Daily Nats Blurbs

[love_that_reefer]

Clayton should be starting anyway. Its good to see Frank's not an idiot and will be batting Soriano fifth.

[love_that_reefer]

A source told MLB.com that Jose Guillen is asking for an extension worth $50 million over five years. No self-esteem issues here. The Nationals are reportedly offering a four-year deal that would pay him between $6.5 million and $7 million per season. Even that's beyond where we'd recommend going. Guillen is just 29, so he probably has several good years remaining. However, his history of bad behavior has to be taken into account prior to any long-term commitment.

The Nats better not give this guy $10 million. $7 million a year sounds right to me.

[General]

Nationals placed RHP Luis Ayala on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24, with a torn UCL in his right elbow.
Ayala will undergo Tommy John surgery on Thursday and is out for the season.


Dang, I didn't know he was done. When'd this happen?

[McKain]

The WBC.

[love_that_reefer]

Cristian Guzman, Robert Fick, Ryan Drese, Luis Ayala and Brian Lawrence will start the season on the DL. WOW!

[General]

I love it how the Nats put Lawrence and Ayala on the 15 day DL first, just to piss people off. Then they put them on the 60.

[love_that_reefer]

Nationals optioned outfielder Ryan Church to Triple-A New Orleans. The Nationals seem to believe 55 spring at-bats are a better indication of talent than everything that's happened the two years prior. They're almost certainly worse team with Brandon Watson in center, but since Church hit .200 this spring, he'll return to Triple-A, where he hit a mere .343/.428/.620 last time around. Maybe Church will eventually get traded to a team that appreciates his offense. Until then, he's worth holding on to in NL-only leagues.

This blew me away. I viewed Church as a potential lead off man for this guy and he really showed me something last year. Statements like this kind of pissed me off.

"I didn't think I was in a competition."

You were a part time player last year and you honestly thought you had it made with Frank Robinson as you coach?

[General]

Nationals purchased the contract of catcher Wiki Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, who hit .267/.298/.378 in 45 at-bats for the Mariners last season, will serve as the backup for Brian Schneider and play mostly against lefties. The Nationals will also have Matthew LeCroy and later Robert Fick on the roster, but manager Frank Robinson wanted a true reserve.

[General]

Brian Schneider went 0-for-3 tonight and is just 2-for-20 since returning fromt the WBC.
A bigger concern than his slump is that manager Frank Robinson has him hitting eighth behind Royce Clayton. Runs and RBI will be very difficult for him to come by unless he's moved up.

[General]

Nationals placed RHP Pedro Astacio on the 15-day disabled list with right forarm tightness.
No word yet, but we're assuming that Tony Armas Jr., who wasn't going to pitch until April 9, will start the third game of the season on Thursday. Billy Traber later could be called up to take over the fifth spot until Astacio is ready. The Nationals won't have any idea how much time he'll miss until after an MRI

[General]

An MRI revealed that Pedro Astacio has a right forearm flexor strain. He'll probably miss most of April.
"I've had this problem for two weeks," Astacio said. I've had it the last couple of games I've pitched. I don't know [when I'll be back on the mound]. We have to see how everything goes." Astacio is supposed to rest five to seven days and then he will be reevaluated. He could possibly start a throwing program after that time is up.

[Bear]

This could be a very tough season for Frank. What a way for it all to end!

[General]

Y'all got robbed. Soriano was safe.