[UPDATE AT 9:32 A.M.: Kennedy will make $1.25 million this year, with a $2 million option for 2011.]
Losers to the Twins in the Orlando Hudson sweepstakes, the Nationals wasted little time enacting their backup plan. Washington came to terms late last night with veteran second baseman Adam Kennedy on a one-year contract, club sources confirmed this morning.
Kennedy, 34, who hit .289 with 11 homers and 63 RBI last season for the Athletics, still must pass a physical before the deal is completed. Terms aren't immediately known, but it won't match the $5 million contract Hudson received from Minnesota.
Kennedy's signing sets in motion a chain of events that will affect several Washington infielders. Cristian Guzman will remain at shortstop in the end, this after the club initially told the veteran he might be asked to move to second base this season. Ian Desmond, who impressed some team officials during his big-league debut last September, now is likely to open 2010 at Class AAA Syracuse, where he'll be asked to refine his skills in an attempt to display more consistency.
Once the signing is official, the Nats also will need to remove someone from their 40-man roster.
A veteran of 11 big-league seasons with the Angels, Cardinals and A's, Kennedy is a career .277 hitter. After tailing off in 2007-08 in St. Louis, he enjoyed a bounce-back season in Oakland, producing his
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hudson not coming to D.C.
So much for all that hoopla about Orlando Hudson. The All-Star second baseman won't be signing with the Nationals, club sources confirmed this afternoon, and all signs point to him landing in either Minnesota or Cleveland.
Despite mutual interest between both parties, neither was willing to budge on financial terms. The Nats were believed to have offered between $3 million and $4 million; Hudson insisted on considerably more than that.
Washington GM Mike Rizzo wasn't willing to make that kind of commitment to the 32-year-old, who was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner last season with the Dodgers but lost his starting job to former Nat Ronnie Belliard down the stretch and continues to leave many concerned about a wrist injury that has lingered for two years.
The Nationals will consider signing veteran Adam Kennedy, who hit .289 with 11 homers and 63 RBI last season with Oakland, but club sources said Washington is willing to enter spring training with Cristian Guzman at second base and rookie Ian Desmond at shortstop.
[UPDATE AT 11:24 P.M.: It's official: Hudson has signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Twins.]
Despite mutual interest between both parties, neither was willing to budge on financial terms. The Nats were believed to have offered between $3 million and $4 million; Hudson insisted on considerably more than that.
Washington GM Mike Rizzo wasn't willing to make that kind of commitment to the 32-year-old, who was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner last season with the Dodgers but lost his starting job to former Nat Ronnie Belliard down the stretch and continues to leave many concerned about a wrist injury that has lingered for two years.
The Nationals will consider signing veteran Adam Kennedy, who hit .289 with 11 homers and 63 RBI last season with Oakland, but club sources said Washington is willing to enter spring training with Cristian Guzman at second base and rookie Ian Desmond at shortstop.
[UPDATE AT 11:24 P.M.: It's official: Hudson has signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Twins.]
How the Nats could contend in 2011
Thanks to everyone who voted in our first Nats Insider poll. It turned out to feature a neck-and-neck race. Take a look...
I guess we can safely say there's only minimal belief the pieces could all fall into place this year and produce a surprise pennant run on South Capitol Street. But I guess we can also say with some conviction that fans are optimistic it could happen in the near future.
My personal take on the matter? I think it's entirely possible the Nats could contend in 2011. I'm not saying I think it's a certainty,
QUESTION: How soon do you think the Nats could realistically be in a pennant race?
2010: 5 (4%)
2011: 57 (45%)
2012: 50 (40%)
2013 or later: 12 (9%)
I guess we can safely say there's only minimal belief the pieces could all fall into place this year and produce a surprise pennant run on South Capitol Street. But I guess we can also say with some conviction that fans are optimistic it could happen in the near future.
My personal take on the matter? I think it's entirely possible the Nats could contend in 2011. I'm not saying I think it's a certainty,
Promotional schedule out
A couple of news items to share this morning...
-- You probably know already that the Nationals signed former Rangers/Brewers/Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Mench to a minor-league contract. Mench, owner of one of the largest heads in major-league history, spent last season in Japan and will have an outside shot at making the Opening Day roster this spring. Washington also has signed right-hander Nick Maness and third baseman Angel Gonzalez to minor-league contracts in the last week.
-- The Brewers have claimed right-hander Marco Estrada off waivers. Estrada, who was designated for assignment by the Nats last week to make room on the roster for free agent reliever Tyler Walker, was effective at Class AAA but in two late-season call-ups to Washington the last two years, he just didn't look like big-league material.
-- The Nats just announced that 2010 single-game tickets will go on sale March 2 at 10 a.m., and announced all of this season's promotional giveaways. Here's the full list...
-- You probably know already that the Nationals signed former Rangers/Brewers/Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Mench to a minor-league contract. Mench, owner of one of the largest heads in major-league history, spent last season in Japan and will have an outside shot at making the Opening Day roster this spring. Washington also has signed right-hander Nick Maness and third baseman Angel Gonzalez to minor-league contracts in the last week.
-- The Brewers have claimed right-hander Marco Estrada off waivers. Estrada, who was designated for assignment by the Nats last week to make room on the roster for free agent reliever Tyler Walker, was effective at Class AAA but in two late-season call-ups to Washington the last two years, he just didn't look like big-league material.
-- The Nats just announced that 2010 single-game tickets will go on sale March 2 at 10 a.m., and announced all of this season's promotional giveaways. Here's the full list...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A rare 1-2 punch from the Big Apple
Any list of the most-passionate baseball towns in America surely includes New York, a city that lives and dies with the Yankees and Mets and still boasts die-hard fans of the Dodgers and Giants more than 50 years after both franchises bolted for the West Coast.
Yet the list of native New Yorkers currently in the major leagues is shorter than the Soup Nazi's temper; only 27 players born in the Empire State appeared in a big-league game in 2009. Only 11 of them were pitchers.
It's not hard to understand, then, why Long Island's John Lannan and Staten Island's Jason Marquis are so excited to be joined at the hip in Washington for at least the next two seasons. Not only are two of New York's finest now teammates. They'll open 2010 as the top two starters in the Nationals' rotation.
So what's it like to play alongside a fellow native from the big city?
"Well, I always bust his chops," Marquis said. "Long Islanders claim to be from New York City. Technically, they're not. But I've got a lot of family members out there. My wife has a lot of family members out there. It's a similar mindset. Same type of background growing
Yet the list of native New Yorkers currently in the major leagues is shorter than the Soup Nazi's temper; only 27 players born in the Empire State appeared in a big-league game in 2009. Only 11 of them were pitchers.
It's not hard to understand, then, why Long Island's John Lannan and Staten Island's Jason Marquis are so excited to be joined at the hip in Washington for at least the next two seasons. Not only are two of New York's finest now teammates. They'll open 2010 as the top two starters in the Nationals' rotation.
So what's it like to play alongside a fellow native from the big city?
"Well, I always bust his chops," Marquis said. "Long Islanders claim to be from New York City. Technically, they're not. But I've got a lot of family members out there. My wife has a lot of family members out there. It's a similar mindset. Same type of background growing
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