Washington Nationals Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
The Washington Nationals made it back to the postseason in 2014, and now the club will look to find a way to take the next step.
A common belief is that Washington has one of the most balanced rosters in baseball. It certainly looks that way, so there are not many moves that the team needs to make this offseason.
Second base will be about the only area that really needs to be addressed this winter. Every other position on the club is pretty much set. That means that team doesn't need to be incredibly active this winter in terms of adding players.
However, the team will have several players that it will try to lock up to long-term deals this winter.
Stay tuned throughout November to see what is going on with the Nationals.
*All stats are via MLB.com.
Done Deals
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Done Deals
Oct. 30: Exercised outfielder Denard Span's $9 million option
Oct. 30: Declined first baseman Adam LaRoche's $15 million option
Oct. 30: Declined right-handed pitcher Rafael Soriano's $14 million option
Nov. 14: Signed INF/OF Kevin Frandsen to a 1-year, $1 million deal (plus $300,00 in incentives), avoiding arbitration
Dec. 11: Traded LHP Ross Detwiler to Texas Rangers in exchange for two minor leaguers
Dec. 15: Signed OF Bryce Harper to a 2-year, $7.5 million deal (will make $2.5 million in 2015 and $5 million in 2016); under club control through 2018 season
Dec. 17: Involved in three-team, 11-player trade. San Diego Padres acquire LHP Jose Castillo, C Ryan Hanigan, OF Wil Myers and RHP Gerardo Reyes; Washington Nationals acquire RHP Joe Ross and SS Trea Turner; Tampa Bay Rays acquire LHP Jake Bauers, LHP Travis Ott, C Rene Rivera, RHP Burch Smith and OF Steven Souza Jr.
Dec. 22: Signed RHP Heath Bell
Dec. 26: Signed 2B Dan Uggla to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major league spring training
Nationals Free Agents
Nov. 21: 1B Adam LaRoche signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Chicago White Sox
Dec. 30: Asdrubal Cabrera Agrees to Deal with Tampa Bay Rays
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Asdrubal Cabrera has agreed to a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Washington acquired Cabrera in a midseason trade with the Cleveland Indians. He made the switch from shortstop to second base in order to help the team, but his bat wasn't as consistent as the Nationals had hoped for.
Cabrera, 28, hit just .229 in 49 games for the Nationals. Although the average was low, the veteran was able to help out in other ways. He posted a .312 on-base percentage with the club and added five home runs, nine doubles and two home runs.
Nationals Reportedly Trade Steven Souza Jr. in 3-Team Deal, Get SS
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The Washington Nationals have teamed up with the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays to complete a complex trade. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan has the details of the three-team, 11-player trade:
Nationals Get: RHP Joe Ross and SS Trea Turner
Padres Get: LHP Jose Castillo, C Ryan Hanigan, OF Wil Myers and RHP Gerardo Reyes
Rays Get: LHP Jake Bauers, LHP Travis Ott, C Rene Rivera, RHP Burch Smith and OF Steven Souza
Steven Souza did not have much of a future in Washington. The Nationals have Bryce Harper, Denard Span and Jayson Werth in the outfield. Trading Souza could allow the Nationals to address other needs, such as the shortstop of the future.
On the final play of his Nationals career, Souza saved Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter with an incredible diving catch to record the final out of the game. It was one of the greatest plays in franchise history, and it will now go down as the greatest exit in baseball history.
In this deal, the Nationals received two of the Padres' top prospects—including a player who could be the team's long-term answer at shortstop.
Turner, 21, was San Diego's first-round pick in the 2014 draft. He was ranked fifth in the Padres' farm system, per MLB.com. He hit .323 with five home runs and 16 doubles in 69 games between two levels of Single-A in his first professional season. He also stole 23 bases in 27 attempts.
With Ian Desmond entering the final year of his contract, Washington has acquired a player who could take over in the near future—and could be around for a while. Turner has great speed, can put the ball in play and should be fine in the field.
Ross, 21, was a first-round pick in the 2011 draft and was ranked eighth in the Padres' system. He posted a 3.92 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) in 2014. He has a 3.90 ERA in 62 career games (60 starts) over four seasons in the minors.
The right-hander has a good fastball and a solid slider. In order to be more effective, he needs to develop his changeup a little more.
Washington did pretty well in this deal. It didn't have room for Souza and needed to address its shortstop position. Turner may not be ready to make an impact next season, but the Nationals don't need him to. They are just hoping that he turns out to be the star that they think he will be.
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Dec. 11: Nationals Trade Ross Detwiler to Rangers
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The Washington Nationals have traded Ross Detwiler to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a minor-league infielder and a minor-league pitcher, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
For the first time in his career, the 28-year-old worked exclusively out of the bullpen in 2014. He posted a 4.00 ERA and a 1.413 WHIP in 63 innings over 47 outings. The southpaw held left-handed batters to a .226 average, but right-handers hit .312 with five home runs against him.
Detwiler is eligible for arbitration for the third time this winter.
Detwiler had mainly been a starter before this year. However, Washington's rotation became stacked, leaving him without a starting job.
Ian Desmond: Contract Extension Candidate
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Update: Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 9:18 p.m. ET
The Nationals have discussed a potential Desmond trade with the Seattle Mariners on multiple occasions, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Washington is reportedly interested in Seattle shortstop Brad Miller.
Talks do not appear to be serious at this time.
--End of Update--
Ian Desmond is set to become a free agent after next season, so Washington will have to see what it will take to sign him to an extension this winter.
Earlier this year, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that Desmond turned down a very lucrative extension from the club. The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore wrote that the Nationals are expected to talk about an extension with the shortstop this winter.
Desmond hit .255 with 24 home runs and 91 RBI this past season. His average was the lowest it had been since 2011, but he set a new career-high in RBI.
