The Nats Thread (old thread link inside, too many load issues)

[StillUnknown]

Dan Kolko
‏@masnKolko
Rizzo on Soriano: "Suffice it to say, Rafi's here to pitch the 9th inning. He's done that successfully everywhere he's been." #Nats


Storen the 8th inning guy, Clip in the 7th/Lefty specialist?

[skinswillwin06]

The best "Take on Me" moment... NLDS Game 5 against the Cards, 8th inning, perfectly timed shot to centerfield just after the high note is hit:

http://deadspin.com/michael-morse/

I forgot how awesome it was to be a part of that because of how the game ended. Damn I'm going to miss 38.

[STBonecrusher21]

Dan Kolko
‏@masnKolko
Rizzo on Soriano: "Suffice it to say, Rafi's here to pitch the 9th inning. He's done that successfully everywhere he's been." #Nats


Storen the 8th inning guy, Clip in the 7th/Lefty specialist?

Sounds good to me.

Would still like to find a LHP for the bullpen sometime during the season though.

[TheDane]

Something I 'shopped up today:



Morse may not be the best player, but he brought an energy to the fans that made him a special player off the diamond. I can also say he's a good dude. I hope he goes 300 30 100 and gets himself in AL MVP contention.

By the way, if any of you are interested -- I do quite a bit of Nats photoshopping over on twitter. Follow @ambp77, or see the old ones at ambp77.tumblr.com/tagged/nats. All in good fun. Detwiler even put one on a t-shirt.

[10]

the times have definitely changed when free agents leave the Yankees to come to Washington because they want to win a World Series.....

[Forehead]

Sounds good to me.

Would still like to find a LHP for the bullpen sometime during the season though.

Could wind up being Detweiler down the line.

[STBonecrusher21]

Could wind up being Detweiler down the line.

Wouldn't mind that.

Who would take the spot in the starting rotation then?

[DCranon21]

I'm not trying to put the cart before the horse, but here is a good article from Schoenfield about the 2013 Nats vs the 2001 Mariners.

On paper, I believe the Washington Nationals head into 2013 as the strongest team in the majors. They have offense, they have pitching, they have depth and they have a good manager.

Just for fun -- and a chance for this Mariners fan to remember the greatest team in franchise history -- I thought I'd compare the Nationals to the 2001 Mariners, the team that won a major league-record 116 games. OK, modern record; the 1906 Cubs did win 116 games as well.

I'll use Baseball-Reference WAR for each player -- listing the 2012 totals for Nationals players, but then projecting a 2013 potential upside. Kind of a best-case scenario. We'll then list a running team tally.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...-2001-mariners

Bottom line, he's saying that the Nats are the best team on paper right now, and that could add up for some more W's in the column. We shall see.

[Forehead]

I was seeing speculation that Detweiler would go to the pen eventually because some writers think he's more effective there. This was before the Morse trade though, when there was a thought that the Nats might be packaging Morse and Clippard/Storen somewhere for possibly another SP.

I know that sounds vague, I've been reading a ton of different blogs and the opinions are all running together, so I'm not sure which one(s) that came from.

[stevemcqueen1]

I was seeing speculation that Detweiler would go to the pen eventually because some writers think he's more effective there. This was before the Morse trade though, when there was a thought that the Nats might be packaging Morse and Clippard/Storen somewhere for possibly another SP.

I know that sounds vague, I've been reading a ton of different blogs and the opinions are all running together, so I'm not sure which one(s) that came from.

The Detwiler to BP talk has been dogging him his whole career really. He'd be a good fit there most likely. He throws hard and he's got at least some experience pitching in relief. But I don't know. I'd keep him as a starter until he proves he can't do it. He's a little above average lefty starter IMO.

Seems like it shouldn't be that hard to find a lefty reliever.

[Warhead36]

That's a pretty solid article. I don't see 120 wins but I think we'll surpass 100 wins assuming our young studs continue to develop.

[Dan T.]

I forgot how awesome it was to be a part of that because of how the game ended. Damn I'm going to miss 38.

I was at that game (NLDS game 5). It was the single biggest emotional swing I've ever experienced in a sporting event. Ever. The Nats jumped to a big lead so it was an 8 1/2 inning victory party followed by a nightmare roundhouse kick to the stomach. I literally ached leaving the ball park that night.

At one point I was able to step back from the moment and laugh. I had abandoned baseball over the years. The Nats had brought me back, full bore. And I experienced the exquisite misery that giving yourself completely over to a home team can bring. I chuckled to myself as I thought "This ache in my gut means I'm all in."

[DCranon21]

That's a pretty solid article. I don't see 120 wins but I think we'll surpass 100 wins assuming our young studs continue to develop.

I say a 5-10 game improvement from last season. The addition of Haren to the rotation and Soriano(hopefully he doesn't blow a lot of saves that Clip did) should help. Of course the hitting will be there. And the starting is coming back healthy to start spring training as well. That's a plus.

[Sticksboi05]

The Detwiler to BP talk has been dogging him his whole career really. He'd be a good fit there most likely. He throws hard and he's got at least some experience pitching in relief. But I don't know. I'd keep him as a starter until he proves he can't do it. He's a little above average lefty starter IMO.

Seems like it shouldn't be that hard to find a lefty reliever.

He's also the only starter who pitched worth a damn in October.

[STBonecrusher21]

Some of the guys getting some new deals done to avoid arbitration.

Mark Zuckerman ‏@ZuckermanCSN

Detwiler signs for $2.3375 million. Will be updating this post with news of #Nats other 5 arb-eligible players: http://bit.ly/13McAEU

Mark Zuckerman ‏@ZuckermanCSN

Craig Stammen has agreed to a 2-year deal with the #Nats, avoiding arbitration, according to his agency.