Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
The Nationals bottomed out in 2009. Their season began with the ouster of general manager Jim Bowden in the beginning of March after he was implicated in a bonus-skimming scandal in the Dominican Republic that drew the attention of the FBI. And it ended with 103 losses, giving them 205 losses in the last two seasons.
In between, they fired manager Manny Acta and watched attendance fall by more than 6,000 fans a night in the second year of Nationals Park.
So no, it's not all sunshine and roses on the banks of the Anacostia River, but, then, it's not all doom and gloom either. After all, the Nats managed to lock up phenom Stephen Strasburg in August, and with a stable front office and a permanent manager now in place, they can get to the task of building around him.
- Apparently David Eckstein is not too worried about winning anymore. The 34-year-old middle infielder, who already has two world series rings, had the chance to be traded to the Twins and turned it down. The Twins are hanging in the AL Central race for dear life, so it's not like the postseason was a given. Still, the Padres are far out of anything relevant and are one of the worst teams in baseball.
Categorically Speaking is designed specifically for Rotisserie GM's. The information is great for all fantasy baseball formats, but for those of you who could use some help bolstering a specific roto category, this is for you. We're going to pay close attention to players who might be readily available on your waiver wire or who you might target in non-blockbuster trade talks.
If you've got mashers on your fantasy baseball team like Chris Davis or Dan Uggla who only seem to be able to hit the ball 425-plus feet and not much else, you may be hurting in the batting average category. Here are four options who may be on your league's waiver wire to remedy that issue.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
When Luke Hochevar was summoned to the majors last season, he had started only 13 games at the triple-A level. He had compiled a 2-4 record with a 4.54 ERA in those starts. Translation: It appears the former number one overall draft pick had been rushed -- especially when you consider his ensuing major league numbers. In his rookie year, Hochevar went 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. His strikeout rate was well below his capabilities as well.
After failing to come through as the Nationals everyday leadoff hitter/center fielder, Lastings Milledge has been mired in the minor leagues. He's been living out of a hotel in Syracuse since the demotion, and he's only hitting .250 with a .602 OPS. He doesn't have a home run, but he does have 4 stolen bases. He's struck out 12 times and only walked 3.
It's true that Milledge does have loads of talent, and he's only 24 years old. He showed signs of that talent with a decent 2008 campaign -- when he hit .268 with 14 home runs, 24 doubles, and 24 steals. This is the selling point for the Washington Nationals, who need to just trade Milledge and move on.
Years from now when people look back on the 79th All-Star Game, they'll remember a few things. First and foremost, they'll remember the celebration of Yankee Stadium, one of baseball's last remaining living museums, in its final season. Right alongside that, they'll think fondly of Josh Hamilton. Even if you're sick of hearing about his intense battle with drug addiction, the sight of him launching 500-foot homers into the black New York sky at the Home Run Derby won't soon be forgotten.
And perhaps after that, they'll remember the actual game itself for its record length -- 15 innings over four hours and 50 minutes. It's safe to say nobody will be thinking of the final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium as a classic.
Part of that was the ugliness of the game. This Midsummer Classic had everything -- blown calls by the umpire, poor baserunning, way too much Aaron Cook, epic offensive squanders and even three errors by poor Dan Uggla.
But the flaws in the structure of the current incarnation of the All-Star Game were also on not-so-sparkling display. Major League Baseball still has the best showcase event in American professional sports, but it's not above a little cosmetic overhaul now and again.
With that in mind, here are four things that baseball should change to improve the All-Star Game. (There was plenty of time to come up with a list Tuesday night).
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
The Washington Nationals would seem to fit anyone's description of a seller. They are in last place, sinking fast and desperate to generate some positive buzz to get people interested in the team. Jim Bowden's never been afraid to pull the trigger on a trade, for better or worse, which is another sell sign. One little detail gets in the way, however. The cupboard is nearly barren of the healthy unwanted veterans that could make a difference in a pennant race.
Even the guys who might garner some interest have some serious warts. Cristian Guzman is an All-Star and there are teams that could use help at shortstop. He'll also be a free agent after the season but how much are teams going to buy into a decent first half from a player whose history says he isn't a competent offensive player?
