East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Lester, Nationals
2014/12/east-notes-yankees-red-sox-lester-nationals.htmlNats exec Mike Rizzo says he's striking a "delicate balance" between winning now and winning in the future, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes.
Blue Jays Interested In Rizzo To Replace Beeston
2014/12/blue-jays-interested-in-mike-rizzo-to-replace-beeston.html6:35pm: Rizzo says the Jays have not contacted him and that he remains focused on his job with the Nationals, Wagner tweets.
Quick Hits: Scherzer, Santana, Zimmermann, Segura
2014/12/quick-hits-schezer-santana-zimmermann-segura.html"It was a re-acquaintance, if you will, to talk about philosophies and parameters and that type of thing," says Nats GM Mike Rizzo.
Nationals Rumors: Desmond, M’s, Detwiler, Clippard
2014/12/nationals-rumors-clippard-zobrist-rendon.htmlGeneral Manager Mike Rizzo has said throughout the winter that Anthony Rendon could slide to second base should they acquire a third baseman.
NL East Notes: Upton, Giants, Rizzo, Gordon
2014/12/nl-east-notes-upton-giants-rizzo-gordon.htmlNationals GM Mike Rizzo spoke to reporters (including Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com) about a number of topics, such as how teams are showing increased interest in Washington's relief corps over the last day.
NL East Notes: Clippard, Kang, Breslow
2014/12/nl-east-notes-clippard-kang-breslow.htmlNationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters that there's no progress to report in potential contract extensions with Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond, Tyler Clippard, and Denard Span, tweets William Ladson of MLB.com.
Interesting Non-Tender Considerations
2014/12/interesting-non-tender-considerations.htmlAlonso's second half in 2012 was as good as, if not better than the second half of Brandon Belt or Anthony Rizzo.
Marlins Make Long-Term Offers To Fernandez, Yelich, Hechavarria
2014/12/marlins-make-long-term-offers-to-fernandez-yelich-hechavarria.htmlMarte's contract is the second-largest ever for an outfielder with one to two years of service (Ryan Braun's $45MM deal is king), but as the Extension Tracker shows, recent extensions for Paul Goldschmidt (five years, $32MM), Jedd Gyorko (five years, $35MM), Anthony Rizzo (seven years, $41MM) and Andrelton Simmons (seven years, $58MM) have all topped the Marte deal in terms of guarantee.
Cafardo On Lester, Cespedes, Porcello, Miller
2014/11/cafardo-on-lester-cespedes-porcello-miller.html“It doesn’t hurt to listen,” said one NL executive about GM Mike Rizzo’s strategy.
NL East Links: Detwiler, Hamels, Rice
2014/11/nl-east-links-detwiler-hamels-rice.htmlNats GM Mike Rizzo said he expects Detwiler to fill the same role as a reliever and emergency starter, though Wagner wonders if the club could non-tender Detwiler to save some money.
Quick Hits: Twins, Albers, Bavasi, Scherzer
2014/11/quick-hits-twins-albers-bavasi.htmlGM Mike Rizzo adds that it's "not on the top of our wish list."…
Latest On Nationals, Jordan Zimmermann
2014/11/latest-on-nationals-jordan-zimmermann.htmlOf course, Rizzo has emphasized in the past that he will listen to proposals on any player, and in that regard this report does not appear to change the club's stance.
NL East Links: J. Upton, Marlins, Nats, Mets
2014/11/nl-east-links-j-upton-marlins-nats-mets.htmlThe Nationals have hired veteran scout Terry Wetzel as a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo, reports MLB.com's Tracy Ringolsby.
MLBTR Originals
2014/11/mlbtr-originals-68.htmlJeff covered the GM Meetings in Phoenix for MLBTR and posted interviews with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo and Marlins President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill and GM Dan Jennings.
Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw Win MVP Awards
2014/11/mike-trout-clayton-kershaw-win-mvp-awards.htmlBehind Kershaw and Stanton in the top 10 were Andrew McCutchen (271), Jonathan Lucroy (167), Anthony Rendon (155), Buster Posey (152), Adrian Gonzalez (57), Adam Wainwright (53), Josh Harrison (52) and Anthony Rizzo (37).
NL Notes: D’backs, Murphy, Rockies, Cards, Nats
2014/11/nl-notes-dbacks-murphy-rockies-cards-nats.htmlAs I noted about ten days ago in my offseason outlook for the Nats, the concept of a trade (most likely involving Zimmermann) has to at least be entertained, particularly if a young middle infielder was part of the return, and GM Mike Rizzo sounds willing to consider anything.
Rizzo: Nationals Have Payroll Flexibility
2014/11/rizzo-nationals-have-payroll-flexibility.htmlThe Nationals are entering the offseason with "an eye on 2015 and also beyond," club president and GM Mike Rizzo said today from the GM Meetings in Phoenix.
NL East Notes: Mets, Braves, Zimmermann
2014/11/nl-east-notes-mets-braves-zimmermann.htmlNats GM Mike Rizzo would need a massive offer to even consider moving Zimmermann, as while the righty is only under contract for one more season, losing him would be a blow to a Nats team that wants to win a World Series in 2015.
NL East Notes: Stanton, Heyward, Nats, Mets, Cuddyer, Phillies
2014/11/nl-east-notes-stanton-heyward-nats-mets-cuddyer-phillies.htmlNationals GM Mike Rizzo acknowledged to James Wagner of the Washington Post that he's been in contact with Asdrubal Cabrera's agent as the team looks at all options on the second base market (Twitter link).
Central Notes: Maddon, Vogelbach, Hunter, Latos
2014/11/central-notes-maddon-vogelbach-hunter-latos.htmlAs Wittenmyer notes, Vogelbach is seen by the Cubs (and other clubs) as a first baseman only, and he has Anthony Rizzo to serve as a firm roadblock to the Majors.
Front Office Notes: Nats, Trammell, Zaidi
2014/11/front-office-notes-nats-trammell-zaidi.htmlMiller will bring more than 30 years of experience to the Nationals' front office and has previously worked with GM Mike Rizzo while with the D'Backs.
Cubs Hire Joe Maddon As Manager
2014/11/cubs-to-hire-joe-maddon-as-manager.htmlMaddon will be tasked with not only leading a core of Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara, Jake Arrieta and others back to the playoffs, but with crafting that group into a perennial contender.
Offseason Outlook: Washington Nationals
2014/11/offseason-outlook-washington-nationals-5.htmlThat scenario pains Nationals fans, but probably does little to dissuade GM Mike Rizzo from his path.
East Notes: Nationals, Phillies, Hamels, Rays
2014/10/east-notes-nationals-phillies-hamels-rays.htmlThe Nats might have to make decisions about which of the three to extend, and could consider trading those they don't, although GM Mike Rizzo suggests no trades are imminent.
Offseason Outlook: New York Mets
2014/10/offseason-outlook-new-york-mets-5.html(E.g., D’backs get Didi Gregorius, give Trevor Bauer; Tigers acquire Jose Iglesias, give Avisail Garcia; Padres get Andrew Cashner, give Anthony Rizzo.) But indications out of Chicago and Arizona are that both clubs are generally content waiting to see how their middle infield situations shake out before making moves.
