The Nationals have a small checklist for 2010:
1. Beef up front office staff. Check.
2. Remove “interim” tag from manager. Check.
3. Upgrade roster: catcher, middle infield and pitching staff.
Now comes the hard part.
Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo has his work cut out for him between now and mid-February when pitchers and catchers report to Viera, Fla., for the start of spring training. The task should be a lot easier than it was when he took over as GM last March; now, at least, he has his own support people in place.
He made it clear in October that he’d do what he could to strengthen — or fix — the club’s most glaring weaknesses. It’s not going to be as simple as just writing a check, however.
There are several free-agent starting pitchers on the market who fit the Nats’ criteria. Convincing one of them that joining a team that’s had back-to-back 100-loss seasons isn’t impossible, but the odds aren’t great.
Rich Harden, late of the Cubs, is a high-risk, high-reward arm, due to a history of injuries. Other teams will certainly want to talk with him — so despite his banged up past, he’d require some serious overpayment. Still in his 20’s, it’s a calculated gamble.
Brad Penny is a workhorse, but he may want to stay on the West Coast. John Lackey? Jon Garland? Jason Marquis? Not likely. Ben Sheets is a bigger gamble than Harden. Philosophically, it doesn’t make sense to offer big dollars to anyone past 35 years of age.
There are a lot of over-30 average relievers available for the bullpen, so expect a couple of new faces out there, along with Drew Storen, who will likely debut before July.
The Nationals won’t start 2010 without knowing if Jesus Flores can catch 120+ games. If his shoulder is still an issue, they won’t rely on Wil Nieves as their back-up plan. There are several short term solutions out there, including ex-Nat Brian Schneider, Toby Hall, Chris Coste and Jose Molina. Ex-Rockies’ backstop Yorvit Torrealba is more of an everyday type, but Flores’ wellness would dictate that pursuit.
Middle infield? Cristian Guzman has a year to go on his contract and is penciled in at second base after a career at short. That opens the door for either a free agent, or Ian Desmond, at shortstop. Desmond can swing the bat, but his defensive skills are a work in progress. The Nats are rumored to be interested in Adam Everett or Alex Gonzalez. Both are .250 hitters who rarely walk or steal bases, but have big time gloves. They can afford to force-feed Desmond, as long as there’s a capable utility guy on board.
Nationals fans — the smart ones, anyway — don’t expect miracles in 2010. Their late season improvement raised some eyebrows around baseball, and more of that should keep the faithful interested until the kids — Strasburg, Storen, Norris, Marrero, et al — are ready.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