Odalis Perez is the pitching staff's version of Guzman. He's been surprisingly strong this season, 116 ERA+, and lord knows teams always like to add a pitcher for the stretch run. Once again, though, his history says this isn't to be trusted. Even if they did get a bite, neither guy is going to bring them much of value.
The Nationals should have a desire to sell but the demand half of the equation just isn't going to be there. The only saving grace to this season of futility is that no one's paying attention in D.C. anyway.
With nearly a month of the baseball season in the books, the Washington Nationals pretty much are what we thought they would be -- a bad team (9-17) wallowing in the cellar of the National League East. Just why they are struggling so much is more of a surprise.
The starting pitching has actually been very strong. Odalis Perez, John Lannan and Tuesday night's starter Tim Redding all have ERAs under 4.00. The offense, despite battle-tested pros like Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Johnson and young hitters with upside like Lastings Milledge, is really scuffling. Cristian Guzman is the only regular hitting over .300. Milledge is the only other player hitting over .255. Ouch.
That's especially hurt the Nationals in the power department. They have 14 home runs as a team, the second fewest in the NL. They rank 14th in the league in doubles (44) and 15th in slugging percentage (.334). And unlike last year, it doesn't appear they can blame the ballpark. Nationals Park seems to play a lot more neutral than RFK, which was a definite pitcher's park.
Manager Manny Acta, one of the more statistically-inclined skippers in the league, isn't worrying too much yet. "The power numbers will come," said Acta before tonight's game with the Braves. "The only reason [the middle-of-the-order hitters] don't have five, six, seven homers is because of the batting averages.
I've got to hand it to Manny Acta. The job he's done with the Nationals, a team that was supposed to lose 125 games, has been nothing short of phenomenal ... especially with the multiple injuries suffered by his pitching staff.
Acta's reward for his patience? Why more injuries, of course. Shortstop Cristian Guzman is out for four to six weeks with a busted thumb (busted on Josh Barfield's helmet, that is), which is note worthy as this has been Guzman's best season as a National by a country mile with a .329 batting average.
But the saddest injury may be the recurring one that put reliever Jesus Colome back on the DL, soft-tissue infection in the right buttocks.
"I don't feel good. I can't talk," Colome said. "I have to wait until tomorrow. I'm going straight to the doctor."
Hey, when does soft tissue infection in your butt cause you not to talk? I guess when you regularly talk out of your ...
Seriously folks, that hurts. When it hurts to sit, go straight to the doctor. Colome has been an important part of the Nats' bullpen at 4-0 and a 2.76 ERA, so these injuries will be most painful for Acta, who will now have to fill more holes and keep the Nats' afloat. That he's kept them respectable this far is an incredible achievement.
Update: Scratch that four to six weeks for Guzman as the news gets worse ... Guzman is out for the season.
No, I'm not going to completely write off the Nationals after two games.
Five? Ten? Maybe. Not two ... that would just be silly.
But not only is the Nationals' starting rotation threatening to mathematically eliminate them by June (Shawn Hill was barely better than John Patterson in a 9-3 loss to the Marlins tonight), but at this rate they may not have enough to field a team by July. First, Cristian Guzman and Nook Logan get hurt on Opening Day (both were placed on the disabled list), but Ronnie Belliard came perilously close to joining them. You wouldn't believe how:
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, standing in foul territory near the batting cage. Belliard never saw the wayward, 100-foot throw from rookie catcher Jesus Flores that was intended for Brian Schneider. It was several feet off the mark and caught Belliard flush on the left temple He immediately fell to the ground. Manager Manny Acta yelled out, "Trainer! Trainer!" and all eyes turned toward Belliard, fearing something serious had happened. Fortunately, he was all right. Woozy, but all right.
Good news for a team that could use all the good news it could get. But back to the starting pitching, it's one thing to give up thousands of hits to Miguel Cabrera (who's hitting .714) and Josh Willingham (three hits on Tuesday), but when the pitcher gets a couple of hits and an RBI, there's problems. Scott Olsen got the job done with the bat, and pitched relatively well despite five walks, taking a shutout into the sixth.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
After failing to come through as the Nationals everyday leadoff hitter/center fielder, 
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in 
I've got to hand it to 
No, I'm not going to completely write off the Nationals after two games.
