made one of the boldest moves of the MLB offseason in trading for All-Star outfielder Justin Upton, it didn’t exactly come free. Atlanta had to surrender a top pitching prospect Randall Delgado and a group of second tier farmhands as well. The headliner of the price they paid, however, was infielder Martin Prado.

Prado was slotted to take over third after the departure of Chipper Jones and seeing his name involved was a welcome sign for several Nats players.

“That’s great for them, I don’t know why they got rid of Martin Prado though,” Bryce Harper said. “He was a killer for us last year. He is pretty unbelievable.”

Ross Detwiler, a starting pitcher who Prado holds a .591 batting average against with six doubles in 22 career at-bats, is also happy to see him go.

“For anyone it is really going to come down to who is healthy,” Detwiler said of the N.L. East. “But the Braves, I’m glad they got rid of Prado because I just could not get that guy out.”

VIDEO: Mark talks to Jayson Werth

You may have seen a short clip on CSNwashington.com of Mark's interview with Jayson Werth on Saturday, but there was more. Here is Mark's full conversation with Werth who talks about the increased attention the Nats are receiving and how good the new-look outfield can be with Denard Span manning the middle.

VIDEO: Catching up with Desmond

Mark interviewed Nats' shortstop Ian Desmond at Saturday's NatsFest and asked him about how this offseason may be different for the team coming off such a historic season. Desmond says the team now has a bit of a different mindset now that they have experienced winning the division and playing in the playoffs.

Also, check out these other links from CSNwashington.com:

**Nats Notes: Strasburg's 5K, Johnson retires
**VIDEO: NatsFest 2013 sights and sounds

VIDEO: Rizzo one-on-one

Mark caught up with Mike Rizzo on Saturday at NatsFest in a one-on-one interview about the state of the Nationals as they head into the 2013 season. Rizzo is happy with the roster as it stands and is glad to be back around the players for the first time since the fall.

Storen, Clippard try to move on

When the Washington Nationals agreed to terms with one of the top prizes of the MLB offseason, signing closer Rafael Soriano to a two-year deal, it caught nearly everyone in the baseball world by surprise. It wasn’t rumored, the team already had a guy who saved 43 games in 2011 and another who saved 32 in 2012, it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Imagine being Drew Storen.

The young reliever the Nats picked 10th overall in 2009 to be the closer of the future all of a sudden had his job threatened, or perhaps even taken away, and how did he find out? By Twitter.

Storen saw the news online and immediately called his good friend and roommate, Tyler Clippard, who happens to be the other closer the team already had in the fold.

“I just saw it on Twitter and I called him and I said, ‘have you seen this?’ We were like, ‘what?’”

The conversation was short and speculative as neither player really had a lot of information about the signing, they knew as much as anyone else. But through talking it out, both Storen and Clippard found a way it can be good for the team and eventually positive for them individually as well.

“It kind of caught me of guard, but there is no doubt that he is going to make the team better, you can’t argue with that,” Storen said.

Espinosa to play with torn rotator cuff

USA Today Sports Images

Danny Espinosa played the second half of last season with left shoulder pain.

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa revealed today he played the final month of last season with a torn left rotator cuff and that he'll attempt to play through this season without repairing the tear through surgery.

Espinosa, who played through pain in his non-throwing shoulder during September and during the playoffs in October, didn't learn of the tear until two weeks after season's end, after an enhanced MRI performed by Southern California orthopedist Lewis Yocum revealed it.

Surgery would completely repair the tear but would sideline Espinosa for at least the season's first two months, so the consensus opinion was to build up the muscles around the cuff and attempt to play without causing any further damage.

"It's already torn," Espinosa said. "So as long as I just keep up with my maintenance on my other muscles around the shoulder, I should
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NatsFest

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is hosting NatsFest today.

Hello from NatsFest, which for the first time in the event's history is being held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. As much as everyone enjoyed hosting this at Nationals Park in the past, the feeling was that there would be too many fans now to be able to cram everyone into the ballpark. So the convention center it is.

There is plenty of stuff planned for the afternoon, from player autographs to Q&A sessions to batting cages and the much-anticipated unveiling of the newest racing president, William Howard Taft.

As many as 25 players are scheduled to appear, and we'll be getting a chance to interview them all. So check back here for plenty of live updates along the way...

UPDATE AT 1:35 P.M. -- The first round of players have trickled through the media area. Among them, Chad Tracy, who had

Notable names, absences at NatsFest

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Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth each are scheduled to appear at NatsFest.

The majority of players off the Nationals' roster are scheduled to attend next week's NatsFest, though a couple of prominent names notably will be absent.

Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Dan Haren, Denard Span and Kurt Suzuki are among the 25 players listed as attendees to the event, which will be held Jan. 26 at the Washington Convention Center. (All appearances are subject to change.)

Also scheduled to attend are three players who face uncertain futures with the organization in the wake of recent acquisitions: Michael Morse, Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard. That could lead to some interesting, perhaps awkward, conversations between the players and team execs, media members and fans who will be there in person.

Notable among the list of Nationals who aren't scheduled to attend are manager Davey Johnson, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman,