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If the Nationals Lose And No One's Listening, Does It Really Happen?

Pat LackeyPosted Aug 26th 2008 3:13PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Nationals, NL East, MLB Biz

The Nationals are bad. The 46-85 record gives that away. They're also poorly run, as evidenced by the Jim Bowden scandal and their inability to sign their first round pick. The biggest worry for the Nationals right now has to be that their problems go even deeper than that. Recently Arbitron released their latest ratings for baseball radio broadcasts and the Nats' numbers were so low that they didn't even properly register on the charts. From the Washington Post:

The team's broadcasts on the station formerly known as WWWT (107.7 FM and 1500 AM) attracted a cumulative weekly audience of about 26,500 from May through July, the most recent period measured by Arbitron.

[...]

It could be worse -- and probably is.

Arbitron's figures are estimates based on a sample of listeners; as the share of these listeners falls to smaller and smaller fractions, the reliability of the estimates declines as well. Farley concedes that the actual radio audience for the Nationals is "probably lower" than the average reported by Arbitron.

For comparison, the article gives the Mariners numbers at about 133,000 a week, or five times the ratings of the Nats. Meanwhile, the Nationals are 13th out of 16 teams in National League attendance and are averaging less than 30,000 fans a game, despite opening their new park this year. Even the Pirates topped 30,000 a game when PNC Park opened in 2001. Can anyone remember how moving to Washington was supposed to save this franchise from obscurity?

Mets Still Without Wagner, Willing to Ignore Sample Size

Matt WatsonPosted Aug 18th 2008 6:00PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: Mets, Nationals, NL East, MLB Transactions

Lui AyalaThe Mets were hoping to get injured closer Billy Wagner back this week. Unfortunately, he reported stiffness and pain in his elbow after throwing off the mound in Pittsburgh this weekend, pushing his return back to ... well, no one knows. All anyone knows for sure is that he's not coming off the DL today.

But relax, Mets fans! To bolster the bullpen, the front office picked up Luis Ayala from Nationals! Jerry Manuel sounds pleased. From Anthony Rieber of Newsday:
"The two innings the other day that we faced him, he threw strikes, attacked the hitters," manager Jerry Manuel said. "I kind of expect the same thing."
Umm ... Jerry? Are you really happy to pick up the Nationals' scraps? Can two good innings last week outweigh the 1-8 record and 5.77 ERA (6.97 since the All-Star break) he's posted over 57 innings the entire season?
When told of Ayala's record and ERA, Manuel said: "Oh, man."
That's right, folks The power of sample size strikes again. Sarcasm aside, no one expects Ayala to be a savior -- all he cost the Mets was the infamous Player to Be Named, whom Reiber outs as the extremely expendable Anderson Hernandez, who's currently hitting .203 for Triple-A New Orleans. If Ayala can simply eat a handful of innings and absorb his nightly beating without giving up the lead, the trade will be worth it.

Winners and Losers of Draft Signing Day

Andrew JohnsonPosted Aug 17th 2008 7:28PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Mariners, Nationals, Pirates, Red Sox, Royals, Yankees, MLB Biz, MLB Draft, MLB Transactions



To fans and the media, what a team does in the MLB Draft pales next to a big free-agent signing or blockbuster trade.

Part of that is the gaudy figures thrown around during the hot stove season. The Red Sox, this year's top spender in the draft, couldn't even buy one year of Gil Meche if they shifted their draft outlay to the open market. Most of it stems from immediacy, though. A big winter signing answers the question who will help me today? A big haul in the draft answers who will help me tomorrow, but in most cases tomorrow is years away, if it ever comes at all.

Still, as the cost of free agents escalates, the draft continues to become the most important way to ensure long-term success. With that in mind, and with the deadline to sign picks in the books, here's a look at three teams who won and three teams who lost in the 2008 draft
Continue Reading Winners and Losers of Draft Signing Day

Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez Dumped in DC

Matt WatsonPosted Aug 1st 2008 3:00PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: Nationals, NL East

Paul Lo DucaJust hours after the trade deadline, the Nationals embraced (yet another) youth movement with open arms by releasing 36-year-old Paul Lo Duca and 28-year-old Felipe Lopez.

You'd expect for both players to latch on with another team sometime soon, but the timing of their departure suggests the Nationals tried and failed to recoup any kind of value on the trade market. Now, any interested teams can take a flyer on them without being on the hook for the remainder of their $5 million and $4.9 million salaries, respecitively.

Lo Duca has been especially disappointing this year, hitting just .230 (.582 OPS) without a single home run in 139 at-bats. Sure, injuries have been a factor, but he didn't sound bitter at all about the move. From the Washington Post:
Asked if he was surprised about the moves, Lo Duca said, "I think they're making the right move. Other guys in here need to play and I'm taking up a spot."
As bad as Lo Duca was, Lopez hasn't been much better -- he's hitting .234 (.619 OPS) with two home runs in 325 at-bats. 23-year-old Emilio Bonifacio, acquired from the D'Backs in the Jon Rauch trade, will take over as the everyday second basemen. Bonifacio hasn't done much in two brief cups of coffee with the D'Backs the last two seasons, but he's .314 between Triple-A Tucson and Columbus this year and should be an immediate upgrade. Even though the Nationals didn't make a big move yesterday, they should have a better lineup today than they did yesterday.

Rumor Mill Roundup: July 26

Andrew JohnsonPosted Jul 26th 2008 5:20PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Brewers, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Red Sox, Rockies, MLB Rumors

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Mets are continuing to pursue a corner outfielder, but with Pittsburgh's trade of Xavier Nady and Cleveland's trade of Casey Blake, the list of potential additions has dwindled. Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are still out there, but New York simply doesn't have the chips to acquire an All-Star caliber bat. Seattle's Raul Ibanez is the one name remaining that the Mets have been linked to and is likely in the team's price range.


GM Omar Minaya probably can't afford to hone in on one target, though, so it's likely he'll make calls over the next few days to gauge what the Padres would want in return for Brian Giles and perhaps what the Reds would want in return for Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. The Mets are on a hot streak, but the team still has flaws -- flaws that can be taken care of in the next few days.

- Manny Ramirez was a very late scratch for Friday night's game against the Yankees, which the Red Sox lost 1-0, and the Boston Globe's Dan Shaugnessy is wondering if this is the final straw for the slugger in Boston. "Manny Being Manny" is a mantra that has come to mean many different things over the years, and part of it are these little dramas, which usually come to nothing. But the Red Sox have an option on Ramirez for next year, one they aren't even certain they will pick up, so perhaps this time it really is THE time to explore finding Ramirez's replacement. That means a middle-of-the-order bat, one which they could potentially acquire over the next few days. It wouldn't be a great surprise if GM Theo Epstein started making inquiries about Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn and Matt Holliday, even if once again, this all amounts to nothing.
Continue Reading Rumor Mill Roundup: July 26

Jim Bowden Spends More Time Talking to the Media Than His Own Players

Matt WatsonPosted Jul 25th 2008 2:35PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: Nationals, NL East

Jim BowdenNationals GM Jim Bowden announced on the radio yesterday that he would not tender an offer to Chad Cordero this winter, meaning the injured closer will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

It's not a surprising decision -- in fact, Cordero admits he saw it coming -- but it's a little surprising that Bowden decided to announce to the news over AM radio waves before extending his player the courtesy of a simple phone call. From Chico Harlan of the Washington Post:
"My dad called me," Cordero said, explaining how he received the news. "He had received a phone call from a friend who heard on the radio. My dad got the call, and then he called me and told me. That's how I found out. Bowden never once made contact with myself or my agent before he announced it on the radio."
Part of the reason that Cordero is so upset is because he just underwent shoulder surgery two weeks ago -- he's barely had anytime to recover before hearing that his team plans to kick him to the curb. Granted, Bowden later revealed in an email to MLB.com that he hopes to re-sign Cordero this winter to a contract with "a low base salary with incentives," but how would Cordero know that? Again, a quick phone call five minutes before going on the air avoids all of his awkwardness.

The Diamondbacks Add Jon Rauch

Pat LackeyPosted Jul 22nd 2008 7:36PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Diamondbacks, Nationals, NL East, NL West, MLB Transactions

With the deadline fast approaching, it looks like the deals are going to start coming pretty fast over the next 10 days. Today, the Diamondbacks added Jon Rauch from the Nationals in an effort to stem the ugly slide they've been in since early May. In exchange, they're shipping second base prospect Emilio Bonifacio out to Washington.

Rauch is certainly a nice addition to the D'Backs bullpen. He's quietly been one of the better relievers in the NL with the Nats this year and has done a nice job filling in as their closer since Chad Cordero went down. Any contender would be happy to have him, so this is a plus for the D'Backs. What this move doesn't do, however, is address the team's real problem. That would be their incredibly crappy offense.

On the flip side, Bonifacio is one of those guys that you look at and think, "Well, he's a nice enough prospect, I guess." He's very fast (229 steals in the minors) and he's supposedly got a good glove at second base. Still, he's got the kind of bat that seems like it probably won't play terribly well in the majors (high average resulting in a high OBP and almost no power).

So the Diamondbacks got help where they didn't need it and the Nationals didn't get a whole lot in return for a good reliever. What spurred this trade on again?

Buy or Sell: Washington Nationals

Josh AlperPosted Jul 14th 2008 12:00PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
Filed under: Nationals, NL East

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.

Jim Bowden Accused of Skimming Money Allotted for Signing Prospects

Pat LackeyPosted Jul 12th 2008 3:38PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Nationals, NL East, MLB Police Blotter

To anyone that's familiar with Major League Baseball, the whole international scouting aspect of the game has always seemed a bit shady. Players outside of the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico aren't eligible for the draft, so they all become free agents on their 16th birthdays. That means that every year during the Latin American signing period, there's essentially a free-for-all among the teams to throw tons of money at kids, in hoping to get them sign with their system.

Today, there's news that the whole process is quite possibly more than a bit shady. Several baseball employees are being investigated for skimming money allotted for Dominican prospects, and the scandal goes all the way to the top of the Nationals' front office as it appears that GM Jim Bowden and his special assistant Barry Larkin may be involved in the investigation. Bowden admits to talking to MLB officials and the FBI but, of course, denies the charges.
"There's no wrongdoing," Bowden said during the Nationals' game against the Houston Astros. "I met with FBI investigators. I think there are many people throughout baseball who are going to be talking with the FBI and Major League Baseball, trying to help get all the information out there on all the problems that exist over there. ... At no time when I met with the FBI investigators were questions revolving around myself or Jose Rijo."
Bowden was the Reds GM from 1991-2003 and the Nats' GM since 2004 and he's managed to make the playoffs once in that incredibly long time span. Maybe the investigation should be into how he still has a job.

The Nationals Are Winning About as Many Viewers as Ballgames

Josh AlperPosted Jul 8th 2008 2:25PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
Filed under: Washington, DC, Nationals, NL East, MLB Media Watch

Television ratings across baseball haven't been great this season, according to an article in Sports Business Journal, but nowhere are they worse than in Washington D.C. That's not surprising. The Nats are terrible, thanks to factors ranging from injuries to poor work by the front office, but the cold hard facts are still eye-opening.

The Nats have lost 43.5% of their viewers this season and rank last in baseball in viewership. Just 9,000 households in the D.C. market tune into games which results in a 0.39 ratings share, numbers which could easily be mistaken as people who leave their TVs on to keep their cats company. For comparison, the Royals are 28th in households (the Blue Jays weren't included) at 28,000 while the Angels draw a 1.24 share.

Is there really that little interest in the Nats? Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog has hosted a lively discussion about that question and the reaction seems mixed. The team's lack of talent gets mentioned a lot, as does the nature of Washington being a city full of people from other places because of government jobs.

There's a fair amount of complaint about MASN's coverage, especially the lack of HD coverage on every game, but Steinberg also mentions that Washington Post web traffic figures on the Nats could be deemed very disappointing. There's no doubt that it takes time to develop an avid fanbase and it appears that the Nats have a lot to work to do on that front.
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