The 29-year-old will make $11 million in 2015. Whether he thought the Nationals' offer last offseason was too low, too short or too long, the team will look to find a way to reach an agreement with him this winter.
Jordan Zimmermann: Contract Extension Candidate
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Update: Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 9:20 p.m. ET
The Nationals have been involved in trade talks at the Winter Meetings regarding Zimmermann, per Fox Sports' Jon Morosi.
It's not known what teams have asked about him—other than the Rangers—or how serious talks have gotten.
--End of Update--
Update: Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 2:26 p.m. ET
The Texas Rangers have asked about Zimmermann, but the Nationals do not appear to be inclined to trade him, according to MLB.com's TR Sullivan.
--End of Update--
Update: Sunday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m. ET
The Nationals are planning on taking another shot at trying to extend Zimmermann, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The team has reportedly made multiple attempts, and now that he is entering the final season of his contract, Washington would like to lock him up this winter.
--End of Update--
Update: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10:25 p.m. ET
The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan tweeted that the the Nationals and Cubs have not exchanged names for a potential deal, meaning a deal is not likely to happen.
--End of Update--
Update: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10 p.m. ET
The Nationals and the Chicago Cubs have reportedly engaged in trade discussions involving pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times.
--End of Update--
The Nationals have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. On the field, it's a great thing to have. Off the field, it can be tough to find a way to afford everyone. This offseason, the team will try to find a way to sign a couple of its pitchers to extensions.
Signing Jordan Zimmermann to an extension this winter has to be a priority. The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore wrote that the Nationals are expected to talk about an extension with the pitcher.
The 28-year-old has been a big part of the team's rotation the past four seasons.
A year after winning 19 games, the right-hander went 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA. He capped off the best season of his young career by throwing a no-hitter on the final day of the regular season.
Zimmermann has a 3.00 ERA in 122 starts over the past four seasons. This postseason, he dominated the San Francisco Giants, allowing just one run on three hits in 8.2 innings.
Zimmermann will make $16.5 million next season. Given the way that the two-time All-Star has pitched in recent years, it's going to take a lot of money to sign him to an extension.
Tyler Clippard: Potential Trade Candidate
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The Nationals are in "active" discussions regarding right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Clippard went 7-4 with a 2.18 ERA and a 0.995 WHIP in 75 appearances in 2014. He struck out 10.5 batters per nine and walked 2.9 per nine, giving him a strikeouts-to-walk rate of 3.57. All of those numbers were among the best of his career.
Thanks to those great numbers, the 29-year-old made the second All-Star team of his career.
Clippard has a 2.88 ERA in 420 outings (412 relief appearances), working strictly out of the bullpen since 2009. He has appeared in at least 72 games in each of the past five seasons.
Clippard is eligible for arbitration for the third time this winter.
Doug Fister: Contract Extension Candidate
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Update: Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 2:26 p.m. ET
The Nationals are willing to talk to teams about trades involving Doug Fister, according to MLB.com's TR Sullivan.
--End of Update--
Washington made a splash by landing Doug Fister last offseason. Now, the team will see if it can lock up the talented pitcher to an extension.
The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore wrote that the Nationals are expected to talk about an extension with the pitcher.
Fister missed the beginning of the season with a lat injury, but he was great once he put on a Nationals uniform. This season, the right-hander went 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA in 25 starts.
Since the beginning of the 2011 season, the 30-year-old has not finished a season with an earned run average above 3.67. In two of those seasons, he failed to make more than 26 starts, however.
Fister made $7.2 million this season. He is eligible for arbitration for the third time this winter and is set to be a free agent after next season.
Nov. 21: Adam LaRoche Signs 2-Year Deal with White Sox
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Following in Adam Dunn's footsteps, Adam LaRoche has gone from Washington to the Windy City. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, LaRoche has signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Chicago White Sox.
Earlier this offseason, the Nationals have declined their half of a $15 million mutual option on LaRoche for the 2015 season, according to MLB.com's Amanda Comak. The Nationals will instead pay the $2 million buyout.
As Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com wrote in September, LaRoche didn't expect to be back next season. Sure, his power and Gold Glove-caliber defense will be missed. However, it's time for the club to move in a different direction.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson recently wrote that Ryan Zimmerman has accepted that Anthony Rendon is the best option the team has at third base. With his injury history, Zimmerman may be forced to move over to first base on a permanent basis. That means that LaRoche likely no longer fits into the team's plans.
LaRoche hit .259 with 26 home runs and 19 doubles this season. He was also a finalist for the National League Gold Glove award for first basemen.
Oct. 30: Nationals Exercise Denard Span's $9 Million Option
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The Nationals have picked up Span's $9 million option for the 2015 season, per MLB.com's Amanda Comak.
Span hit .302 with five home runs, 39 doubles and eight triples in 2014. The speedster also added 31 stolen bases. The 30-year-old's 184 hits were tied for the most in the National League.
Given that Span had such a solid season at the plate, it was a fairly easy call for the Nationals to exercise his option.
Oct. 30: Nationals Decline Rafael Soriano's $14 Million Option
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Washington has declined its $14 million option on Soriano, according to MLB.com's Amanda Comak.
Soriano went 4-1 with 32 saves in 2014. He posted a 3.19 ERA and a 1.129 WHIP in 64 games this year. He has a 3.15 ERA and 75 saves in two seasons with the Nationals.
The 34-year-old is still an effective reliever, but Washington has plenty of arms that it can turn to without dishing out a lot of money to keep Soriano. Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Aaron Barrett all had very good seasons out of the Nationals' bullpen.
Washington has plenty of talent in the bullpen, so Soriano was expendable. Now, the team can use that money to try to sign some of its other players to multi-year deals.
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